Measuring Food Security for Pakistan Using 2007-08 HIES Data

Food is one of the most basic rights of every one living on this earth to get food. Food insecurity has very serious consequences in term of undermining people’s health, productivity and even their very survival. Sufficient food policy should not distract us from the need to find ways to address hunger. In this study we have calculated food security indicators related to food access and utilization by using Household Integrated Economic Survey(HIES) 2007-08 data. Almost 25% of the population is suffering from high food insecurity and 40% population is suffering from medium level of food insecurity. Cereals comprise more than 50% of the calories consumed by all income groups. Better educated household heads have lower food insecurity level than less educated after controlling income effect. Household size and food security are negatively related. Sind province has the highest percentage of food insecure population while in absolute number Punjab has the highest number of food insecure people.