A typical food ration in Colombia includes oil, rice, beans and flour. (Photo: Jorge Gamboa/WFP)

You've found the disaster survivors, counted them, and figured out what they need. The next step is to create a nutritious diet for them that will keep them healthy.

After a disaster, victims often do not have the means to cook food. In emergency situations like these, WFP officials rush to provide them with high-energy biscuits before other food supplies arrive.

"They are basically cookies," says Maggie Carrington of the WFP, which provided food aid to more than 110 million people in 80 countries in 2004. "They have all the vitamins and minerals you need to stay alive."

The biscuits aren't enough, so while they're rushed to survivors, the WFP prepares rations, or meals. The standard ration consists of basic foods: cereal, beans or peas, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, and a blend of wheat/maize and soy flour. The cost of each meal is about 30 cents.

"It's not fancy," says Carrington. "Our food keeps people alive. There are no fruits, vegetables, or meat. It has to be food that can be transported, that won't spoil."

Survivors can use a combination of ingredients to make a variety of meals. One popular dish is a mixture of the soy blend and sugar. Cooked in oil, it tastes like a doughnut.

Each 500-gram ration has 2,100 calories, which is the equivalent of the average daily energy requirement of an active adult. It also has as many calories as a large hamburger, French fries, and a milk shake.

While their menu is limited, the WFP is careful to take into consideration the local diet in affected areas. In Asia, the agency provides disaster victims with rice. In many African countries, they serve millet, a popular local grain.

"We try to have culturally appropriate food," says Carrington. "The women need to know how to prepare the food, and the children need to be able to eat it. We try to make sure that it's what they are used to."

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Food Force Mission 2: Energy Pacs
Getting food aid quickly to an emergency hunger zone is critical, but so is understanding what kind of food aid is necessary. It's all about nutrition.

Enter Joe Zaki, the Food Force nutritional expert. He'll talk you through the essential types of food that WFP supplies in emergency situations. It's then your challenge to find the right combination of these food items (rice, beans, vegetable oil, sugar, and iodised salt) to create a nutritious and balanced diet—all at a target cost of 30 cents per person per meal. Download Food Force.