A surge in food prices across Nigeria is morphing into a public health emergency, as double-digit inflation on essential proteins forces families to ration meals, compromising the development of millions of children.

The cost of staples including beef, eggs, and milk has skyrocketed, eroding purchasing power in an economy where only 2.4 percent of the population earns more than N200,000 a month.

For Fatima Ibrahim, a 39-year-old mother of five in Taraba State, the macroeconomic reality is stark. Feeding her children has become a personal struggle.

“I used to buy five eggs at N50 naira each for all my children, but at the moment, I can only afford two at N250 each, so I share it among all five of them,” she shared.

Similarly, Igbagbo Falade, a Lagos-based resident, said her family has had to adjust their diet due to rising food prices.

“I bought a kilo of chicken for just N2000 in 2023, today it is almost N6000, an amount I cannot afford, so I switched to cheaper ones like kpanla,” she shared with this reporter.

National Bureau of Statistics data corroborates these household strains. A crate of eggs (30 pieces) ranged between N2,700 and N3,000. today, it exceeds N5,700 naira, representing a price jump of over 100 percent. Beef prices have mirrored this trajectory, climbing from between N2,900 and N3,500 in 2023 to between N7,000 and N9,000 currently, an increase of over 140 percent.

Shocking statistics about malnutrition

The sharp rise in food prices is contributing to poor nutrition outcomes among children.

According to a 2025 Dataphyte report, about 86 percent of Nigerian children under the age of five do not receive adequate dietary requirements needed for growth and development, while only 14 percent consume foods from at least five essential food groups.

The Global Protein Project also reports that one in three Nigerian children under the age of five is protein deficient.

With Nigeria recording the second-highest burden of stunted growth among children under five, experts have described malnutrition as a public health emergency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that about 39 million Nigerians are malnourished, while 35 million are expected to face a hunger crisis in 2026.

Further compounding the issue, recent NBS data shows that a plate of a well-balanced meal costs about N1,611, far beyond the reach of many Nigerians, especially as only less than three percent of the population earns above N200,000 monthly, according to Statisense.

Nigeria’s food inflation stood at 37.7 percent in September 2024,the highest in two decades,according to NBS data.

Although it declined to 12.12 percent in February 2026, several states, including Kogi (26.9 percent), Adamawa (23 percent), and Benue (21 percent), continue to record significantly higher rates.

Implications of rising food inflation

Experts warn that the implications of rising food inflation cannot be underrated as it leads to reduced purchasing power, declining food quality, worsening malnutrition, and increased rates of stunting, underweight, and wasting among children.

“One of the biggest threats to public health in Nigeria is food inflation,” noted Enoabasi Nta, a certified dietitian and public health nutritionist at the University of Calabar.

“Food inflation is subtly changing what Nigerian children eat and how well they grow, making what appears to be a minor household compromise part of a national emergency,” she added.

Mercy Etim, a Nigerian nutrition and dietetics specialist based in Bristol, UK, highlighted the additional risks faced by nursing mothers.

“The high cost of essential foods like eggs and meat has caused increased vulnerability in children and women. As most children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women are the most affected,” she noted.

“When nursing mothers cannot afford nutritious diets, their health and milk production may decline, which can lead to malnutrition and other system malfunctions in infants and young children,” she added.

According to UNICEF (2024), about 23 percent of children under five in Nigeria are underweight, while seven percent are wasted, meaning they are too thin or tiny for their age.

Experts explain that when food becomes unaffordable, families are forced to reduce portion sizes or skip meals altogether.

In addition, food manufacturers may cut costs by reducing the quality of raw materials, leading to lower nutrient content and increased sugar and empty calories, further worsening public health outcomes, experts warn.

What’s the way forward?

To address the crisis, experts recommend strategies such as bulk buying, market decentralisation, sectoral collaboration, and reducing food waste.

Adebayo Adeleke, founder of Supply Chain Africa, emphasised the importance of tackling inefficiencies in food distribution.

“Nigeria doesn’t have a production problem, it rather faces a supply-chain problem, addressing this could reduce food inflation,” he noted.

Afioluwa Mogaji, a food security expert, stressed the need for collaboration across the agricultural value chain.

“There needs to be collaborations between the maize farmer and the poultry farmer to enable information or resource sharing, while enhancing food security,” he noted.

“Major food markets also need to be disaggregated to grant easy access to consumers thereby reducing food inflation,” he added.

Government efforts on food inflation

The government has also taken steps to address food inflation through investments, public-private partnerships, and policy interventions.

“There’s more collaboration between private and public sectors,” Mogaji noted.

Other measures include boosting local production, improving mechanisation, implementing a six-month suspension of import duties on key staples in 2024, and promoting dry-season farming. (BusinessDay)

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