GIEWS Country Briefs provide up to date information on the food security situation of monitored countries. They include information on the current agricultural season and the harvest prospects for the main staple food crops and livestock situation. In addition, the Briefs provide estimates and forecasts of cereal production and trade volumes together with food price and policy developments. The Briefs use the following data/tools: FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS); FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring; FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool and Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Other topical information and data sources may be used when relevant. Each time a new Country Brief is published, the preceding version is automatically added to the country's archive, which dates back to 2009. Information from earlier years is available online through other GIEWS publications, notably Crop Prospects and Food Situation (2005–2008) and Foodcrops and Shortages (1996–2005).

A list GIEWS issues three times a year of countries in crisis requiring external assistance for food.

A list GIEWS issues three times a year of countries with unfavourable prospects for current crops.

A list GIEWS issues every month of countries where prices of one or more basic food commodity are at abnormal high levels in main markets.