Food Security Information Systems and Sources of Food Security Data

This chapter focuses on the systems of collecting data. It starts with the description of the evolution and aims of food security information systems as methods of data collection that monitors people’s access to food. This part is followed by the presentation of the main sources of food security data with the indication of the most relevant websites where this information is made available. These sources are organised into three categories: food balance sheets, nutritional household surveys, and nutritional dietary surveys. The food balance sheets present a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country’s food supply during a specified one-year reference period. The nutritional surveys provide the elements of the living standard of the national population, including the household consumption expenditure system, as well as the changes occurring during a one-year reference period. The nutritional dietary surveys collect individual food consumption data. At the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to understand the features of the different food security sources and where to find them online.