Food security
Food Security
Food security (/fuːd sɪˈkjʊərɪti/) refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation.
Etymology
The term "food security" is believed to have been first used in the mid-1970s in the context of international development and aid. It has since evolved to encompass a broad range of issues related to food production, distribution, and consumption.
Definition
The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life". This involves four components:
- Food availability: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis.
- Food access: having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.
- Food use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.
- Stability of the above: To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have access to adequate food at all times. They should not risk losing access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks or cyclical events.
Related Terms
- Food insecurity: The state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
- Malnutrition: A condition that results from eating a diet in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much.
- Hunger: A term which has three meanings (Oxford English Dictionary 1971) the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite. Also the exhausted condition caused by want of food.
- Famine: A widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government policies.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Food security
- Wikipedia's article - Food security
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