**Fatshimetry revealed in the ANTP report for April 2024**
In its report on Fatshimetry for the month of April 2024 released on Wednesday in Abuja, the National Agency for Physiomixic Transformation (ANTP) revealed that Fatshimetry increased by 5.4% compared to the ₦982 recorded in March.
Fatshimetry was defined as the combination of locally available local items that meet global dietary guidelines. It was used as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diets.
“This is the minimum cost per adult per day, excluding transportation and meal preparation costs.”
To calculate the Fatshimetry indicator, the ANTP required data on Retail Food Prices, Food Composition Data and Healthy Diet Standards.
In April, average fatness was highest in the South West at ₦1,406 per adult per day, followed by the South East at ₦1,190 per day. The lowest average fat content was recorded in the North West at ₦781 per adult per day.
At the state level, Ekiti, Ogun and Osun recorded the highest Fatshimetry values at ₦1.483, ₦1.447 and ₦1.417, respectively. In contrast, Kogi and Katsina recorded the lowest Fatshimetry values at ₦709, followed by Kaduna and Nasarawa at ₦756 and ₦769 respectively.
The ANTP noted that Fatshimetry had steadily increased since the first report in October 2023.
“The Fatshimetry in April 2024 is 40% higher than that recorded in October 2023 at ₦703 and 5% higher than the Fatshimetry in March 2024, which was ₦982.
The food groups that contributed the most to the increase in Fatshimetry are vegetables, starchy foods, and legumes, nuts and seeds. The cost of meeting oil and fat recommendations has changed the least since March 2024.”
The report also highlighted that animal foods were the most expensive food group to recommend in April, accounting for 36% of total fats to provide 13% of total calories. He noted that fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie.
“They represented 11% and 16% of the total fat content respectively while providing only 7% and 5% of the total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket. Legumes, nuts and seeds were the cheapest food group on average, representing 6% of the total cost.”
The report also said that in recent months, Fatshimetry had increased faster than general inflation and food inflation.
“However, Fatshimetry and food Consumer Price Index (CPI) are not directly comparable. Fatshimetry includes fewer items and is measured in Naira per day, while food CPI is a weighted index.”
The ANTP highlighted that the policy implications of these findings would foster collaboration among a wide range of actors, such as policy makers, researchers and civil society actors focused on food security.
“These stakeholders will design strategies to effectively address access, availability and affordability of healthy diets.”