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  • Publication | 2026
A new method for calculating the food self-sufficiency ratio: supply-side food self-sufficiency ratio
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Background

The conventional food self-sufficiency ratio (CFSSR), which primarily focuses on grains, fails to capture the full spectrum of daily food consumption. This limitation reduces its effectiveness in cross-country comparisons and global food security assessments. In response to this issue, a new indicator termed the supply-side food self-sufficiency ratio (SSFSSR) has been proposed to encompass a broad range of food products and capture the entire food supply chain. The SSFSSR aims to provide a comprehensive and practical framework for assessing food self-sufficiency at the global level. Its calculation draws on multiple data sources, including FAOSTAT, the FAO’s Food Balance Sheets, statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), as well as original farm-level survey data collected by the author.

Results

The SSFSSR is calculated based on the total quantity of food available for domestic consumption, taking into account production, trade, and losses while eliminating double counting. Secondary products such as meat, dairy, and oils are converted into their primary equivalents using primary product conversion rates (PPCRs). Based primarily on 2021 data, the SSFSSR was estimated for over 180 countries, with an average value of 58.8%. A comparison with the CFSSR was conducted under consistent conditions. The SSFSSR demonstrated broader coverage across both food categories and countries, and showed stronger correlations with major food security indicators, such as food availability and caloric adequacy. The results also suggest that reducing dependence on secondary products—and thereby lowering PPCRs—can improve national food self-sufficiency.

Conclusions

The findings support the validity and applicability of the SSFSSR. Further refinement will require more accurate data on calorie content per unit weight and the expansion of reliable PPCR values for a wider range of food products, which would enhance the index’s precision and policy relevance.