Cost Estimating of Providing Desired Food Basket for the Iranian Society and Its Situation in the Last ۳ Years

Background: Food security has always been emphasized as a primary goal of sustainable development policies. Events, such as the COVID-۱۹ outbreak, climate change, wars, and unjust (cruel) sanctions against countries threaten global food security. Therefore, considering the importance of nutrition and food consumption in budget planning and household shopping, we indirectly examined the cost of providing an optimal food basket for the Iranian community, in total and by separating its components based on the average price of selected food items in urban areas from year ۱۳۹۹-۱۴۰۱ in the Solar Hijri calendar (۲۰۲۰ to ۲۰۲۲).Methods: In this cross-sectional costing study, the country’s desired food basket was used as a reference for cost measurement of an acceptable food basket, and information on food prices and household expenses was obtained from the Statistical Center of Iran and the Central Bank. The cost of providing an optimal food basket for the Iranian community, in total and for each component, was calculated for an individual and a family of four. After extracting the cost information of providing an optimalfood basket in these three years, the data were compared and analyzed to study the trend.Results: Based on the costs of providing an optimal household basket, the average food cost for a family of four in ۱۳۹۹ (۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۱) was about ۳.۲ million Tomans, which increased by ۲۷% to ۴.۳۶۵ million Tomans in ۱۴۰۰ (۲۰۲۱-۲۰۲۲), and in ۱۴۰۱ (October ۲۰۲۲), it reached ۶.۷۸۵ million Tomans, a ۳۵% increase compared to ۱۴۰۰ (۲۰۲۱-۲۰۲۲).Conclusion: It is suggested to support vulnerable groups and target subsidies according to different income levels. The salaries and wages should be revised in line with inflation food prices and household expenses, and also policymakers and planners are suggested to monitor the prices

Keywords:

Food security , desired food basket , Food cost