Highlights from 2014–2018 food balances statistics

FAO's Statistics Division compiles Food Balance Sheet (FBS) statistics for 181 countries. For the first time since 2011, the Supply And Utilization Account (SUA) data are also published on FAOSTAT. 

A country’s Food Balance Sheet presents a comprehensive picture of the pattern of food supply during a specified reference period. The Food Balance Sheet shows for each food item – i.e. each primary commodity and a number of processed commodities potentially available for human consumption – the sources of supply and utilizations. Food Balance Sheets can be a good tool for policymakers to understand food supply patterns in a given country and how to influence these patterns. 

The latest FAOSTAT analytical brief provides the main highlights from the data, focusing on the 2014–2018 period.