SECTION TWO

Food Consumption Score (FCS)

Definition/RATION/ALE – what does it measure? (max 2 lines)

The FCS is a composite indicator that measures dietary diversity, food frequency and the relative nutritional importance of food groups based on a seven day recall of food consumed at household level.

Methodology for collection – How to collect information for indicator (max 4 lines).

Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of the target household representatives assessing how many days in the past 7 days the household has eaten any of the 8 pre-defined types of food by asking: "I would like to ask you about all the different foods that your household members have eaten in the last 7 days. During this period, how many days in the past 7 days has your household eaten ..." [name gradually all the 8 types of foods listed in WFP's FCS guidelines ]

Methodology for analysis – How to analyse (Max 4 lines)
Visual demonstrations for thresholds
How to interpret: Urban v. rural, gender

• 1. Sum up all the consumption frequencies of foods belonging to the same food groups (there is a total of 9 groups, as listed in WFP's FCS guidelines). Recode the frequency value of each food group above 7 as 7 (e.g. if the summed up frequency value is 10, recode it as 7).
• 2. To create new weighted food group scores, multiply the value obtained for each food group by its "importance weight" specified in WFP's FCS guidelines.
• 3. By summing the weighed food group scores you calculate the 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 (35,5 scores and above).
• 5. Calculate the percentage of households with “acceptable” FCS by dividing the number of households with FCS higher or equal to 35.5 scores by the total number of surveyed households and multiplying the result by 100.

Notes on indicator –
What does the indicator not tell us.
How long is it reliable for?

• • The typical thresholds are not valid in all contexts - you might need to modify them based on the dietary patterns of the target population – read carefully WFP’s Guidance Sheet provided below and consult the Food Security Cluster in your country of operation.
• • Food Consumption Scores have been found to be less sensitive to extreme cases of food insecurity. In acute food insecurity contexts recommend usage of this indicator alongside other indicators such as the Household Hunger Scale (HHS).
• • FCS is prone to seasonal variations.
• • Make sure you do not collect data during fasting periods, such as pre-Easter time or Ramadan.

When to use it/when not to use it:

• • Best to have the livelihood profiles conducted prior to the onset of a shock.
• • Updating the HH survival deficit is best done after a shock and seasonally.

Core: Y/N

Yes

IPC Categories:

Food Consumption Outcome

M&E: IMPACT, OUTCOME, OUTPUT, PROCESS

Impact/Outcome

Recall?

7 days

Link to guidance

Indikit