Food natural resources and resilience score MENA 2019, by country

The best food resource and resilience score in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) was of Turkey at 60 percent, followed by Egypt with a score of 58.9 percent in that year.

MENA food security breakdown

Natural resources and resilience of food are one of the foundations of evaluation of the overall food security performance score, along with food availability, quality and safety, and inexpensiveness. The highest overall food security performance belonged to Qatar as it ranked first in affordability, and quality and safety . Conflict and lower rural transformation have been linked with higher food insecurities. Higher levels of rural transformation include the advancement of the health care system and the development of the education system, which are both connected to better standards of living and higher income levels. The Gulf Cooperation Council region had the lowest level of food insecurity within the MENA region.

GCC food industry trends

The per capita income has been increasing in the GCC countries, which increased the consumption of food, along with the growing population and the boost in the tourism industry. Although food demand is increasing, the types of food demanded is changing with heightened health awareness. The gulf countries suffered from dietary health issues that led to obesity, high BMI, and cholesterol levels, which has led to a spike in the share of fatalities caused by unfavorable diets. GCC countries are highly dependent on food imports with their food import volume three times larger than their production volumes. However, government efforts such as food security initiatives, have been implemented to reduce imports.