Issues in Highly Processed Foods among Nigerians: An Analysis of Consumption Expenditure Patterns Using National Bureau of Statistics Data

Abstract

This study drew its claim from the consumption expenditure pattern compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2019. Designed by the National Living Standard Survey as an effort on the part of the federal government of Nigeria to provide a heuristic account of the welfare and consumption patterns of Nigerians. The study used the survey design. The survey, for what it is, and how consumption is nationwide, covers all 36 states of Nigeria, between September 2018 to October 2019. It used the stratified random sampling technique; the study used a sample size of 22,110 households to focus on understanding the living conditions of the Nigerian population and their expenditure pattern. The study observed that among the data surveyed, highly processed foods account for a greater proportion of Nigerians’ expenditure. The study further observed that the major cause of the consumption lifestyle of Nigerians is urbanisation, as compared to the consumption lifestyle of people in rural areas. In other words, the study concludes that the major contribution of the consumption life of Nigerians is class-oriented. This study then refutes the claim of innovation theorists that the primary reason most Nigerians consume processed foods is due to inadequate information about their effects. The study through this knowledge recommends for nutritionists and healthcare givers a supplementary health plan that can augment and make up for nutritional imbalance through highly processed foods.