MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Food habits

24. The staple food should be culturally acceptable. The target population should have the knowledge and the means to process and prepare it, using available facilities and fuel supplies. Emergency situations are not a suitable time to introduce a new type of food.

Food processing

25. For practical, nutritional and environmental reasons, it is preferable to provide flour particularly in the early stages of emergency. If whole grains need to be provided, local milling capacity must be available, and the ration should include compensation for milling cost and losses (subject to local milling charges, in the range of 10 to 20%), if these are borne by the beneficiaries.

Non food requirements

26. The availability of adequate supplies of essential non-food items such as water, cooking facilities and fuel and containers must be ensured. The provision of shelter and blankets is also essential.

Quality control and specifications

27. A system of quality control for all commodities must be implemented to ensure that food distributed to refugees is of good quality, safe for human consumption and that it meets the required specifications. Oil and dried skimmed milk should be fortified with Vitamin A and blended food should follow the international specifications established by FAO/WHO for vitamin and mineral fortification (the Codex Alimentarius).

Substitution of commodities

28. When certain food commodities are not available, they can be replaced by other available food items in order to maintain the adequate energy and protein level of the food basket. However the substitution should not occur for more than one month. The temporary substitution ratios for common food items are: