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Food security describes a situation in which people do not live in , 2003).

A direct relationship exists between food consumption levels and poverty. Families with the financial resources to escape extreme poverty rarely suffer from chronic hunger; while poor families not only suffer the most from chronic hunger, but are also the segment of the population most at risk during food shortages and Famine s.

Two commonly used definitions of food security come from the UN 's Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA):

  • Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (FAO)


  • Food security for a household means access by all members at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies). (USDA)


The Stages Of food Insecurity range from food secure situations to full-scale Famine . "Famine and hunger are both rooted in food insecurity. Food insecurity can be categorized as either chronic or transitory. Chronic food insecurity translates into a high degree of vulnerability to famine and hunger; ensuring food security presupposes elimination of that vulnerability. hunger is not famine. It is similar to undernourishment and is related to poverty. [It exists mainly in poor countries." Melaku Ayalew – What is Food Security and Famine and Hunger?


FOOD INSECURITY

Food insecurity has been described as "a condition in which people lack basic food intake to provide them with the energy and nutrients for fully productive lives." Hunger Task Force

Food insecurity is defined as not having access to enough food every day of the year. The U.S. federal government collects statistics on this based on surveys. Household Food Security in the United States, 2004

Thus a "food insecure household" is one in which any member experienced one or more days in a given year when they didn't have enough food because of poverty or a lack of resources. This Poverty Measure takes into account participation in Food Assistance programs such as School Breakfast , School Lunch and Food Stamps .