Food Aid: Human Right or Weapon of War?

Abstract

Sarajevo is under siege and the UN agencies are the main suppliers of food aid to the population. Food needs are calculated on theoretical requirements, but the basic ration is not nutritionally adequate for the circumstances. Reports on a nutritional survey, carried out in 1993 which elicited the range of food sources available to the population of the city. These are varied, but domestic stocks range between none and about four weeks′ supply. Access to food sources varies according to an individual′s circumstances. The conditions in Sarajevo have fuelled a growing debate about the adequacy of food aid rations. Gives the food/nutrient composition of the basic ration, the ration actually received, and typical daily intakes. Food is a physical and psychological weapon of war, but to improve conditions in Sarajevo requires political commitment as well as aid.

Citation

McCorkindale, L. (1994), "Food Aid: Human Right or Weapon of War?", British Food Journal, Vol. 96 No. 3, pp. 5-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070709410060754