On the composite indicator of access to rational nutrition in the CIS countries

The article presents a methodology for constructing and validating a composite indicator of access to rational nutrition — the Food Access and Nutrition Security Index ( FANSI ) — designed to reveal hidden forms of food vulnerability in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The indicator integrates four normalized components: economic vulnerability (share of food expenditure), nutritional diversity (adapted Household Dietary Diversity Score), micronutrient deficit (meat, milk, vegetables relative to physiological norms), and resilience to negative shocks (income quintile ratio and income structure stability). The empirical basis is formed by data from the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS for 2010—2022 covering nine countries. At the first stage, cross-tabulation analysis identified four qualitative types of vulnerability — stable monostructurality, cyclical monostructurality, fragile well-being and structural inertia. To overcome the limitations of qualitative typology, a quantitative FANSI indicator was developed, allowing to measure the depth of vulnerability and its stability over time. Calculations show that about 36.8% of the region’s population live in a “critical vulnerability zone” ( FANSI ≥ 0.6). The high consistency of FANSI values with the qualitative typology (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.92) confirms the validity of the indicator. Based on the obtained estimates, differentiated food policy recommendations are proposed for each country group. The indicator can serve as a tool for monitoring, early warning, and forecasting social consequences of price and macroeconomic shocks within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the CIS frameworks.