The rising cost of eating a healthy diet is putting nutritious food further out of reach for millions of Ugandans at a time when the country is grappling with growing risk factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
New data released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank in July 2026 shows that the cost of the least expensive diet meeting healthy-diet requirements in Uganda rose from $3.12 (Shs12,581) per person per day in 2017 to $3.74 in 2025, approximately Shs15,000, representing a 19.9 per cent increase based on the published figures.