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U.S. No. 1 food secure country

July 16, 2012

The U.S., Denmark, Norway, France and The Netherlands are the five most food-secure countries in the world, according to the Global Food Security Index (G.F.S.I.) released in July by the Economist Intelligence Unit (E.I.U.), reports Food Business News.

The top ranking country is the U.S., with a score of 89.5 out of a possible 100, followed by Denmark at 88.1 and Norway at 88.

Toops Scoops

The top ranking country is the U.S., with a score of 89.5 out of a possible 100, followed by Denmark at 88.1 and Norway at 88. The lowest scoring country in the survey was the Democratic Republic of Congo, at 18.4.

Developed by the E.I.U. and sponsored by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., the index examined the core issues of food affordability, availability and quality across 105 developed and developing countries. Categories were further subdivided into a series of indicators that evaluate programs, policies or practices that influence food security.

The top five countries achieved their rankings due to a combination of "ample food supplies, high incomes, low spending on food relative to other outlays, and significant investment in agricultural research and development," the E.I.U. said.

Of the top 10 richest nations as measured by gross domestic product per capita, only Australia finished in the Top 10 for micronutrient availability. The U.S. had a micronutrient rank of 15, while Denmark and The Netherlands were tied at No. 23.

"Nearly all high-income countries have ample levels of vitamin A in their diets, but they are significantly lacking in iron from vegetables and vegetable products," the E.I.U. said. "Developing countries have higher iron availability from vegetal sources, which is all non-animal products."

Protein quality also correlates well with overall food security, the E.I.U. said. The indicator was calculated by assessing the presence of nine essential amino acids in the average national diet. According to the E.I.U., three Mediterranean countries - Israel, Greece and Portugal - fared best on the protein quality indicator. Latin American countries also fared well, particularly upper middle-income countries.

Poor diet diversification often indicates a lack of sufficient nutrients, the study showed. The E.I.U. said the problem is most acute in South Asia. In Bangladesh rice makes up 60 percent of food consumption, and nearly 50 percent of children were moderately or severely underweight in 2005. In Nepal, also one of the lowest ranked in this category, consumption is diversified more broadly across wheat, rice and maize, but carbohydrates still make up 74 percent of overall caloric intake.