Food security problems in various income groups of Kakamega County

Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels [is achieved] when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Poverty is the underlying cause of food insecurity, while food insecurity causes malnutrition. Food insecurity is a challenge for Kenya that endorsed the Millennium Development Goals in 2000,7 which include Goal 1 as the eradication of poverty and hunger. This research was carried out to map out foods consumption per capita in households of various income levels. The “minimum dietary energy requirement” for each person as stipulated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is just below 2,000 kilocalories per day.8 In Kenya, the poverty line is determined by expenditure required to purchase the food basket that yields a minimum 2,250kcal per adult equivalent per day in addition to non food needs.