FAO leads a project in Central Mozambique, funded by the Belgian Survival Fund, to improve food security and nutrition in communities affected by HIV/AIDS (GCP/MOZ/079/BEL). A baseline survey of 4 districts was conducted in December 2006 during the pre-harvest period, one of the last months before the harvest when food stores are normally lowest. A follow-up survey was conducted in two of the original districts, Chibabava and Gondola, in July 2007, during the post harvest period when food stores are normally good. The purpose of the paper is to compare access to food, and thus food security of households in the two periods, using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). Both are simple tools that provide information on household’s diets in relation to their ability to access food.