FOOD SUSTAINABLE INDEX - 2018

IN NEWS

Despite the increase in food production, the Food Sustainability Index ranks India 33rd among 67 countries in 2018. China does better than India, while other BRICS partners are rated poorly.

A 'food system' involves the infrastructure and processes that go into feeding the population, such as growing, harvesting and transportation. The Food Sustainability Index (FSI) measures how sustainable these processes are.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INDEX

  1. India's foodgrain production has been increasing steadily over the years, reaching a record level in 2018.
  2. A comparison with the global scenario indicates that India does well on preventing food loss and wastage, but is below average in sustainable agriculture and is one of the worst while tackling nutritional challenges.
  3. India does badly on parameters like quality of life and land use patterns.

 

FOOD SUSTAINABLE INDEX

The Food Sustainability Index is a global study on nutrition, sustainable agriculture and food waste which collects data from 67 countries across the world to highlight best practices and key areas for improvement in relation to the food paradoxes and the main Sustainable Development Goals. The Food Sustainability Index was developed in collaboration between the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation (BCFN). Foundation and the Economist Intelligence Unit, with one common objective: to promote knowledge on food sustainability.

The Food Sustainability Index comprises a briefing paper, infographics and a digital hub. It is a qualitative and quantitative analysis model. It contains 38 indicators and 90 individual metrics. All parameters are scored on 100. Lower the score, less sustainable the practices are.

The FSI includes three pillars: food loss and waste; sustainable agriculture; and nutritional challenges.

The FSI allows for comparison between countries and food-system indicators, highlighting best practices that food-system stakeholders—including policymakers, civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and research, and the media—can use to design roadmaps toward more sustainable food systems and ultimately the SDGs.

'Fixing Food 2018: Best Practices towards the Sustainable Development Goals' is a study analysing the social, economic and environmental aspects of food sustainability. The links between these features highlight the key challenges that need addressing: access to food, promoting healthy and sustainable diets and an increasingly responsible food production and distribution.

FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: KEY TO REACH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Food is a common thread linking all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), given the interconnected economic, social and environmental dimensions of food systems. The Food Sustainability Index (FSI), developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition, is a quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model gauging the sustainability of food systems globally across three key dimensions (environmental, societal and economic). The FSI includes three pillars: food loss and waste; sustainable agriculture; and nutritional challenges.
The infographic below depicts the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the key food-system indicators included in the FSI. This can highlight the impact of food systems on the 2030 agenda to meet the SDGs.

 

The FSI allows for comparison between countries and food-system indicators, highlighting best practices that food-system stakeholders—including policymakers, civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and research, and the media—can use to design roadmaps toward more sustainable food systems and ultimately the SDGs. Important drivers of sustainable food systems include education, advocacy and policies.

 

The composing indicators can be mapped very closely to the various SDGs, as visualised below. The associated SDGs are the ones we think are the most closely linked to each category, but it is not an exhaustive list and the links between food systems and the SDGs remain subject to further study. 

 

PHASES OF THE FOOD SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

 

The first release of the Food Sustainability Index was presented on December 1, 2016 at the seventh edition of the International Forum on Food and Nutrition in front of an international audience of experts and stakeholders.

 

On 5 December 2017, the second edition was presented while the ninth Forum, on 28 November 2018, launched the third edition of the report.