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OCR for page 165
PROBLE1~:S OF FOOD SUPPLY, FOOD HABITS, AND
NUTRITION IN CHINA*
FEBRUARY ~ I, 1943
At this conference several papers were given on the present food prob-
len~s in China, the existing plans for meeting food shortages in other coun-
tries after the war, and the ways in which these plans might be adapted in
order to give the most effective help possible to China.
Mr. Owen Dawson, Agricultural Attache, State Department, discussed the
Chinese food supply. At the present time, due to floods, famines, and dis-
tribution problems, outstanding shortages are one million tons each of wheat
and rice and 300,000 tons of soy beans. These shortages are not distributed
evenly over the whole country, however, and compared with pre-war sup-
plies, which showed some deficiencies also, there is relatively sufficient food
in Free China. The difficulties there are primarily problems of distribution
which caused the famines in four areas during the past year. There has been
some difficulty in collecting enough food for the army and civilian employees.
In Occupied China there are great deficiencies due to poor crops and floods,
and in addition there is very little organization to meet the problems of
collecting, marketing, storage, and distribution in particular. There is little
possibility of sending food to China now, but when it can be sent in they
will need quantities of wheat, wheat products, soy beans, and rice, and small
quantities of dairy products, meats, marine products, and a few concentrated
vitamin supplements.
Dr. Gwei-Djen Lu, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia Uni-
versity, discussed the particular problems of each of the three parts of China,
starting with the informatioin collected before the war. The West, or Free
China, used to be a rice-eating region, but because of the influx of people
from many other parts of the country now is a region with mixed food habits.
There have been only occasional reports of nutritional conditions from Free
China recently, but according to the impression of various medical men
there were no serious food deficiencies. It is the most fertile country in China.
In the north, wheat and maize are the staple foods. Millet and kaoliang
(sorghum) are also used. Soy bean products are being used throughout the
country. There has been much deficiency in Vitamin D and calcium and some
proteins. Past findings were that there was severe Vitamin B and B. de-
ficiency in the south, evidenced by chronic and acute beriberi. In addition
there were also mild deficiencies in Vitamin A, B complex, and C, although
southerners did not get rickets, probably because of the sunshine. There
have been several reports since ~937 on Vitamin C deficiency in every part
of China.
* See minutes of Conference of Committee on Food Habits' February IT2 1943, under
same title.
165
OCR for page 166
I66
The Problem of Changing Food Habits
After Ugly, the data obtained from a nation-wide survey of food made by
the Extension Division of the Agriculture Department in Ranking was used
to calculate the Vitamin B. intake. The results of the study showed that
beriberi was prevalent in the south where the B. intake was below Ho I.U.
daily, but did not occur in the north where Vitamin B. intake was over this
amount from their staple food, rice or wheat. The acute form of the disease
beriberi is precipitated also by the climate in the south. People in this area
lose the water soluble vitamins from the body more quickly during the hot
days.
One of the greatest difficulties in getting sufficient Vitamin B into the
diet in the south is that the people cannot eat whole rice. It takes three times
as long to cook, does not taste good, causes discomfort, and is incompletely
utilized. Grinding is one way to overcome some disadvantages but adults
always use rice in grain form. However, a ground rice paste with the ~rita-
mins preserved by fractional sterilization, and prepared by adding the juice
front cooked greens, was developed for babies who will eat it if they have
known nothing else. When a baby is four months old, egg yolk is added to
furnish more nutrients, and in some cases cod liver oil, a few drops daily,
is supplemented.
An experimental attempt to feed boys coming into the factories from the
country districts showed that an adequate diet could be furnished even on the
extremely meager money allowance. Rice was the mainstay, and if milled
without washing it would contain enough Vitamin B. but had to be used
immediately to prevent deterioration. Other food requirements were sup-
plied by providing vegetables, either sprouted or pickled, and proteins from
meat, fish, or eggs.
Dr. Lu's suggested solution of the rice problem is that the whole rice with
the husk be stored, and partially milled only very shortly' before needed.
This would mean that all the large feeding places, particularly those con-
trolled by the army, government, schools, and factories, would have to be
organized with this plan well understood.
The afternoon session of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of the
present plans in this country for emergency and long-term feeding, and the
possible usefulness of such foods to the Chinese. Dr. Lu thought that the
Chinese would be glad to eat the emergency ration * which is being developed,
except for the cheese which not over no% would enjoy. She suggested that
certain foodstuffs needed in Europe not be sent to eastern Asia, where the
people could use other foods. Cocoa, for example, would be preferred by
the Europeans. Among the products which will be needed in (China are rice,
wheat, peanuts, soy beans, butter, milk or other animal proteins; e.g., eggs
and fish products, which will help to correct the serious Vitamin A and-other
deficiencies. Vitamin A deficiency occurs at present and even in normal
times in almost all areas of the country. Of these needed products, the
rice supply in this country is very low at present, while fish meal is used
only for fertilizers and the process of making it has not been sufficiently per
* See report of the Liaison Session of the Committee on Food Habits, January 23, ~943,
"Feeding liberated countries and nutrition education," for description of rations.
OCR for page 167
Food Sup ply, Food Habits, and Nutrition in China ~67
fected to furnish it for human consumption. Dr. Lu suggested that soy beans
and peanuts be shipped separately because the Chinese have hundreds of
uses for them which would not be possible if they were combined. She
thought the best way to meet the egg shortage would be to send laying hens
for developing the poultry and egg industry. If eggs are not exported after
the war from the large producing centers in Occupied China, there may be
plenty for home consumption.
Other substitute foods were considered. Bone meal, made from the bone
marrow, is used in some combinations in China, and might be a food which
would be accumulated in this country as most bone at present goes into animal
food or fertilizer. Although millet has better vitamin content than wheat
it was not considered a good alternate. There is not a great deal of it and its
use is limited.
There was some debate over whether wheat should be sent as flour, which
would be easier than sending it as grain, and as what kind of flour. Since
white flour has been sent into parts of China after other famines, it has higher
prestige and a better flavor to the people, so that those who have had it prefer
no other kind. There is danger that the white flour habit might be fastened
upon the Chinese. Enriched flour is hardly the solution because Chinese
methods of cooking wheat flour noodles involve discarding the liquid in which
they were boiled. Suggestions for meeting this problem were that data on the
percentage of people eating wheat should be collected (as is being done) and
that the acceptability of whole wheat might be determined by trying it with
Chinese groups in this country.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
soy beans
