FCS Food Group
https://schema.aidops.org/vocab/fcs-food-group
The eight scored food groups used by the WFP Food Consumption Score (FCS), plus condiments as a non-scoring screener. Each group is scored by the number of days (0-7) the household consumed items from that group in the past seven days; the group's weight converts days-of-consumption into the composite FCS. Meat, fish, and eggs form a single combined protein group in the standard WFP FCS questionnaire. The weights below are the WFP VAM 2008 weights and are treated as part of the instrument definition, not a programming decision.
Standard reference
WFP VAM Food Consumption Analysis (2008) (https://www.wfp.org/publications/food-consumption-analysis-calculation-and-use-food-consumption-score-food-security)
Weights and food-group definitions follow WFP VAM Technical Guidance 2008. Dairy is weighted the same as meat/fish/eggs at 4 because, in most contexts, dairy is a comparable source of protein and micronutrients when consumed at meal-contributing quantities.
Values
| Code | Label | Standard code | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
staples | Staples (cereals, tubers, roots) | Rice, pasta, bread, sorghum, millet, maize, wheat, potato, yam, cassava, other cereals and starchy roots. Weight: 2. | |
pulses | Pulses | Beans, peas, lentils, groundnuts, cashews, other legumes and nuts. Weight: 3. | |
vegetables | Vegetables and leaves | All vegetables and green leaves, including wild-gathered leaves. Weight: 1. | |
fruit | Fruit | All fruits, including wild-gathered. Weight: 1. | |
meat_fish_eggs | Meat, fish, and eggs | Beef, goat, poultry, pork, bushmeat, fresh or dried fish and seafood, and eggs of any kind. Asked as a single combined protein question in the standard WFP FCS. Weight: 4. | |
dairy | Milk and dairy | Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products consumed at meal-contributing quantities. Small quantities used only as condiments (e.g., tea whitener) are counted as condiments. Weight: 4. | |
fat_oil | Fat and oil | Cooking oils, butter, ghee, lard, and other fats. Weight: 0.5. | |
sugar | Sugar and sweets | Sugar, honey, jam, cakes, candy, sweetened beverages. Weight: 0.5. | |
condiments | Condiments | Salt, pepper, spices, tea, coffee, and other condiments used in small quantities to flavour food. Captured as a screener item: frequent consumption of only condiments is a warning signal even though this group does not contribute to the FCS composite. Weight: 0. |