Sri Lanka - Minimum Cost of Diet: Maha Planting Season (October 2013 - January 2014), August 2014

The Cost of Diet (COD) is a method to model the cost of a theoretical, simulated diet (food basket) which satisfies all nutritional requirements1 of a household of specific composition of interest (e.g. breastfed child, lactating mother, and other members) at the minimal possible cost, based on the availability, price, and nutrient content of local foods. Any other food basket at the same price will be less nutritious, and any other food basket of the same nutrient value will be more expensive. When combined with household income data, the COD can be used to estimate the proportion of households that could theoreti-cally afford the modelled nutritious diet. Hence, the COD tool can be used to calculate the affordability or eco-nomic access to a nutritious diet. It thus helps to identify whether malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are caused by insufficient access to nutritious food.