782 



A New York longshoreman, of greater height and weight than his 

 East Indian counterpart, will probably require more food to perform 

 his work efficiently. He may well require more simply not to feel 

 imderfed. Differences like these point up the difficulty of measuring 

 food shortages in strictly quantitative terms. Furthermore, quantita- 

 tive shortages are accompanied by qualitative deficiencies. Not only 

 are the people of the LDCs undernourished, they are malnourished 

 as well. 



Despite the difficulties in obtaining accurate data, "all authorities 

 are agreed that in most countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America 

 today the average food consumption falls considerably short of the 

 optimum desiralale from the point of view of the health, as well as the 

 efficiency, of the worker." ^^ According to the Third World Food Sur- 

 vey of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 

 at least 20 percent of the population in the LDCs received too few 

 calories, while about 60 percent received diets that were of inadequate 

 nutritional quality (that is, their diet was deficient in other compo- 

 nents than calorie content — mainly in proteins) .^^ The FAO and others 

 concerned with the world food problem can make statements like these 

 because, despite all the variables, it is possible to measure a person's re- 

 quirements for calories in relation to the work he does. Empirical 

 studies already performed have been helpful in formulating these 

 requirements.^" 



Physiological effects of calorie deficiency were explored in an ex- 

 periment in starvation which took place in the U.S. during World 

 War II. In this experiment 32 volunteers lived for 24 weeks on a diet 

 of only 1,800 calories a day, with reduced amounts of protein and other 

 nutrients. A decline was soon noticed in the muscle tone and the endur- 

 ance at work of these volunteers; it continued, along with a loss of 

 body weight, throughout the experiment. At the end of the 24 weeks of 

 semistarvation, muscle strength of the subjects had been reduced by 

 almost 30 percent, and precision of movement by 15-20 percent. Their 

 cardiovascular systems also performed with reduced efficiency. It was 

 also observed that the effects of malnutrition in this particular experi- 

 ment were more severe, and occurred earlier, than in areas where the 

 population is chronically undernourished and has managed to adapt 

 to that state. 



The FAO, through its Committee on Calorie Requirements, has 

 attempted to define levels of caloric intake, depending upon an indi- 



" United Nations. Food and Agriculture Orsranization (FAO), "Freedom from Hunger 

 Campaign. Basic Study No. 5. Nutrition and Working Efficiency" (Rome, Italy. 1962), 

 page 3. 



i» Cited In : "The World Food Problem." A Report of the President's Science Advisory 

 Committee, Vol. II: Report of the Panel on the World Food Supply, May 1967 (Washing- 

 ton U.S. Government Printing Office. 1967), page 5. 



"Thus, during and after World War IHt was observed that, when German miners in 

 the Ruhr were provided with a daily ration of 4,500 calories. 2,200 were necessary for the 

 maintenance of the bodv's metabolism, while the remaining 2.300 were available for work. 

 On these "2,300 work calories the miners turned out 1.9 tons of coal daily, or slightly under 

 1,200 calories per ton. By 1942 these miners had only 1,700 work calories in their diet, and 

 coal output was diminishing. When for some time only 900 work calories were available 

 the workers lost weight. In 1944 the miners had 1,900 work calories, and mined 1.65 tons 

 per day, which again averages out to approximately 1,200 work calories per ton of coal. 

 In a German steel mill which escaped wartime bombing, it was possible to trace a pattern 

 of declining production coinciding with a decline In caloric Intake. In 1939, on a ration of 

 1.900 work calories dally, a worker turned out 120 tons per man per month. By 1944, on 

 1,150 work calories dally, the same man produced less than 80 tons of steel per month. In 

 both cases, a decline in food consumption resulted in a reduced output in proportion to the 

 caloric Intake. United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, "Nutrition and Work- 

 ing Efficiency," op. clt., pages 14-15. 



