Session 5

Distributing Emergency Food

During a Pandemic

Today’s Objectives

To review the seven steps that an emergency food team will need to consider Assess the potential need for emergency food

distribution Accumulate nutritious food stocks Properly store food stock prior to distribution Prioritize recipients Determine when it is time to distribute food Safely distribute Maintain transparency

Assessing the potential need for food

Two Considerations Level of Risk: How likely is it that your

region will experience food shortages during a severe pandemic?

Capacity to Respond: How able is the region to respond rapidly and effectively when the pandemic arrives?

Level of Risk

Where does your food come from and how reliable are these sources? How much is imported ?

How does the food arrive to the wholesale markets or local distributors and how likely is it that these routes can be disrupted? Where are the wholesale distributors located?

How does the food get from the wholesale distributors to the retail stores?

Level of Risk

What is the size of the population of the municipality and how is it distributed geographically?

Where do households normally obtain their food supplies?

When is produced food available/ not available to households?

Who has prior experience in managing emergency food or similar mass distribution programs? Are they available to help?

What financial and human resources does the area have to purchase, store, distribute and manage emergency food supplies?

Capacity to Respond

Municipal government agencies Agricultural producers and processors Labor and farmer associations Humanitarian and development NGOs National emergency management agency authorities

and leaders Food wholesalers and retail markets Transportation companies/associations Community-based & religious organizations Public security agencies

Capacity to Respond

What kinds and quantities of your food are produced and available locally? At what times of the year?

What space can be made available for storage and distribution of emergency food supplies?

How can transportation be made available to transport food rations?

Are there sufficient numbers and types of transportation, vehicles and drivers?

Capacity to Respond

Level of Risk

Populations

most at Risk

Capacity

to Respond

Assessing the potential need for food

What type of food items should be acquired ?

Non-perishables Grains, fats, protein, shelf stable milk, fruits

and vegetables, sugar, iodized salt

During a pandemic, you may be purchasing or gathering donations of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Prevent Waste ! Handle these items carefully and distribute them within a few days.

How much food will we need to acquire?

Determined by: Population size Daily number of calories needed –

2100 average Existing level of food security and

vulnerability Amount of food already present

Nutritional quality of stockpiled food

Protein: 10 to 12 percent of the energy in the diet should be in the form of protein (i.e., 52g to 63g of protein per day).

Fat/oil: At least 17 percent of the energy in the diet should be in the form of fat (i.e., 40g of fat per day).

Micronutrients: Essential micronutrients should also be included, particularly vitamin A (found in vitamin A fortified oil, fortified flour, or fortified sugar) and iodine (found in iodized salt).

Where can we obtain food for emergency distribution?

Donations or by direct purchase local food producers packers distributors wholesalers retail markets

Why would these groups donate food? Overproduction, inventory control,

packaging errors, or changes in product formulas.

The pandemic virus has arrived full force, and there is no surplus food in the community !!!

Immediately contact the department level government and any humanitarian aid or development agency working in the region about possible emergency food distribution.

Spread critical food security messages through risk/crises communication channels

Initiate agreements w/ merchants and food producers

Storing Emergency Food Stocks

Warehouses to receive, store and pre-package donated and purchased food stocks

Temporary distribution centers Schools Churches Community centers Enclosed markets

Considerations for food storage areas

Location should allow for relatively easy distribution

No hazardous substances Cool, dry, and well-ventilated Don’t store food on the ground First in, First out FIFO Provide security for all food storage

spaces and transportation systems

Determining who gets food first

When food is in short supply…

Prioritize !! Classifying Food Security Risk Locations

- where Identifying People Most at Risk of Food

Insecurity- who

Determining when it is time to distribute food rations

If food rations are distributed too early, the community may run out of food before the pandemic wave is over.

If food rations are distributed too late, people may die from starvation, or they may migrate to other areas in search of food.

Determining when it is time to distribute food rations

Remain constantly alert to key indicators Indicator # 1 - Less food is available in

local markets or from local production Indicator #2 Economic systems are

disrupted Indicator #3 Each week more people are

sick or dying from the influenza.

These may happen in any order and may happen all at the same time.

Distributing emergency food rations

How much food should be given to each household?

Calculate an average food ration for one person based on 2,100 calories per person per day.

Multiply the # of people in the HH by the average daily ration.

Pre-package food to last each HH for one week.

Some HH will only need partial rations

Sample Daily Ration

Ingredients Nutritional Value

400g of cereal/grain60g of pulses25 g of oil (Vit. A fortified)50 g of fortified blended foods (Corn Soya Blend) 15g of sugar15g of iodized salt

Energy 2,100 KcalProtein 58 g Fat 43g

Multiply the # of people in each HH by the average daily ration.

Distributing emergency food rations

Distributing emergency food rations

What type of distribution method should be used?

If Social distancing IS NOT in place Existing markets, community centers, NGO

pantries, school or church facilities, or other service groups.

Prepared meals can be provided through shelters for the homeless and abused persons, community soup kitchens, hospitals and senior centers.

If social distancing IS in place

Small-scale, decentralized drop-off points in neighborhoods

HH retrieve their rations on a schedule that avoids lines.

Volunteers deliver rations directly to individual households

Distributing emergency food rations

Attendants must practice all NPIs

Maintaining transparency

Inform the public about emergency food rations Public awareness campaigns Nutrition education Emergency news bulletins Emergency preparedness materials & events Telephone hotlines

Maintaining transparency

Monitoring and reporting make adjustments and changes needed ensure that all those in need are receiving

assistance check if the assistance is being used as

expected verify that people are not forced to resort to

migration in search of food or employment or forced to use negative coping strategies

Thank You