Analysis combining the multiple FAO food balance sheet datasets needs careful treatment
Alexander Vonderschmidt, Bartlomiej Arendarczyk, Lindsay M. Jaacks, Alexandra L. Bellows, Peter Alexander
Abstract
Recent methodological changes to the food balance sheets published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)1 are leading to potential incorrect research findings and conclusions. The FAO offers open access to a large-scale, standardised food and agriculture dataset for more than 245 countries and territories, with annual panel data from 1961.1 The data, known as food balance sheets (FBS), are crucial to monitoring long-term trends in national food supply and tracking hundreds of edible commodities—termed items—which include, for example, meats, cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, vegetable oils, and butter.
Topics & Concepts
ScopusAgricultureFood securityBalance sheetAgricultural economicsAgricultural scienceMicronutrientBalance (ability)BusinessGeographyPolitical scienceMedicineEconomicsEnvironmental scienceAccountingMEDLINELawPathologyArchaeologyPhysical medicine and rehabilitationNutritional Studies and DietAgriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactFood Waste Reduction and Sustainability