Food security is essential to promote the best possible state of health for all members of a community and ensure equitable access to good quality foods.
Food security is a concept that encompasses practices and measures designed to guarantee, in each community, access to food that allows a balanced and healthy diet .
According to experts and organizations that have intervened in the definition and interpretation of this notion, four principles must be met for food security to become effective in practice. Firstly, in each nation there must be sufficient food production and adequate availability to cover the collective demand for food on a daily basis.
The economy must also be considered so that the lack of money does not put nutrition at risk.
There should be no nutritional deficiencies in any home, which is why it is the obligation of those in power to implement strategies and plans to prevent hunger , fight against malnutrition and combat malnutrition .
Nor should we overlook the value of transmitting, instilling and adopting positive habits in relation to food . Throughout life, to be healthy and strengthen the immune system, it is necessary to eat excellent quality products (as far as possible, without preservatives and as natural as possible) that provide energy , vitamins and minerals . It is essential to know your body well, respect it and accept it in order to take care of it, provide it with the necessary calories for optimal functioning and development and detect possible symptoms early: when something is not going well and you are not at your best, the most sensible and fair recommendation is to carry out a medical check-up and consult in a timely manner in order to have access to a diagnosis and treatment.
It is useful and enriching to learn how to cook and prepare nutritious and tasty homemade delicacies based on multiple ingredients (avoiding or reducing the intake of processed and ultra-processed foods as much as possible), teach about food handling with the purpose of avoiding cross contamination and inform about of the advantages of diversifying the diet .
Finally, the food must be stable, last over time and be ensured at regular intervals.
Correct food handling requires good practices and responsibility in the handling of utensils, personal hygiene and hygiene of the space and elements used in culinary preparations.
Factors that influence food security
Food security is influenced by multiple factors that should be distinguished and addressed in order to find solutions for everything that depends on one and, at the same time, take advantage of each issue or advance that favors it.
Nothing can be done, for example, in the face of weather conditions and phenomena such as droughts , waves of both cold and heat , and floods . Yes, however, it helps to educate yourself about the link between climate change and food security since agriculture and livestock are exposed to problems such as low levels of water supply, extreme temperatures, diseases and pests.
There are, simultaneously, social, political and economic factors that put food security in check. Gender inequality and unequal rights have a negative impact on access, availability, use and stability of good quality foods. The differences that are marked between men and women and the discrimination suffered in this context translate into unfair food distributions and monetary limitations that restrict access to food.
At the same time, technological innovation and the development of equipment, computer programs and modern resources play in favor of food security . Thanks to the discovery of techniques, the contributions of science and the existence of modern instruments and tools, the nutritional quality of a wide variety of foods is improved and it is possible to generate the necessary conditions to ensure food safety .
A balanced and healthy diet must respond to the needs and particularities of each organism. Although it is always advisable to combine fruits, vegetables, legumes and meats, it cannot be overlooked that there are people who have, for example, food allergies or intolerances.
Food production and preservation
Both food production and its conservation require knowledge, commitment, responsibility and work.
If you cannot develop family gardens for reasons of time or space, an excellent option is to opt for vertical farms at home since you do not have to have large surfaces to carry them out, they do not require large amounts of water and, by not Using pesticides and taking care of the natural growth and care of foodstuffs guarantees the quality of the products you will end up consuming.
The models of sustainable agriculture (a system that respects the natural environment that does not excessively exploit the resources available) and organic agriculture (a framework in which food is produced free of chemicals and respecting a series of ethical standards) have merit for That consumers who want to nourish themselves in the healthiest way possible, causing the minimum possible negative impact on nature, find in these methods options to consider when shopping.
Taking the food preservation process and its particularities seriously is key to ensuring that products remain in good condition, do not lose properties or spoil.
A user who is going to consume certain merchandise has to pay close attention to the expiration date , the packaging , the labeling and the conditions it needs to be safe. Some medications, vaccines, frozen foods and fresh products, for example, require being kept at a low and controlled temperature, which is why it is essential to respect the cold chain without interruptions.