Food Consumption Score

Outcome

Impact

% of the target population with acceptable Food Consumption Score (FCS)

The Food Consumption Score (FCS) is a comprehensive indicator of a household’s food security status, as it captures not only dietary diversity and food frequency but also the relative nutritional value of different food groups. Its reliance on a relatively long seven-day recall period may reduce data precision. Despite this limitation, the FCS remains one of the most widely used indicator of food security.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

 

1) Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of the target household representatives assessing how many days in the past 7 days have the household members eaten foods from any of the 8 pre-defined food groups (plus condiments) as defined by WFP. Use the following question: "I would like to ask you about all the different foods that your household members have eaten in the last 7 days, either inside or outside the home. How many days in the past 7 days have most of your household members eaten ..." [name the foods included in the first food group, then continue asking the same question about foods from the following food groups; see slide 10 of WFP's training module below].

  

2) For each respondent, multiply the consumption frequency obtained for each food group by its 'weight' (see slide 55 of WFP's training module below to understand the 'weight' of each food group).

 

3) For each respondent, sum the weighed food group scores, thus creating his/her food consumption score (FCS). 

  

4) According to the FCS's value, indicate the percentage of households with “poor” FCS (0-21 scores), “borderline” FCS (21,5 - 35 scores), and “acceptable” FCS (more than 35 scores). In contexts where the consumption of oil and sugar is high, the thresholds are higher - see slide 73 of WFP's training module below. 

 

5) To calculate the percentage of households with “acceptable” FCS, divide the number of households with FCS higher than 35 scores by the total number of surveyed households. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by gender of the head of household, geographical area, wealth and other relevant criteria.

1) Take advantage of the useful guidance provided in WFP's slides on using the FCS indicator - see below. 

 

2) When asking the main question, the enumerators must ask "How many days ...", not "How many times ...". Household members may consume the same food group several times on the same day and this must be considered as 1-day consumption from the same group. If you use the link to the electronic questionnaire below, the values have been limited to a range between 0 and 7. If you use your own template, record the values as whole numbers between 0 and 7. If the value is greater than 7, replace it with 7. Record “don't know”/”not applicable” responses as missing.

3) FCS is based on dietary diversity, not on Sphere recommendations of Kcal / day. In countries where the Food Basket is based on Kcal / day, it might not include enough proteins and dairy products. Therefore, achieving an “acceptable” FCS would be extremely difficult in spite of household members eating sufficient calorie intake.

 

4) FCS is a good indicator of a household's food security; however, it does not help with understanding the quality of diets consumed by a specific group of household members, such as children 6-59 months of age.

  

5) FCS is prone to seasonal variations. Do your best to collect baseline and endline data at the same time of the year; otherwise, it is very likely that they'll not be comparable (i.e. providing largely useless data). Make sure you do not collect data during fasting periods, such as pre-Easter time or Ramadan.

 

6) In the context of this indicator, "... most of your household members ..." means half or more of the household members - make sure that the enumerators understand this well. Additionally, ensure that the enumerators emphasize that the main question concerns both meals consumed inside and outside the home.  

 

7) The Food Consumption Score (FCS) is a proxy indicator of households’ current food security status, reflecting dietary diversity, food consumption frequency, and the relative nutritional value of consumed food groups. However, the FCS does not directly measure dietary quality or nutrient adequacy. To assess the nutritional quality of household diets, use the Food Consumption Score – Nutritional Quality Analysis (FCS-N). The FCS-N builds on the FCS to highlight the frequency of consumption of foods rich in vitamin A, protein, and haem iron. When possible, report FCS and FCS-N together to provide a more comprehensive picture of food security and diet quality. Guidance on using FCS-N is provided in the document below.

8) FCS is one of ECHO's Key Outcome Indicators. According to ECHO’s guidance (see below), FCS's target value should "be greater than 80%, but may be context-specific.” 

 

9) BHA phrases the indicator differently, as "percent of households with poor, borderline, and acceptable Food Consumption Score (FCS)", and recommends also reporting results on mean, median, confidence interval and population (number of households). BHA applies a 9-food-group version of the FCS, which slightly differs from the WFP methodology in how some food groups are combined or separated. Use the BHA version where donor guidance requires it.