Making Food Aid Fit-for-Purpose in the 21st Century: A Review of Recent Initiatives Improving the Nutritional Quality of Foods Used in Emergency and Development Programming

Webb, Patrick; Caiafa, Kristine; Walton, Shelley

doi:10.1177/0379572117726422

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Portner (2010) pointed out that each disaster occurrence increased the prevalence of stunting among children. The bulk of food aid takes the form of grains, which mainly contain carbohydrates (Webb et al 2017;Dhoubhadel et al 2020). A study conducted after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) by Inoue et al (2014) showed that most food aid received, such as rice balls or bread, was carbohydrate-based, possibly because of their ready provision and abundance in emergency food pantries.…”

Section: Macro-nutrient and Micro-nutrient Deficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Emergency interventions to protect poor people should not simply be for gross caloric intake, but the quality of children's diets as well (Block et al 2004). This quantity and quality can be achieved by ensuring access to safe and nutritious foods, particularly for children to reduce levels of wasting and micronutrient deficiencies (Webb et al 2017). Food rations must be fortified with essential micronutrients (Toole 1992;Pradhan et al 2016).…”

Section: Macro-nutrient and Micro-nutrient Deficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child Nutrition in Disaster: A Scoping Review

Adeoya

Sasaki

Fuda

et al. 2022

Tohoku J. Exp. Med.

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Disaster endangers the nutritional health of children with resulting effects on their mental, physical, and social well-being. Adequate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in disaster prevents malnutrition and save lives. Although much progress has been made in nutritional support in disaster, malnutrition among children is still evident. This scoping review study was conducted to identify gaps in child nutrition in disaster. Published articles in PubMed were sought primarily and were assessed with some additional relevant articles. Overall, 103 articles were included in the scope of this review. Increased morbidity and mortality from malnutrition (macro-and micro-nutrient deficiencies), communicable diseases and mental health issues are nutritional effects of disaster. Pre-disaster malnutrition, food insecurity, living environments in shelters, poor breast-feeding practices, sociocultural factors, and organizational and administrative challenges strongly affect child nutrition in disaster. The efforts and collaboration of relief agencies resulted in the development of standardized guidelines and codes represented as the Sphere Project and Operational Guideline for IYCF in Emergency. This study recommends a well-coordinated and explicit approach that includes preparedness, advocacy, development/updating of policies, and education of children, family and relief aid workers on nutrition. Periodic nutritional assessment of children and nutritional support in disaster by designated IYCF authority are necessary. Education and participation of the general population are also important. Future assessments must examine food allergies in children and nutrition effects on child mental health in disaster.

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Section: Macro-nutrient and Micro-nutrient Deficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Macro-nutrient and Micro-nutrient Deficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Nutrition in Disaster: A Scoping Review

Adeoya

Sasaki

Fuda

et al. 2022

Tohoku J. Exp. Med.

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“…"Food assistance has become a key element of humanitarian aid to conflict-affected populations, intended to promote the survival and growth of infants and young children" [5,6]. Throughout human history, humanitarian food aid was provided in the form of food or non-food items for people affected by famine, drought, or natural disaster [4,[7][8][9]. Hunger and undernutrition can significantly worsen during situations of prolonged conflicts and where institutional capacities are weak [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humanitarian Food Assistance and Nutrition Outcomes among Refugees: A Historical Perspective

Guli

Barakagira²,

Zombeire³

2023

JSRR

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Background: Humanitarian interventions are done after a significant disruption of people’s daily life which in turn affect their food security and nutrition needs. Food assistance has become a key element of humanitarian aid to conflict-affected populations. Hunger and undernutrition can significantly worsen during situations of prolonged conflicts and where institutional capacities are weak. Humanitarian food aid provided in the form of food or non-food items for people affected by famine, drought, or natural disaster is intended to feed, shelter, and provide legal protection. Malnutrition in children is related to insufficient food intake, poor food quality, and severe or repeated infectious diseases. Therefore, humanitarian food assistance is given to ensure sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is consumed to prevent malnutrition and prevent death. Objectives: This paper seeks to understand the following specific objectives; to explore the evolution of humanitarian food assistance or food aid; to gain an understanding of the contemporary views on humanitarian food assistance; to explore the comparative views on humanitarian food assistance, and to find out the implications of shifting from Food Aid to Food Assistance. Study Design/Method: Secondary data collection method was used and both published and official documents were reviewed based on the objectives of this paper, and relevant information was picked. The review provides evidence on the benefits as well as gaps related to humanitarian food assistance interventions and their relationship with the nutrition status of children below the age of five years. Results: Food in-kind directly impacts positively on the nutrition status of households and influences the coping mechanisms of the affected populations. In Mali, a study found food transfers exert a protective effect on food-insecure populations in conflict situations and increased micro-nutrient availability. Another study found improvement in nutrition status among children in Myanmar, Kenya, Niger, and South Sudan. While global acute malnutrition (GAM) in Myanmar declined from 6.6% to 2.6% and from 7.5% to 4.7%, in Niger, GAM rates declined from 21.3% to 13.6%, and 11.4% to 7.3% in Kenya and South Sudan, a decline of 6% GAM. Also, a study on the “impact of cash transfers on food consumption in humanitarian settings found cash transfer” is an appropriate and effective modality in humanitarian settings for meeting the needs of vulnerable populations. Conclusion: The strategic shift from food aid to food assistance has the potential to enhance effectiveness in addressing hunger because there is increased use of non-food aid in operational modalities and other initiatives to enhance local production and purchase, and the use of vouchers and cash transfers in humanitarian response.

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“…Food aid provided in the form of general food parcels distribution (FPD), such as food banks, food pantries or emergency food boxes, can be the only source of nutrition, or a crucial diet complementation for food insecure communities and vulnerable individuals worldwide during crisis (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the nutritional content and adequacy of food parcels among vulnerable Lebanese during a double crisis: COVID-19 pandemic and an economic meltdown

Mattar

Hassan²,

Kalash³

et al. 2023

Public Health Nutr.

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Objectives: This study aimed to explore the nutritional content and quality of food parcels distributed in Lebanon and assess their adherence to dietary guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis. Design: Cross-sectional study (June-July 2020); phone survey (30-items) Setting: Lebanon Participants: Food parcel providers (FPP; n=72) involved in food parcel distribution (FPD), mainly to Lebanese households. Results: FPP included International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) (n=3), local NGOs (n=45), and personal initiatives (n=24). Overall, low adherence to the World Food Programme (WFP) food parcel guidelines were observed among FPP for specific food items, including vegetables, fish, legumes, and cereals; whereas salt content significantly surpassed the guidelines (all p-values <0.001). On average, a food parcel provided 608.4±55 kcal/day/person. The greatest contributors to total energy intake (TE) in the food parcel were carbohydrates (46.4%) and fats (46.8%), while protein contributed to 7%TE. In addition, %TE from fats and sugars significantly surpassed the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for a single-person per day (134-234% and 185% of DRIs, respectively, p-values <0.001). Only 10-15% of daily needs for key micronutrients, including iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, and dietary folate, were met through the food parcels. Adequate food safety and hygiene practices were reported among FPP, yet dramatic changes in food costs due to overlapping crises affected the quality and quantity of food in parcels. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need to improve the nutritional content of food parcels and adherence to dietary guidelines to alleviate food and nutrition insecurity while preventing diet-related diseases among vulnerable beneficiaries in Lebanon.

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Making Food Aid Fit-for-Purpose in the 21st Century: A Review of Recent Initiatives Improving the Nutritional Quality of Foods Used in Emergency and Development Programming

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Child Nutrition in Disaster: A Scoping Review

Child Nutrition in Disaster: A Scoping Review

Humanitarian Food Assistance and Nutrition Outcomes among Refugees: A Historical Perspective

Assessing the nutritional content and adequacy of food parcels among vulnerable Lebanese during a double crisis: COVID-19 pandemic and an economic meltdown

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