Food Security

During emergencies urgent actions are required to ensure adequate provision and intake of food. Relief victims will need partial or full food support to meet basic nutritional needs. According to the Pan-American Health Organization, to plan and implement successful food relief operations, relief workers must be familiar with the possible nutritional outcomes of specific types of natural disasters, as well as the food and nutrition situation in the affected area prior to the disaster. A nutrition officer trained in emergency management must be part of the disaster planning and response teams. This section of the Pakistan Relief Toolkit provides provides practical guidelines for field workers on the provision of safe food in emergency situations. Also see the general disaster relief guides in the Key Resources section of this toolkit.

Food and nutrition in disasters

No Date | Pan American Health Organization [PAHO]/ World Health Organization [WHO] Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama [INCAP]

Website

Guidelines prepared by the PAHO/WHO Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP).

No Date | Sphere Project | 85 p

English

The Minimum Standards for food and nutrition security are a practical expression of the principles and rights embodied in the Humanitarian Charter. The Humanitarian Charter is concerned with the most basic requirements for sustaining the lives and dignity of those affected by calamity or conflict, as reflected in the body of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law. The Minimum Sphere standards in this chapter reflect the core content of the right to food and contribute to the progressive realisation of this right globally.

No Date | World Health Organization [WHO]

Website

WHO data indicate that only a small number of factors related to food handling are responsible for a large proportion of foodborne disease episodes everywhere. The Ten Golden Rules respond to these errors, offering advice that can reduce the risk that foodborne pathogens will be able to contaminate, to survive or to multiply.

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Food safety in natural disasters

2005 | World Health Organization [WHO] | 5 p

English

When natural disasters strike, food safety is a crucial public health concern that is too often neglected. These guidelines from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) focus on preventive food safety measures; inspecting and salvaging food; provision for safe food and water; recognition and response to an outbreaks of foodborne disease; and consumer education and information on food safety.

2004 | Save the Children | 350 p

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Emergency Nutrition Assessment starts by looking at how to assess potential causes of malnutrition in emergencies. This is followed by practical guidance on how to conduct field surveys on the prevalence of malnutrition and the rate of mortality among under-fives; and how to interpret the findings and present your recommendations. A separate section looks at how to measure feeding programme coverage. Software tools for use in designing and analysing findings are included on an accompanying CD-ROM, which also contains key supporting texts on nutrition assessment.

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Targeting food aid in emergencies

2004 | Emergency Nutrition Network

English

This publication is intended to provide guidance on the design of food targeting systems in emergencies. Targeting is defined as directing a particular type or quantity of food, to a defined population group.

2003 | Academy for Educational Development [AED] | 32 p

English

Too often strategies to reduce food insecurity have been operationalized that considered only the first three components of the food security definition. In emergency or relief interventions, there is an obvious priority on getting food to those with immediate need. The challenge, however, is to address the needs of households that may be food secure today but are using coping strategies that may compromise their food security tomorrow.

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Emergency field operations pocketbook

2002 | World Food Programme [WFP] | 180 p

English

This field operations guide is a quick-reference resource for all WFP staff and partners engaged in the provision of humanitarian assistance in the field, whether in Emergency Operations, Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations, or Special Operations. It contains a brief aide-memoire on relevant policies, guidelines and procedures; checklists and useful data for assessing, planning, and monitoring; and cross-references to more detailed guidance when such guidance exists.

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Food and nutrition needs in emergencies

2002 | World Health Organization [WHO] | 51 p

English Full Text

UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO have jointly developed these guidelines as a practical tool for assessing, estimating and monitoring the food and nutrition needs of populations in emergencies. The guidelines are aimed at field staff involved in planning and delivering a basic general food ration for emergency-affected populations.

1997 | The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] | 77 p

English

This guide outlines procedures to assist UNHCR Field staff and operational partners in the design and implementation of systems for commodity distribution. Needs assessment, the planning of rations and the management of the logistics chain, up to the distribution site, are not covered.

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