Are Healthcare, Politics And The High Cost Of Healthy Foods Related?
The short answer is yes, and the World Health Organization draws the line itself. Its healthy diet fact sheet lists food prices among the things that shape what people eat, and it puts governments at the centre of changing that. This post looks at the evidence behind the price half of the question, then at what one fruit, the date, actually costs on a Malaysian wholesale list checked in October 2026.
Where WHO connects food prices and policy
WHO writes that diet is shaped by income, food prices, preferences, culture and geography, and that food prices “will affect the availability and affordability of healthy foods”. It then says governments “have a central role in creating a healthy food environment”.
The actions it lists for policy-makers are where the politics comes in. WHO calls for coherence across “health, food and agricultural, education, fiscal and trade policies”. One of its examples is subsidies for producers and retailers “to grow, use and sell fresh fruit and vegetables”. Another asks food services to review “portion sizes and pricing”.
So health policy, fiscal choices and the price on the shelf are tied together in WHO’s own framing. Which of those levers a country pulls is a political decision, and this post takes no side on that.
Do healthier foods cost more?
One answer comes from a 2013 systematic review and meta-analysis in BMJ Open by Rao and colleagues. It pooled 27 studies from 10 countries, with prices converted to international dollars at 2011 values.
Comparing the healthiest and least healthy food-based diet patterns, the healthier diets cost $1.48 more per day. The gap per serving varied by food group. It was largest for meats and protein ($0.29 a serving), and much smaller for grains ($0.03) and snacks and sweets ($0.12). For diet patterns defined by nutrients, the price per day was not significantly different.
The authors concluded that this showed both “the challenges and opportunities for reducing financial barriers to healthy eating”. A daily gap that small looks modest on paper. Across a household and a year, it adds up.
What dates cost on one Malaysian list
Whether dates fit a given diet is a question for nutrition guidance, not for a price list. What a price list can show is the spread. These are the cheapest in-stock listings per kilo for the six date varieties that were in stock, from one Malaysian date wholesaler’s prices checked in October 2026.
| Variety | Listing | Pack | Price (RM) | RM per kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariami | A Normal | 5kg | 75 | 15.00 |
| Safawi | A No.2 (Mini) | 5kg | 80 | 16.00 |
| Deglet Noor | on the stem, 12 × 400g | 4.8kg | 88 | 18.33 |
| Sukkary | Rotab Premium | 3kg | 63 | 21.00 |
| Ajwa | A No.1 (Small) | 5kg | 115 | 23.00 |
| Medjool | Premium Jumbo | 5kg | 280 | 56.00 |
From the cheapest to the dearest row, that is RM15 to RM56 a kilo, close to four times as much for the Medjool. Even within one variety the pack matters. The cheapest in-stock 1kg Ajwa pack was RM31, while the 5kg Ajwa A No.1 above works out at RM23 a kilo. Some listings were out of stock on the day, including the Mabroom and Mashrook 5kg packs and every rotab 12-packet listing.
Knowing the dates you are paying for
The varieties differ more than the names suggest. Ajwa, which the Malaysian market also calls “Kurma Nabi”, comes from Madinah in Saudi Arabia and is small, roundish and near-black. Two older links on this page point to Ajwa: Kurma Ajwa Green diamond and Kurma Ajwa 1 KG. Medjool is large and very soft with a rich caramel taste. Deglet Noor, sold on the stem as kurma tangkai, comes from Tunisia or Algeria.
Keeping the bill down
Start with a written list. Decide what you need before you shop and group it by aisle.
For dates, compare per kilo rather than per pack, and check stock before you settle on a listing. Demand for dates in Malaysia peaks before and during Ramadan, with other peaks around Hari Raya, weddings, kenduri and umrah gifts, so a quote taken well ahead of those dates gives you time to compare.
If you would rather serve them than snack on them, Medjool can be split and filled with a piece of feta or half a pecan. Questions about this site go through the contact page, and more about who runs it is on the about page.