Indicator Level
Indicator Wording
Indicator Purpose
How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data
The Food Consumption Score (FCS) aggregates household-level food consumption data, accounting for how many days, within the last 7-day reference period, a household consumed foods from eight different food groups (plus condiments).
To determine the score, use the following methodology:
1) Prepare the questionnaire: Use the WFP standard questions that ask about the types of foods consumed in the past 7 days (see the questionnaire below). While the eight standard food groups (plus condiments) cannot be changed, you should adjust the examples of food items listed under each group to ensure they are locally relevant and easily understood, including in local languages.
The group “Condiments” is included to capture foods eaten in very small amounts and to prevent these from being misclassified as nutritious food groups. Small quantities of main food items (such as a sprinkle of fish powder) should be recorded as condiments, and this distinction needs to be clearly explained and practiced during enumerator training (refer to small quantities guide below).
Sources of consumed food groups can also be collected, but the inclusion of these questions are optional and do not factor into the FCS calculation (see WFP questionnaire below).
2) Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of the target households. Interview an adult household member who is sufficiently knowledgeable about foods consumed by household members during the previous seven days. The interviews should assess 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].
3) For each respondent household, multiply the consumption frequency obtained for each food group by the standard WFP weight: staples = 2; pulses/legumes, nuts and seeds = 3; dairy = 4; meat, fish and eggs = 4; vegetables = 1; fruit = 1; oils/fats = 0.5; sugar/sweets = 0.5; and condiments = 0. These weights are standard and you should not change them. For further explanation of the weights and an example of the calculation, see slides 55 and 72 of WFP's training module below.
4) For each respondent household, sum the weighed food group scores, thus creating their Food Consumption Score (FCS).
5) Classify each household using the standard WFP thresholds: poor = 0-21; borderline = 21.5-35; acceptable = 35.5-112. In contexts where consumption of oil and sugar is high, WFP uses adjusted thresholds: poor = 0-28; borderline = 28.5-42; acceptable = 42.5-112. If you are unsure which thresholds to use, check whether WFP or the Food Security Cluster has established thresholds for the country or region. Where consumption of oil and sugar is commonly high but no established thresholds can be identified, seek advice from WFP or another recognised food-security technical body before deciding which thresholds to use.
6) To calculate the percentage of households with “acceptable” FCS, divide the number of households classified as having acceptable FCS by the number of surveyed households (with sufficient valid data to calculate FCS), then multiply by 100. Use the context-appropriate threshold described above.
Disaggregate by
Disaggregation of the data can be done by gender of household head, population group, geographical area, wealth and other relevant criteria, provided the sample size is sufficient to ensure reliable representation.
Important Comments
1) Take advantage of the useful guidance provided in WFP's slides on using the FCS indicator - see below.
2) Enumerators must ask "How many days ...?", not "How many times ...?", because multiple meals from the same food group in a single day count as one day of consumption. Responses must be recorded as whole number from 0 to 7; any value above 7 must not be permitted. Record ‘don’t know’ or other genuinely missing responses using separate missing-value codes rather than as zero. Do not calculate an FCS for a household when required food-group information is insufficient.
3) Train enumerators on what quantities of food can be included in the main food groups and what, on the other hand, counts as condiments. Test their understanding extensively using practical scenarios. Take advantage of the brief WFP “Small Quantities” guidance provided below.
4) FCS should not be interpreted as a direct measure of calorie intake or compared directly with the energy content of a food ration or food basket. Households with the same FCS may consume different quantities of food, and an acceptable FCS does not demonstrate that household energy or nutrient requirements are being met. Use other measures where actual quantities, dietary energy or nutrient adequacy need to be assessed.
5) FCS is a good indicator of a household's food security; however, because it records foods consumed by most (50% or more) household members, it can mask differences in food consumption within the household. It therefore does not help with understanding the dietary adequacy of specific household members, such as children 6–59 months of age. Where this is important, use an appropriate individual-level dietary indicator.
6) FCS is prone to seasonal variations. Where possible, collect baseline and follow-up data at comparable times of the year and keep the timing relative to food or cash distributions consistent. Festivals, fasting periods, agricultural cycles and other unusual consumption periods can also influence results. If data are collected during such periods, document this and consider it when interpreting changes over time.
7) 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.
8) The Food Consumption Score (FCS) is a proxy measure 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. The Food Consumption Score – Nutritional Quality Analysis (FCS-N) helps capture how often households consume foods rich in vitamin A, protein, and haem iron. When relevant, FCS and FCS-N can be reported together to provide a more comprehensive picture of household food consumption and its nutritional quality. Guidance on using FCS-N is provided in the document below.
9) BHA phrased 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 applied 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 this version where donor guidance requires it.
Relevant Sectoral Indicators
Also consider using the following indicators:
Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI) (captures short-term food-related coping behaviour alongside current food consumption)
Livelihood Coping Strategies – Food Security (LCS-FS) (assesses longer-term livelihood coping linked to insufficient food or resources)
Household Dietary Diversity Score (provides a simpler complementary measure of household dietary diversity and food access)
Household Hunger Scale (captures severe experiences of household food deprivation where hunger is expected to be prevalent)