Section J
Food Security
Contents
Another Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that can possibly be addressed by the CBMS is Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. This section focuses on gathering the SDG indicator 2.1.2 - the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is important to note that FIES is part of a suite of indicators recommended by FAO, and that there are aspects of food security that it cannot measure that includes, but not limited to, malnutrition and food consumption in terms of dietary energy or quality. Food security is defined in terms of four broad dimensions which consider availability, access, utilization, and stability. The FIES measures access to food at household or individual level.
This section will collect data that is important to assess the food security among households (for both SDG monitoring and national policy/program use). Data collected from this section could provide the identification of the vulnerable population most affected by food insecurity.
Food security severity along a continuous scale
Source: The Food Insecurity Experience Scale: Measuring food insecurity through people’s experiences by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Figure above shows similarities between the contributions of FIES and comparable experienced-based food insecurity measures. Along with deprivation-related aspects such as diet quality and food quantity, both cover psychosocial aspects, i.e., relating to anxiety and uncertainty of not being able to procure enough food, which other measures do not. Accordingly, food insecurity can affect the health and well-being of individuals, with potentially negative consequences for physical, mental, and social well-being.
The FIES Survey Module (FIES-SM) is composed of eight (8) questions answerable by ‘1’ for Yes, ‘2’ for No, ‘8’ for Don’t know, and ‘9’ for Prefer not to answer. The FIES-SM questions refer to an individual's experiences that are related to different severity levels of food insecurity.
Moreover, the FIES-SM ask the food insecurity experience directly as is or verbatim. There are no follow-up or probing questions. In fact, the FIES questionnaire adopted from the FAO do not have items on coping strategies. When asking the food insecurity experiences during the interview, FIES-SM do not attach or connect the question to the occupation of the household head or respondent.
First, read the introduction of the section:
“Now we would like to ask about your household’s experience in food security in the past 12 months. We will give several statements and you are requested to answer whether you or any other adult in the household experienced this or not by saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”
In the scenario that the respondent doesn’t know, or hesitant to answer the following questions, select ‘8’ for Don’t know, and ‘9’ for Prefer not to answer.
Adult in the household refers to the household member whose age is 15 years old and over.
J01. Worried about not having enough food to eat
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) were worried about not having enough food to eat because of a lack of money or other resources?”
This question refers to a state of being worried, anxious, apprehensive, afraid, or concerned that there might not be enough food, or would run out of food because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. The worry or anxiety is due to circumstances affecting their ability to procure food, such as loss of employment or other sources of income, or other reasons for not having enough money; insufficient food production for own consumption; disrupted social relationships; loss of customary benefits or food assistance; or environmental or political crises. It is not necessary to have run out of food for the respondent or the household to answer affirmatively to this question. The rationale being that there is concern over the possibility of food insecurity and further coping strategies, even in cases when the actual food consumption is not compromised.
J02. Unable to eat healthy and nutritious food
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) were unable to eat healthy and nutritious food because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
This question asks the respondent whether he/she or any member of the household was not able to get foods they consider healthy or nutritious, or those that make up a balanced diet because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. This question refers to the quality of the diet rather than the quantity of food eaten. The answer will depend on the respondent’s own opinion as healthy and nutritious foods are subjective.
J03. Ate only a few kinds of food
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) ate only a few kinds of food because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
This question asks the respondent whether he/she or any member of the household had to eat a few kinds of foods or the same foods every day because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. The implication is that the diversity of foods consumed would likely increase if the household would have better access to food. This question refers to the quality of the diet rather than the quantity of food eaten. It is important to stress the lack of money considerations, for instance, to relate to food insecurity, rather than customary habits, health, and religion, for example, that may limit the variety of food.
J04. Had to skip a meal
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) had to skip a meal because there was not enough money or other resources to get food?”.
This question asks about any experience of missing or skipping a main meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner which may vary depending on the culture and tradition) because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. It refers to the insufficient quantity of food.
J05. Ate less than they thought they should
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) ate less than you thought you should because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
This question asks about any experience of eating less than what the respondent considered they should, even if they did not skip a meal because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. The answer will depend on the respondent’s own opinion as to how much they think they should be consuming. This question refers to the quantity of food eaten and not to the quality of the diet. Also, it does not include special diets for weight loss or health, or religious reasons.
J06. Ran out of food
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you ran out of food because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
This question asks about any experience of having no food in the household because there was not enough money or other resources to get food.
J07. Hungry but did not eat
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) were hungry but did not eat because there was not enough money or other resources to get food?”.
This question asks about the physical experience of feeling hungry specifically and not being able to eat because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. It does not include special diets for weight loss or health or religious reasons.
J08. Did not eat for a whole day during the past 12 months
Ask the respondent, “During the past 12 months (March 01, 2022 – February 28, 2023), was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) went without eating for a whole day because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
This question asks about a specific experience of not being able to eat anything all day because there was not enough money or other resources to get food. It does not include special diets for weight loss or health or religious reasons.
If the respondent answers No, don’t know or Prefer not to answer, proceed to Section K (Financial Inclusion).
J09. Did not eat for a whole day during the past 3 months
Ask the respondent, “From December 2022 – February 2023, was there a time when you (or any other adult in the household) went without eating for a whole day because of a lack of money or other resources?”.
The purpose of this question is like the previous one but differs on the reference period which is April to June 2022 (past quarter or three (3) months).
In summary, these are the nine (9) questions.
| Item | Variable | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WORRIED | Worried about not having enough food to eat because of a lack of money or other resources? |
| 2 | HEALTHY | Were unable to eat healthy and nutritious food because of a lack of money or other resources? |
| 3 | FEWFOOD | Ate only a few kinds of foods because of a lack of money or other resources? |
| 4 | SKIPPED | Had to skip a meal because there was not enough money or other resources to get food? |
| 5 | ATELESS | Ate less than you thought you should because of a lack of money or other resources? |
| 6 | RUNOUT | Ran out of food because of a lack of money or other resources? |
| 7 | HUNGRY | Were hungry but did not eat because there was not enough money or other resources for food? |
| 8 | WHLDAY | Went without eating for a whole day because of a lack of money or other resources during the past 12 months? |
| 9 | undefined | Went without eating for a whole day because of a lack of money or other resources from December – February 2023? |