For many Nigerian households, putting food on the table has become less about choosing a healthy combination of meals and more about finding whatever can be afforded each day. The rising cost of food and shrinking household purchasing power are forcing families to reduce the variety of what they eat, with nutritious foods increasingly replaced by cheaper staples that can keep hunger away.
For Mrs Alele Hamzat, a mother of four, breakfast has become one of the clearest signs of how household finances have changed. She recalled that her family once regularly started the day with fried eggs, tea prepared with milk and sliced bread. That combination, which once formed part of their normal morning routine, has now become difficult to sustain.
“We have forgotten about eggs and milk. Now, breakfast is plain boiled yam or cassava flakes (garri) soaked in water. We only eat to survive, not to balance any diet,” Hamzat said.
Her experience reflects a wider struggle among households dealing with high food prices. Families that previously attempted to combine carbohydrates with proteins, vegetables and other nutrient-rich foods are increasingly being forced to prioritise the cheapest foods available. As the cost of staples rises, nutritional considerations are often taking a back seat to the immediate need to avoid going hungry.
The pressure is also being felt by people who depend on prepared meals. Mrs Dorathy Agbede, a restaurant owner, said the decline in customers’ purchasing power had drastically affected both her business and the quality of food people are able to buy.
“Before, I sell a bag of rice (50kg) and half bag (50kg) of beans in a week. People even offer to buy vegetable soup mixed with assorted beef alongside,” she said.
“But today, I hardly sell two mudu of beans or rice in a week. Most times I give cooked food out to avoid it being wasted. Many customers are owing me. Some who eat breakfast and lunch now eat only lunch.”
Agbede’s account illustrates how the food crisis extends beyond individual households. As consumers reduce the amount and frequency of food they purchase, restaurants and other food vendors are also struggling to maintain sales. Meals that once included several ingredients are increasingly being viewed as unaffordable, while customers who previously bought food more than once a day are cutting back.
The result is a gradual disappearance of the traditional three-meal routine in many homes. Some families now skip breakfast, while others sacrifice lunch or dinner depending on their income and the amount of food available. The informal calculations used to stretch household supplies have become a regular feature of daily life, with some people alternating meals to make limited resources last longer.
The underlying problem is the loss of purchasing power. As the cost of food continues to put pressure on household budgets, consumers have less money available for the combination of foods required for a balanced diet. Foods such as beans, rice, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and milk may all remain available in markets, but their prices increasingly place them beyond the reach of households operating on restricted incomes.
Data cited from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that about 65.8 per cent of Nigerian households are unable to afford healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of financial constraints. United Nations data cited in the report similarly indicates that about 80 per cent of Nigerians cannot afford a healthy diet.
The figures highlight the scale of the problem. When households cannot afford adequate quantities of different food groups, they naturally gravitate towards foods that provide the greatest amount of energy for the least amount of money. In practice, this often means relying heavily on staples such as yam, garri and other carbohydrate-rich foods while reducing purchases of more expensive sources of protein and fresh produce.
Nutrition experts are concerned that the consequences could extend well beyond temporary hunger. Dr Charles Alozie, a clinical nutritionist, described the changes as a dangerous shift in dietary patterns, particularly in urban communities where households are struggling to maintain previous standards of living.
“What we are seeing is a dangerous pivot,” Alozie said. “People cannot afford fresh fish, beef, or leafy vegetables. They buy heavy starches to stay full. They are filling their stomachs with empty calories, high sodium, and bad fats, which is a recipe for a future medical disaster.”
The concern is that a meal can provide enough calories to suppress hunger without providing the vitamins, minerals, protein and other nutrients needed for healthy development and long-term wellbeing. A sustained diet dominated by inexpensive, energy-dense foods can therefore leave people adequately fed in terms of calories but nutritionally deficient.
The dietary changes are also increasing dependence on highly processed and inexpensive food options. In an effort to obtain affordable meals quickly, some consumers are turning more frequently to products such as instant noodles, heavily salted seasoning cubes and cheaper vegetable oils.
Although such foods can provide an immediate and relatively inexpensive source of calories, experts warn that heavy dependence on them does not replace the nutritional value of a varied diet containing fresh vegetables, quality protein and other nutrient-rich foods.
The situation presents what medical experts describe as a double burden of malnutrition. In some vulnerable communities, undernutrition and stunting remain serious concerns, while poor-quality diets in urban populations can contribute to non-communicable diseases including hypertension, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications.
This means the consequences of food insecurity are not limited to people who are visibly underweight or going without meals. A person may eat enough food to avoid hunger while still failing to consume the nutrients required for good health. Over time, this imbalance can increase vulnerability to health problems.
Pregnant women and young children are particularly exposed to the effects of inadequate diets. During pregnancy and early childhood, sufficient nutrition is essential for physical growth and development. Data tracked by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition indicates that inadequate nutrient intake during early childhood can have lasting effects on cognitive and physical development, including the risk of stunting.
Protein is among the nutrients becoming increasingly difficult for some families to maintain in their diets. As meat and fish become more expensive, households are finding ways to make small quantities stretch across several meals.
Tunde Adebayo, a civil servant, said his family had changed how it used meat in household cooking because of the rising cost.
“We used to buy two kilos of beef every week,” he said. “Now, we buy a single fish, break it into tiny pieces, and use it just to add aroma to the soup. The children don’t get actual pieces of meat anymore.”
Such adjustments demonstrate how families are attempting to preserve the appearance of familiar meals while reducing the quantity of expensive ingredients. A piece of fish or meat that would previously have been served as part of a meal may now be divided among several portions simply to provide flavour rather than meaningful protein.
The crisis is therefore changing not only what Nigerians eat but also how meals are prepared and distributed within households. Families are reducing portion sizes, removing expensive ingredients, skipping meals and substituting cheaper foods. For those with limited incomes, maintaining a nutritionally diverse diet has increasingly become a financial challenge.
The pressure is also affecting food businesses. When customers cannot afford complete meals, vendors experience lower demand and greater difficulty recovering the cost of ingredients. Agbede’s account of giving away unsold food to prevent waste shows how declining purchasing power can affect both sides of the food market.
Experts say addressing the problem requires more than encouraging individuals to make healthier food choices. Where nutritious foods are unaffordable, consumers have limited ability to follow dietary recommendations regardless of their awareness of the importance of good nutrition.
Among the measures recommended are reducing the cost of agricultural inputs, improving rural transportation infrastructure and strengthening security around farmlands. Lower production and distribution costs, experts argue, could help reduce the prices consumers eventually pay in local markets.
Improving the affordability of food would also give households greater room to diversify their diets. If families are able to spend less of their income on basic staples, they may have more resources to purchase vegetables, legumes, eggs, fish, meat and other foods that contribute to a balanced diet.
For now, however, many households continue to make difficult choices at the dining table. The challenge for families like Hamzat’s is no longer simply deciding what constitutes a healthy breakfast or dinner. It is determining which foods can be purchased with the money available and how those foods can be stretched until the next opportunity to buy more.
As food prices continue to pressure household budgets, the distinction between eating well and simply eating enough is becoming increasingly important. For millions of Nigerians, the immediate priority has become securing the next meal, even when that means sacrificing the nutritional balance that experts say is essential for long-term health.
Rising food costs force Nigerian families to abandon balanced diets
