One of the primary obstacles to achieving food security is that over two billion people worldwide are still unable to afford enough food, let alone healthy food.The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report indicates that low-income countries—many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular—are unable to access “affordable,” nutritious, globally balanced diets when compared to the global average. Global food prices have spiked, and economies have been depressed, and access (however limited) to some staples during the previous two years has exacerbated issues, which has led to more people living in volatile conditions encompassing hunger and malnourishment. For those reasons, we must look for integrated solutions. Investment in economic policy, local food systems, and equity-reduction policies will help to create an environment where nutrition is an affordable option.

As long as barriers do not improve, we will continue to see millions among the population suffering from food insecurity, impacting the global health, well-being, and stability of populations across the planet. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report of 2025 says that low-income nations, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa, need to become a global movement towards more affordable, healthy diets. Based on the report, even if the global average price of a healthy meal increases to $4.46 per individual per day in 2024, only 48.8 million fewer individuals would still not be in a position to afford it, leaving close to 2.6 billion individuals in poverty. This increase is attributed to increased incomes in different regions that have served to partially counter the rising expense of healthy diets. Yet, these world averages are vague, marking a regional imbalance. The ranking of low-income nations and Sub-Saharan Africa deteriorated for two consecutive years consecutively 2022. For Sub-Saharan Africa, prices for a healthy diet had only slight improvements. Due to food prices rising slightly slower than in other regions, the prices for healthy diets were still hovering near record levels. That is, many millions of people’s food insecurity declined in 2023 and 2024 because they can no longer afford to eat healthy food. To add more, the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are equally in a declining food insecurity context.

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This emphasizes the fact that certain steps are urgently required to counter the specific issues these regions are facing in attaining nutrition and food security. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank developed the Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Meal (CoAHD) indicators, which assess two of the most important factors: the affordability and cost of a healthy meal. The cost is the average everyday monetary requirement to eat a healthy diet throughout the country based on a Healthy Diet Basket derived from food-based dietary guidelines and local food prices. Affordability estimates the share of individuals who cannot afford a diet after accounting for necessary non-food expenditures, based on the international poverty lines of the World Bank. The data for these indicators are provided by the International Comparison Program and the Poverty and Inequality Platform. Patterns in the spending and valuation of a healthy diet reflect wide variation in income levels. Food costs and price rises in high- and upper-middle-income countries have been fairly in balance relative to other parts of the world. This difference, however, highlights important value-for-money development disparities. Most poor countries still have increasing food prices that limit their access to nutritious diets, although some nations are in a position to offer balanced food prices. This deficiency must be addressed to facilitate long-term improvement towards the global availability of food and parity access to a good diet. An important achievement this year is the shift towards T–1 reporting, making possible the first-ever CoAHD estimates for the preceding calendar year (2024) because of improved cooperation between FAO and the World Bank. This release incorporates cost indicators in national currency units, enabling faster and more appropriate national decision-making. For instances of data collection, income and price trend assumptions are made, with increasing use being made of these assumptions for recent projections. In a bid to better establish where and for whom healthy diets continue to be unaffordable, ongoing efforts are being undertaken to enhance the freshness and fineness of the data.

To promote its food security inspection, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June 2025. The Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet (CoAHD) measures, which provide a key instrument for assessing food and nutrition security, are the main priority of the agreement. To avoid hunger and nutrient deprivation, both organizations encourage activities that will enhance these statistics to inform government, researchers, and policymakers. This collective effort highlights the value of good practices in producing functional food systems and social security systems. When it comes to bridging global efforts with sustainable development targets, particularly those that seek to eradicate hunger and achieve social justice and health, these advantages that were exchanged indicate a turning point. The memorandum of understanding outlines the intention of both organizations to develop ways of monitoring and build capacity to ensure monitoring efforts contribute in a meaningful way towards national priorities and international policy efforts.

More recently, worldwide figures are reflecting a concerning trend; even as the availability of healthier foods is increasing, the rate of progress is disconcertingly low in low-income nations and in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The disparity remains useful even if most locations are increasingly enhancing affordability. Healthy foods are not available to threaten global food and nutrition security. There is pressure to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—ending hunger, improving nutrition and health, and promoting sustainable development. There will continue to be unplanned investment in food systems, and, in the absence of proper regulation, there will be uneven and slower growth in these regions. Top priority should be given forthwith to make sure that individuals have reasonable access to affordable, wholesome foods, particularly in communities where individuals are most likely to be at risk of a poor diet. These issues need to be managed for the benefit of world socioeconomic progress and the health of every individual. The data indicate that action is necessary to meet the income gap. It entails financing food systems, assisting low-income households, and ensuring that economic growth translates into actual life benefits for people. A quick response is needed to expand everyone’s availability of healthy foods.