Access to Food meeting nutritional Requirements

What: The indicator assesses the number of individuals who were enabled to cover 100% of their nutritional requirements (as defined by Sphere Standards) over a certain period of time, either by in-kind / voucher / cash assistance or a combination of external assistance and their own resources. Why: Where people are at risk of food insecurity, assessments are conducted to determine the degree and extent of food insecurity, identify those most affected and define the most appropriate response. The design of food security programs should be based on a clear response analysis using the findings of assessments (SPHERE Handbook). When: Applicable to most food assistance projects that provide in-kind, non-therapeutic food, cash or voucher transfers, particularly shorter-term humanitarian interventions.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) count the number of individuals who were supposed to receive food aid (use distribution protocols, bank transfers or other means of verification)

2) assess in the post-distribution monitoring the number of beneficiaries who actually received food aid (be it through cash, voucher, or in-kind assistance).

3) assess whether the nutritional requirements were met:

i) determine the proportion of nutritional requirements the food aid is supposed to meet (for example, if the standard requirement is 2,100 kcals/person/day and the available data show that the target population can, on average, secure 600 kcals/person/day from their own resources, the in-kind / voucher / cash-based ration should provide 2,100 – 600 = 1,500 kcals/person/day

ii) calculate whether the provided food met the nutritional requirements defined by the Sphere Standards and/ or the Food Security Cluster (use ration planning tools, such as NutVal)

The indicator is met for every person who receives the provided food aid that enables her/him to meet the nutritional requirements defined by Sphere Standards.

Disaggregate the data by gender, age groups and specific vulnerable groups, such as people with disability.

1) The indicator can be applied to different food assistance modalities - food kits, food vouchers as well as cash grants. In the case of vouchers and cash grants, calculate whether the amount distributed enables people to purchase the food required to meet their nutritional requirements. This is calculated based on a) the type and amount of food required based on a standard food kit (where existing, based on the standard food kit recommended by the cluster) and b) local market prices or c) the food basket value if already calculated by the food security cluster.

2) Different categories of people require different energy intakes. According to the Sphere Standards, the average adult daily energy intake is 2,100kcal. In colder climates, the intake must be increased by 100kcal/day for each 5 degree Celsius under 0 degree Celsius. Pregnant women require on average 300kcal/ day extra and lactating women require on average 500kcal/day extra. Children between 6 and 24 months require complementary food in addition to breastfeeding. Infants up to 6 months shall be exclusively breastfed - general distributions shall not include any breastmilk substitutes, such as baby formulas or milk products (see guidance below).

3) Food aid must be nutritionally well-balanced - in an adult's diet, 10-12% of the total energy should be provided by protein and 17% by fat; all rations must contain adequate micronutrients (use ration planning tools, such as NutVal).