DAR ES SALAAM, March 17 -- FOR many years, the Economist Intelligence Unit, through its research arm Economist Impact, produced the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), an annual benchmark that assessed the state of food security across countries worldwide.

The index compared nations based on their ability to ensure access to affordable, safe and nutritious food.

However, the index has not been regularly updated in recent years, and the 2022 edition remains the most recent comprehensive global report released by Economist Impact.

Because of this pause, many analysts and commentators continue to reflect on the latest available findings to understand longstanding structural issues in national food systems.

This article therefore revisi...