Developing energy-dense nutritional foods that can be packaged and stored for extended periods of time in environments that vary from arctic to tropical presents a challenge to the processor. In an emergency situation these products must also meet the nutritional needs of all age groups from infants to adults, and be sufficiently palatable to be consumed for up to two weeks as the sole food. Nutrient profiles for an emergency food product (EFP) can and have been developed , but the required useful life of the product will be met only through careful consideration and selection of ingredients, processing techniques, and packaging materials. Key considerations include microbiological and chemical safety, dispersability, and ease of use.
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EMERGENCY RELIEF FOOD PRODUCT
The use of a few nutrient-dense products in a variety of
emergencies by relief organizations such as the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme of the United Nations, and
the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, has resulted in
anecdotal information about the desirable characteristics of such foods. These
characteristics should be taken into consideration during prototype development
in order to develop a superior EFP. Historically, some of the most important
emergency relief food products available in Europe,
particularly the most successful one—the Norwegian BP-5—were not developed with
food relief in mind. They were intended to
be rations stowed in lifeboats for use in the event of
passengers and crews having to abandon ship. Nevertheless, their use in the
field during diverse emergencies, such as the Ethiopia and Eastern Sudan famine
of 1985 to 1986 and the more recent Balkans conflicts, have permitted an
evaluation of their efficacy from the standpoint of nutrition, acceptability,
ease of delivery, and some practical aspects such as potential for diversion
seldom discussed in refereed publications. The following sections provide some
aspects that representatives from various relief organizations urged be
considered in developing specifications for the EFP.
Packaging the EFP for Airdrop or Surface Delivery
Considering that the EFP is for use at the onset of emergencies,
when infrastructure destruction and security considerations make it impossible
to run feeding centers, the EFP should be available in a packaging modality
amenable to low-altitude airdrop as well as delivery on land. There have been
attempts to configure EFPs in ways that facilitate air delivery without
damaging the product upon impact on the ground or hurting the intended
recipients. Such packaging must also allow for dissemination of the product
over a wide area so that it may reach many people. (Past experience indicates
that concentrating the drop in the form of parachuted pallets, for example,
contributed to hoarding, thus defeating the primary objective of ample
distribution of the food relief, and also contributed to its diversion to unintended
uses).
Packaging the EFP to Discourage Diversion
Information provided by relief organizations indicate that
the high energy content of some EFPs, the density of nutrients in them, and the
ease with which they may be carried has resulted in these products being
collected by military combatants in emergency situations involving armed
conflict. Biscuit-type EFPs are easily diverted to become military rations in
emergencies involving armed conflict to the detriment of and even at a risk to
the intended civilian recipients. The diversion is facilitated when the shape
and size of the unit makes it easy to fit into the side pockets of military
wear; rectangular, thin presentations seem to be best suited for this purpose.
In addition, the use of eye-catching, glittery, space-age packaging materials
encourages such diversion. It has been, therefore, the consensus among
representatives of several relief agencies that the shape and size of the
outside package of a successful EFP should be uncomfortable to carry in
military pockets and should be made of nonlustrous materials. Furthermore,
separation of the ration into smaller portions that cannot easily be rewrapped
after opening also discourages diversion while aiding in apportioning the
ration among children and adults.
Packaging to Facilitate Distribution and Consumption of the EFP and Reuse of its Secondary Package
Based on information from relief organizations, other
anecdotal considerations for a superior EFP are the size of the unit and the
potential for reuse of the secondary package. It is important that the size of
the total unit and its breakdown into meal portions are designed so that adults
can apportion it to individual sittings. Meal-size portions should be scored to
facilitate partitioning them for children.
It is also important that the primary and secondary packages
be able to serve additional uses in emergency situations. For example, a
combustible primary package for emergency rations has found use in various
emergencies as fuel for cooking. The secondary package may also be put to good
use by recipients. For example, tin cans used to package emergency rations have
been used as containers for water, as storage boxes, and even as metal shingles
for building roofs after being pounded flat. In addition, from the technical
standpoint, this type of secondary packaging might be very helpful in
maintaining the integrity of the EFP against impact and pressure damage, insect
and rodent attack, and other environmental challenges during transport,
storage, and delivery. Therefore, the secondary package for the EFP should be
designed such that it could afford secondary uses to the recipients.
