Choosing a balanced diet appears to carry a significant financial cost for household budgets in Cyprus too, confirming international World Health Organization (WHO) reports on inequalities in access to quality food.
An analysis of data published by the Consumer Protection Service's Basic Consumer Goods Observatory and the e-kalathi platform gives an indication of the price gap.
Specifically, according to July data, a basket built around unprocessed, healthy products costs between 10% and almost 19% more than a basket of ultra processed foods.
The main source of the price gap lies in cooking oils and clean protein sources.
Among cooking fats, extra virgin olive oil is available at an average weighted price of €6.83 per litre (with some brands reaching €10.02/L), while ordinary seed or sunflower oils sit at around €2.20 per litre (€6.59 for a 3L bottle), a difference of more than 200%.
For protein, fresh chicken breast is recorded at €7.47/kg and fresh sea bream at €9.93/kg. By contrast, pre prepared frozen chicken nuggets sell from €5.62 for 800g (€7.03/kg), offering a cheaper but nutritionally inferior alternative.
The illusion of "cheap" snacks
Analysis of prices per kilo reveals an interesting contradiction. Snacks and processed cereals, such as biscuits, bake rolls and sugary cereals, are sold at low shelf prices per item (from €0.86 to €4.24), yet their price per kilo shoots up to between €8 and €13.75/kg.
A diet built around pulses and vegetables, however, works out cheaper. Lentils (€2.56/kg), bulgur (€3/kg), oats (€3.62/kg), potatoes (€1.08/kg) and tomatoes (€1.93/kg) hold down the overall cost of the healthy basket, preventing the gap from widening even further.
Comparative weekly cost
For an indicative basket of 11 basic food items for one person:
The cost of the healthy basket (fresh vegetables, pulses, fresh chicken, fish, olive oil, yoghurt, oats, eggs, water) ranges from €36.31 to €45.42.
The cost of a basket of processed foods (ready made nuggets, burgers, cold cuts, seed oil, white pasta, sugary cereals, snacks, soft drinks) ranges from €30.58 to €41.23.
Note: The data in this article was processed using artificial intelligence tools.
