In light of nationalist trends, disruptions to global food supply chains and efforts to concurrently promote sustainable diets, we assess national capacities to achieve dietary guidelines based on domestic production alone. Over a third of all countries cannot meet self-sufficiency for more than two of the seven essential food groups. Low self-sufficiency and overdependence on a few countries for imports threaten their capability to respond to global shocks, particularly for small states.

Reference

Stehl, J., Vonderschmidt, A., Vollmer, S. et al. Gap between national food production and food-based dietary guidance highlights lack of national self-sufficiency. Nat Food 6, 571–576 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01173-4