Objective:

Propose an alternative method to the “lack of access to food indicator” to measure food security in Mexico, taking as a reference the definition of FAO.

Methodology:

Qualitative and quantitative variables are combined to cover four dimensions (physical access, economic access, stability and quality of food) based on five criteria (marginalization, income, expenditure, quantity perception and variety perception).

Results:

2 out of 10 households in Mexico can be classified with food security and 15 % present problems in all or most of the indicators. For the bulk of households, the main problems are that a very high proportion of the expenditure is destined to cover the basic basket and that the diet is considered of low quality because it is not enough, varied and nutritious.

Limitations:

The indicators do not reflect health problems associated with the level of food safety.

Conclusions:

Public policies must distinguish levels of food security and prioritize economic and health policies at the national level, without neglecting social policy with programs to combat food poverty, which persists in specific regions of Mexico.