Vulnerability to food insecurity

This refers to the FAO definition of food security: ‘A situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’. Therefore, the Food security score is dependent on food access (computed as the weighted average of domestic food price index (80%) and domestic food price volatility index (20%), food availability (average dietary energy supply adequacy), and food utilization (prevalence of undernourishment). It is computed as the arithmetic average of the three indicators respectively. For example, there are some situations of countries with high but stable prices that seem better off than countries with average prices and average volatility.