IMPROVING APPROACHES TO ASSESSING THE COUNTRY'S FOOD SECURITY

Changes that have taken place in recent years in production, sale, market circulation, quality of food consumption give relevance to the problem of assessing the society's food security, the country's food independence and forming a high – quality food market. For this reason the purpose of the study was to justify the need for changes in the principles and rules for assessing the country's food security. It is proposed that its definition took into account the quality of food, the volume of exports and imports, the indicator of the country's comparative advantage in external exchange. During the study, the reasons for veiling the food quality and its safety were revealed, non-objectivity of determining the state of food security was substantiated, the advantages of the new approach on more objective evaluation criteria are proved and basic indicators reflecting the qualitative advantages of the new methodology in assessing food security are proposed. The problem of food quality and its assessment exists and is worsening. The novelty achieved in the study process is the rationale for the need to take into account food quality indicators of all major types, calculate food security and independence, applying for this the proposed formula for indexing the comparative advantage. In today's economy, conditions have developed when it is necessary to assess the level of food security in the society more orderly and comprehensively. To do so, the criteria laid down by international organizations must be applied. High-quality food is noted to include not only organic products, but sparing mode products as well, that is products to produce which mineral fertilizers were used in compliance with all norms and rules. Producers must preserve and protect the environment. Many authors note that government structures should pay more attention to the formation and regulation of the high quality food market segment.