FOOD CONSUMPTION, NUTRITION, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIAN COUNTRIES.

In the postwar years numerous controversies have raged over the adequacy of the levels of food consumption in underdeveloped areas. Usually, the food issue appears to be discussed from the standpoint of health; in this paper, we ask whether food consumption is adequate for work purposes, as distinct from problems of health. In brief, our answer is that for the majority of working Asians, food intake is probably less than optimal from the economic viewpoint. In the concluding sections, the implications for economic development analysis are delineated. The first portions of the paper will evaluate the various qualitative findings of food consumption and concepts of requirements, after which a hypothesis designed to interpret the data will be presented. The discussion will focus on calorie intake which largely determines the output of energy in human physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]