{"version":"2.0.0","publishedAt":"2026-05-06T00:00:00Z","approvedByPanel":true,"approvalDate":"2026-05-06T00:00:00Z","approvalRecordedBy":"rob.ward@vitagri.org","panelChairName":"Rob Ward, CEO (acting)","governanceNote":"Methodology v2.0 is approved by Vitagri internal review pending appointment of an independent methodology panel. The CEO acts as methodology approver and issues the panel-chair authorisation token for monthly publishes. Any future panel review may amend the methodology and bump the version.","summary":"Methodology v2.0. Five Vital Signs replace the six-pillar v1.0 architecture. Each Vital Sign is a familiar UK food-system indicator drawn from public data only — no partner integrations required. Composite is a weighted mean. Score scale 0–100 (higher = better state); traffic-light bands matching AHDB Soil Health Scorecard convention. Velocity computed as smoothed 12-month rolling change in points-per-month, direction thresholds at ±0.17 pts/month. Monthly publishing cadence. The six-pillar v1.0 methodology continues at /vital-pulse/research/ as the deeper academic measurement layer.","fullPaperUrl":"","weights":{"food-retail-inflation":20,"input-cost-pressure":20,"farmgate-price-stress":20,"self-sufficiency-drift":15,"evidence-flow":25},"velocityWindow":12,"velocityWindowUnit":"months","directionThresholds":{"improving":0.17,"stable":[-0.17,0.17],"deteriorating":-0.17,"unit":"points-per-month"},"thresholds":{"composite":{"red":[0,39],"amber":[40,69],"green":[70,100]}},"sources":{"food-retail-inflation":["ONS CPIH food and non-alcoholic beverages — monthly, public"],"input-cost-pressure":["Defra Agricultural Price Index — fuel, fertiliser, feed; monthly, public"],"farmgate-price-stress":["AHDB benchmark prices — cereals, beef, lamb, dairy; weekly/monthly, public"],"self-sufficiency-drift":["Defra UK Food Security Report — annual, public; quarterly proxy from related Defra trade balance series"],"evidence-flow":["Pulse Brain catalogue — rolling 60-month UK-relevant peer-reviewed evidence window"]},"changesFromPriorVersion":"Five Vital Signs replace six pillars. Removed: soil-health-trajectory, crop-nutrient-density, polyphenol-bioactive-trend, public-procurement-quality, diet-related-disease-burden, policy-market-momentum (these continue under /vital-pulse/research/ as v1.0). Added: food-retail-inflation, input-cost-pressure, farmgate-price-stress, self-sufficiency-drift, evidence-flow. Index now reads as system-pulse + evidence-pulse rather than soil-to-disease causal chain. Public-data-only sourcing (no partner integrations).","diff":{}}