Food security is defined as a state in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
This concept encompasses four key dimensions:
Food Availability: This means having enough food produced or imported to meet everyone's needs. Includes production, trade, stocks and transfers.
Food Access: Ensuring that people can get the food they need, whether by buying it, growing it, or receiving it as aid. Includes own production, hunting, fishing, gathering of wild foods, purchases, bartering and gifts.
Food Utilization: Making sure the food consumed is nutritious and safe, and that people know how to prepare it properly. Includes food storage, processing and preparation, feeding practises, intra-household sharing and individual heath status of household members.
Stability: The reliability of the other three pillars over time.