The measure of
a food system.
EatoIndex is the intelligence standard of the EatoSystem — the framework that defines what a healthy food economy looks like, how it is measured, and what the data reveals about how to build one.
Not a score. A standard.
EatoIndex is the measurement layer of the EatoSystem. It defines what a healthy food economy looks like — not for individual farms or individual meals, but for an entire county, measured as a system.
The data is aggregate, not personal. The standard is open, not proprietary. The intelligence it generates belongs to the food system — used by EatoAI to guide decisions, by EatoFoundation to set policy, and by every operator building within the system.
Five dimensions of a healthy food system.
EatoIndex measures food system health across five interconnected dimensions — each revealing a different truth about how the system is performing.
Health
D-01
Is the food making people healthier?
Nutritional density of locally grown food, biotic value (prebiotic, probiotic, postbiotic content), food access equity across the county, and measurable population health trends linked to local food consumption.
Key metrics
- Nutritional density score
- Biotic value index
- Food access equity
- Population health trend
Production
D-02
What is the land growing — and how does it reach the table?
Yield per hectare, crop diversity, seasonal compliance, and water efficiency — alongside food miles from farm to table and the proportion sold through local supply chains. Production measures what is grown and how it moves.
Key metrics
- Yield per hectare
- Crop diversity index
- Average food miles
- Local supply chain %
Community
D-03
Who does it serve?
Food access scores by area, community engagement rates, educational programme participation, and the proportion of the population within reach of locally grown food.
Key metrics
- Food access score
- Community reach %
- Education participation
- Local purchasing rate
Ecology
D-04
What is the land doing?
Carbon balance (sequestered versus emitted), soil organic matter percentage, biodiversity index, water quality scores, and trajectory — is the land improving or declining?
Key metrics
- Carbon balance
- Soil organic matter %
- Biodiversity index
- Water quality score
Economy
D-05
Where does the value go?
Local revenue retention rate, farm profitability index, jobs created per acre, and the multiplier effect — how much of every euro spent on local food stays in the local economy.
Key metrics
- Local revenue retention
- Farm profitability
- Jobs per hectare
- Local economic multiplier
How intelligence enters the index.
Every data point that enters EatoIndex follows the same path — from activity on the ground to verified aggregate intelligence.
Farms
Activity data from EatoFarm operators — harvests, practices, yields, inputs
Markets
Sales, distribution, and supply chain data from county market networks
EatoFarm
Aggregated farm-level data verified and anonymised before indexing
EatoIndex
Dimensions calculated against verified baselines and community standards
EatoAI
Intelligence synthesised into guidance, insights, and county-level recommendations
Measurable. Comparable. Honest.
EatoIndex metrics are defined by the EatoFoundation independent panel — not by operators, not by government, and not by the market. Each metric has a defined calculation method, a county baseline, and a directional target for what improvement looks like.
Nutritional density score
D-01 Health
Average food miles
D-02 Production
Community reach %
D-03 Community
Soil organic matter %
D-04 Ecology
Local revenue retention
D-05 Economy
Biodiversity index
D-04 Ecology
Intelligence for every layer.
EatoIndex is not a reporting tool. It is a shared intelligence resource — used across the EatoSystem and beyond to make better decisions at every level.
Intelligence engine
EatoAI
EatoAI draws on EatoIndex data to synthesise insights, identify patterns, and generate guidance that improves the food system. The Index is the structured foundation that EatoAI learns from.
Governance evidence
EatoFoundation
The Foundation uses EatoIndex data to assess mission alignment — whether the EatoSystem is genuinely improving food system health or drifting from its founding purpose.
Performance benchmarking
Farm Operators
EatoFarm operators use the Index to benchmark their farm's performance against county averages and system-wide standards — understanding where they lead and where to improve.
Evidence-based planning
Policymakers
Local and national policymakers access aggregate EatoIndex data to understand the state of their food system, identify intervention priorities, and measure the impact of decisions.
Academic standards
Researchers
Universities and food system researchers use EatoIndex as a validated framework for studying regenerative food systems — contributing to and drawing from a shared body of evidence.
The intelligence that EatoIndex generates belongs to the food system — not to any single company, investor, or institution. We publish what we learn so that everyone can build on it.
EatoIndex Data Charter
Open · Validated · Independent
Aggregate, not individual.
EatoIndex publishes aggregate data about food system performance. No individual farm's data, no operator's commercial information, and no community member's personal data is ever exposed.
Publicly accessible.
The aggregate intelligence generated by EatoIndex is published openly — available to policymakers, researchers, communities, and citizens. Food system knowledge belongs to everyone.
Independently validated.
EatoIndex metrics are validated by an independent data standards panel — ensuring the intelligence it produces is trustworthy, reproducible, and not subject to commercial manipulation.
Building the baseline.
Ireland is uniquely positioned to be the first country to build a complete, county-level food system intelligence model. 32 counties. Defined geographies. An agricultural identity that runs deep.
The EatoIndex baseline for Ireland will be the most detailed, transparent picture of a national food system ever assembled — and it will be open for anyone to use, build on, or challenge.
Counties indexed
Every county in Ireland measured across all five dimensions
Dimensions each
Production, Distribution, Community, Ecology, Economy — no gaps
Open baseline
Publicly accessible, independently validated, free to use
Where EatoIndex goes.
Built in Ireland. Designed for everywhere. The measurement framework that starts with 32 counties becomes the global standard for food system intelligence.
Phase 1
Ireland — the first index.
32 counties fully indexed. The world's first county-level food system intelligence model — measuring what a healthy food economy looks like in practice.
Phase 2
British Isles — the first export.
EatoIndex adapted for UK contexts — the first cross-border food system measurement framework, with shared supply chain visibility and comparable baselines.
Phase 3
Europe — a regional standard.
Regional food system intelligence. EatoIndex as the shared measurement standard across multiple European food economies — comparable, open, independent.
Phase 4
Global — the world standard.
A universal framework for measuring food system health — adopted by countries, used by policymakers, and recognised as the independent standard worldwide.
The measure of a healthy food system.
EatoIndex is open by design — the intelligence it generates belongs to every community that contributes to it. The standard starts in Ireland and grows with every county, country, and contributor that joins.