Chapter 04 · People & supply chainsHuman Rights & Social Sustainability
Dietary diversity
Definition
Dietary diversity is the number of distinct food groups an individual consumes over a reference period, serving as a proxy for diet quality and micronutrient adequacy. The FAO-supported Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) indicator counts consumption from ten food groups over the previous 24 hours; consuming at least five groups is a validated proxy for better micronutrient intake adequacy among adult women in low- and middle-income countries, with extensions validated for children and adolescents.
References
FGS-10, ≥5 cutoff and proxy validity
Overview
What it means
A simple, survey-friendly measure that turns "what did you eat yesterday?" into a population-level nutrition indicator.
How it is used
MDD-W is tracked in food-security, nutrition-sensitive agriculture and development programmes, and used to monitor SDG-linked diet-quality outcomes.
Why it matters
Dietary diversity connects agricultural biodiversity, food systems and human nutrition in a single measurable indicator.