III. Meeting Food Requiremexts of Developing Countries 



Human dietary requirements are a complex and incompletely re- 

 searched subject. However, it is not necessary to consider refine- 

 ments of modern dietary science in dealing with problems of gross 

 malnutrition in the poor countries o£ the world. The specific need for 

 minute quantities of trace elements and vitamins which usually ac- 

 company a sufficient and varied diet is of trivial importance in a re- 

 gion barely surviving on meagre resources of grain and less meat. 



These dietary requirements may be viewed as a pyramid of food 

 components of which calorie content (mainly supplied by sugars, 

 starches, and fats) are at the base; proteins or "amino acids" (mainly 

 supplied by animal products like meat, fish, poultry, milk and eggs) 

 are next; and the vitamins and minerals (supplied in part by the fore- 

 going, and also by fresh vegetables and fruits) are at the apex. Food 

 concentrates and supplements have been developed for most of the 

 known human dietary requirements, but only the most basic ones are 

 relevant for this study. 



This section of the study will consider, for each dietary component, 

 the consequences of a deficiency, the quantities required to overcome 

 present deficiencies, and the technological options already available 

 or in prospect. The gist of the discussion is that for each category of 

 foodstuffs there are technological means available for providing an 

 adequate diet for the present and for the foreseeable future, but that 

 the problems of doing so, and the consequences of doing so without 

 taking other measures on the population side of the food/popula- 

 tion balance, could have serious disadvantages economically, socially, 

 politically, and internationally. 



The political and diplomatic aspects of the food problem are devel- 

 oped in the next section of the study. 



Defining Calorie Shortages of the LDCs 



The most immediate and obvious kind of food shortage is that of 

 energy-providing elements. Sugars, starches, and fats provide a pop- 

 ulation with human energy ; they are the fuel of human labor. 



VARYING needs FOR FUEL-FOODS 



To determine the calorie requirements of a nation it is not enough 

 to establish an optimum quantitative diet for a standard individual 

 and then multiply this by the numbers of population to be fed. 

 Individual needs differ widely, being influenced by such vari- 

 ables as age, sex, physical size, occupation, health condition, and deep- 

 seated dietary preferences. In formulating policies to achieve sound 

 nutritional conditions in the LDCs, governments must take account of 

 these variables. 



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