DuPont calls for common food security metrics

DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman said common food security metrics are key to increasing global food security. “We’ve always known that what gets measured, gets done,” said Kullman. In an effort to increase global food security, DuPont commissioned the Global Food Security Index that was launched recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“As we talked to governments, NGOs and farmer organizations around the world, we’ve come to realize that while we share a common goal of food security, we do not share a common language. To truly address the root cause of hunger, we must have a common path forward to tackle such pressing issues as food affordability, availability, nutritional quality and safety,” said Kullman.  “Literally billions are being invested to address food security, but until today, we had no comprehensive, global way to measure food security and the impact of investments and collaborations at the local level.”

The Global Food Security Index addresses the underlying factors of food insecurity in 105 countries and points to areas for improvement and reforms.

“Saudi Arabia was one of the 105 countries that measured food security factors and is ranked 28th securing 68.7% on the overall Global Security Food Index and 27th among the high income classification. Even though these numbers are fairly positive, the growing population poses immense challenges and we will continue to collaborate with local partners and address core food issues across the Gulf Cooperation Council,” said Eser Acarkan, Food Industry Leader Turkey, Middle East and Africa.

Global food security is a top concern of many governments as illustrated by the recent G8 and G20 summits.  The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, announced at the Camp David G8 Summit in May, highlights the shared commitment among G8 and African leaders, private business and non-governmental organizations to achieve global food security. However, the need remained for a tool that drives precision and accountability of these efforts which led to the collaboration between DuPont and the EIU. 

“My hope is the Global Food Security Index will be used to promote collaboration, make better informed decisions and stimulate action necessary to feed our growing population,” Kullman said. “To ensure that efforts are laser-focused to deliver real solutions, we needed a tool to inform decision making and facilitate a common language.”

The EIU created the Index with input from leading international experts who provided dimension to the complexity of food security and informed the design and development of the Index itself.

“The Global Food Security Index measures levels of food security by answering a central question: how can consumers in each country easily access sufficient amounts of safe, high-quality and affordable food?” said Leo Abruzzese, Economist Intelligence Unit Global Forecasting Director. “Because of our extensive modeling approach, we believe this comprehensive tool will help leaders move from rhetoric to results.”