Definition
The prevalence rates are expressed as the 3-year average percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources. Financing needs are calculated at the level required to meet the short-term replacement cost of 25 percent of daily caloric needs for the number of severely food insecure people.