Food security in Ukraine: state and current issues of nowadays

Abstract

The problem of food security in Ukraine and in the world in general has become especially relevant due to the growing population on the planet, depletion of natural resources, declining soil productivity, climate change and military conflicts. The number of countries with existing food security problems has increased in recent years. Different views on food security, state of food security in Ukraine are analyzed and comparisons with the countries of Europe and the world are made. According to statistics, in 2020 the caloric content of the Ukrainian diet was only 7% higher than the threshold level of 2.500 kcal/day, but less than the minimum WHO physiological standard (3.000 kcal/day) while the caloric content of the Ukrainian diet in 1990 was 3597 kcal/day. In addition, the diet of the population of Ukraine remains unbalanced with a predominance of plant products. The most critical is the state of consumption of complete protein foods (meat, milk, fish) and vitamin products (fruits). Ukrainians consume even less than the minimum norm for fish and fish products, as well as fruit. The indicator of import dependence is calculated, according to which as of 2020 it was the highest for fish and fish products — 82%, which is 52% above the threshold level of 30%. The predominant share of imported supplies falls on fish species that are caught exclusively in the waters of maritime economic zones of other countries, while the consumption of fish and fish products by the population of Ukraine remains below the recommended dietary norms. It is established that due to domestic production more than 90% of our country meets the necessary consumer needs of the population for most foods. The analysis and comparative assessment of the structure of total consumer expenditures of households in 2016 and 2020, as well as comparisons with EU countries. According to the State Statistics Service, consumer spending of Ukrainian households is 91.4% of income. The largest share of their income (48.1%) Ukrainians spent on food, housing and utilities — 14.4%. In the EU, housing, utilities and fuel rank first in the structure of household consumption expenditures — 25.7% of total expenditures. Citizens of Slovakia and Finland spend the most on this item — 30.7% and 30.5% of all expenses, respectively. The lowest one is 15.5% in Lithuania. Europeans spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages on average 14.8% of the total consumer spending structure, second only to utilities.