Global Food Security and Hunger Index Overview

Global Food Security

• Food security: All people have consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Includes ready availability, assured access (not resorting to risky methods), and sufficient nutrition for healthy lives.
• Global Food Security Index: Measures food security in 113 countries using 28 indicators for affordability, availability, and quality.
• 2015 Trends: Global food security improved, except in Europe where it declined.
• Components of Food Security: affordability, availability, and quality
  • Affordability: factors like food costs, poverty rates, agricultural support, and farmer financing.
  • Availability: supply sufficiency, agricultural research, infrastructure, and political stability.
  • Quality and Safety (nutrition and food safety) : food diversity, micronutrients, protein quality, and food safety.

Global Hunger Index (GHI)

• Ranks countries by hunger severity on a 0-100 scale.
• Categories (low, moderate, serious, alarming, and extremely alarming).
• Four key indicators:
  • Undernourishment: proportion of undernourished people.
  • Child wasting: low weight for height in young children.
  • Child stunting: low height for age in young children.
  • Child mortality: under-5 mortality rate.
• 2015 Trends: Highest hunger in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Progress seen in some countries (Rwanda, Angola, and Ethiopia).

Calorie Intake

• Global average: ~2,780 kcal/person/day.
• Minimum recommended intake: ~1,800 kcal/person/day.
• High-income countries: Up to 3,800 kcal/day.
• Low-income regions: ~1,820 kcal/person/day; lowest intake in Burundi and Eritrea (~1,600 kcal/person/day).

Malnutrition Indicators

• Deficiency diseases: result from lacking specific vitamins/minerals (e.g., pellagra).
• Protein deficiency: example Kwashiorkor.
• Energy deficiency: example Marasmus.
• Obesity: excessive intake.
• Starvation and famine: prolonged food unavailability.
• Stunted growth vs wasting:
  • Stunting: long-term malnutrition (low height for age).
  • Wasting: acute malnutrition (low weight for height).
  • High rates in South Sudan, Eritrea, and South Asia.
  • Low rates in Middle East, Latin America, and parts of Europe.

Nutrition Transition

• Low-income countries: mainly carbohydrates.
• High-income countries: diverse diets, including fats, meat, and dairy.
• Global trend towards protein-rich diets with rising incomes.

Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE)

• Measures healthy years lived.
• Combines life expectancy with adjustments for ill-health.
• Findings:
  • Higher ill health burden for women than men.
  • Greatest problems in early old age.
  • Strong socioeconomic influence.
• Canada Specifics:
  • Lower socioeconomic groups had much lower HALE in 2001 compared to higher socioeconomic groups (women by 3.2 years, men by 4.7 years).
  • Chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension) significantly reduced HALE.
  • Diabetes reduced HALE by 5.8 years for women and 5.3 years for men. High blood pressure reduced HALE by 2 years.

This quiz explores key concepts related to global food security and the Global Hunger Index. Learn about the indicators measuring food security, trends over the years, and the components that contribute to ensuring food availability, affordability, and quality. Test your understanding of these vital issues affecting populations worldwide.