Analyzing the cost of a healthy food basket in Uruguay: methodological and policy implications

Monitoring economic access to food is fundamental to implement strategies to reduce food insecurity and enhance the affordability of healthy diets. The aims of the present study were to develop a healthy food basket (HFB) and analyze its cost from 2011 to 2024, in Uruguay, a high-income Latin American country. The HFB was conceptualized as a set of foods that allows the achievement of the nutritional needs of a person at the lowest possible cost, considering the dietary patterns of the local population. Its construction was based on national and international dietary intake recommendations, local food acquisition patterns, and food prices. The daily cost of the HFB in May 2024 was USD 7.5, considering purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factors. The cost of the basket was higher than the Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet elaborated by FAO for the country and the region and higher than the cost of the official food baskets of the country. The cost of the HFB increased 202.3% from January 2011 to May 2024, while inflation increased by 178.4%. Fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products, and processed cereals made the largest contribution to the cost of the HFB. Results highlight the need to reassess the country's poverty estimation criteria and implement strategies to improve the affordability of healthy foods, such as adjusting cash transfer amounts and introducing targeted subsidies. The proposed methodological approach can contribute to the standardization of approaches to measure and monitor the cost of healthy diets in other countries.