Food Security and the 2015–2030 Sustainable Development Goals: From Human to Planetary Health

Food security exists when “all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (http://www.fao.org/wfs/index_en.htm). Close to 800 million individuals do not have access to enough food, .2 billion individuals experience key micronutrient deficiencies, and ;60% of individuals in low-income countries are food insecure. Food insecurity negatively affects human physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development throughout the life course and is a major social and environmental disruptor with serious repercussions for planetary health (i.e., the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends). Food security is related to all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improved food security governance based on sound, equitable, and sustainable food systems that benefit from modern information and sustainable and equitable agricultural technologies is essential for countries to meet the SDGs. Curr Dev Nutr 2017;1:e000513. Food Security Definition At the 1996 FAO Rome World Food Summit, food security was defined as a condition that exists when “all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (1). Therefore, the key dimensions of the household food security construct are as follows: physical availability of food, economic and physical access to food, and adequate food utilization that is a function of the ability of the body to process and use nutrients as well as of the dietary quality and the safety of the foods consumed. Because of the central role that food security plays in human development, it is recognized as a universal human right (1) that is currently unmet for billions of individuals globally (2–5). Causes of Food Insecurity Household food insecurity (HFI) is the result of poverty, poor health of the household member or members, and suboptimal livelihood and household management strategies (6). Food security is closely related to, but not synonymous with, nutrition security and health. Nutrition security is attained by individuals when the body tissues are exposed to optimal amounts of nutrients and other essential substances. Nutrition security results from the combination of household food security, health care access security, and access to other basic human needs including adequate sanitation. Food security and the other determinants of nutrition security are linked with each other (6). For example, a household with limited economic access to food may decide to not seek medical care for a child or to not purchase prescribed medications. For food security to be a reality, households need to have unrestricted access