In spite of the uncertainty about consumption and food requirements and the limited significance of national averages, use can be made of the latest FAO statistics to attempt to bring up to date the world food typology. A first classification can be established taking into account only calories and animal proteins (instead of total proteins). If one takes lipids into account leads to this classification being slightly modified. Three main groups are each made up of approximately one billion people — countries that are overnourished, China and some other countries (almost adequate energy consumption but a very small quantity of animal proteins), seriously under nourished countries (well over a billion persons). The other two big groups are Japan (adequately nourished) and that including Brazil (adequate energy supply but animal protein deficiencies). Many individual cases lie outside this classification. This typology, based on national averages, must not lead to the great disparities in individual consumption being forgotten. Few countries are below 1900 calories per person per day, but it is probable that hundreds of millions of people are around 1500 calories or less.
