Consumption Of Food (1946)

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:17]Food and people.

[00:00:20]Food produced by people.

[00:00:24]Food transported and distributed by people through retail and wholesale markets.

[00:00:33]Food consumed by people everywhere.

[00:00:37]Food for play and work.

[00:00:40]For growth.

[00:00:42]For healthy and happy living.

[00:00:47]Food to meet the needs of man.

[00:00:50]First of all, foods to meet the constant need for energy.

[00:00:57]We can measure in calories the energy requirements for people of various ages and in various occupations.

[00:01:07]But foods must provide more than calories.

[00:01:12]Experiments with animals show that an adequate daily supply of proteins, minerals and vitamins is also needed to ensure normal growth, development and body functioning.

[00:01:27]Whenever one or more of these food elements is lacking, vitamin A, for example, disease is likely to develop.

[00:01:38]It is easy to recognize malnutrition in times of famine.

[00:01:44]But malnutrition caused by lack of one or more food essentials is often hidden and is revealed only by careful examination and chemical tests.

[00:02:01]To prevent malnutrition, adequate amounts of five food elements are necessary.

[00:02:07]Carbohydrates, principally starches and sugars, fats, proteins, and vitamins and minerals.

[00:02:16]We need a variety since a combination of most of the needed elements is found in only a few foods, such as milk.

[00:02:25]For the world's population as a whole, the food consumed each day should furnish energy equal to 2,800 calories per person.

[00:02:36]For the United States as a whole, consumption is above this amount.

[00:02:43]And in Europe, consumption is almost up to it.

[00:02:48]But, in Asia, normal consumption is far below the level necessary for healthy living.

[00:02:56]We must remember, however, that great variation exists within each of these areas.

[00:03:04]The calories in an adequate diet must come from a variety of sources.

[00:03:09]From 1/3 to 1/2 the calories should come from the cereals and potatoes, depending upon the cost and availability of foods.

[00:03:18]To ensure a balanced diet, the remaining calories should come from fruits and vegetables, sugar and syrups, fats and oils, milk and milk products, and from lean meat and eggs. A variety of foods is essential to a good diet.

[00:03:39]In the United States, a variety of foods is available.

[00:03:43]Foods rich in calories, foods rich in minerals, foods rich in vitamins, foods rich in proteins.

[00:03:56]Americans can enjoy a varied diet.

[00:04:00]Nearly every day, the average American family eats milk and meat, vegetables and fruits.

[00:04:14]But how does the American diet compare with the adequate diet?

[00:04:21]About 1/3 of the total calories come from cereals and potatoes.

[00:04:26]The remaining 2/3 are obtained from other foods.

[00:04:35]Notice the large proportion of calories that come from animal products, fats, milk, meat, and eggs. We see here that food consumption appears adequate.

[00:04:45]But we must remember that the diets of many people in the United States can be greatly improved.

[00:04:54]In Southern Europe, the principal foods are wheat, corn, and fruit.

[00:05:00]The chief foods of Northern Europe are potatoes, rye, wheat, and dairy products.

[00:05:07]Throughout Europe, some meats are consumed.

[00:05:13]Breads and other cereal products, potatoes, and vegetables are typical European foods.

[00:05:21]Generally, foods are more limited in variety than in the United States.

[00:05:27]Although European countries differ greatly in their diets, European people, taken as a whole, obtain more than half their calories from cereals and potatoes.

[00:05:39]Less than half the calories come from foods rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins.

[00:05:50]Again, by comparison, it is evident that many European diets are inadequate.

[00:05:59]In Asia, rice is the major food.

[00:06:03]Rice is produced in the warm, moist regions where most Orientals live.

[00:06:08]Other important foods are millet and vegetables of various kinds. Poultry is fairly common and fish is widely used.

[00:06:18]But, the Oriental meal usually contains only limited amounts of the protection foods, proteins, vitamins and minerals, and it generally lacks sufficient calories to meet basic energy needs.

[00:06:33]On the average, the people of Asia obtain more than 4/5 of their calories from cereals and potatoes.

[00:06:41]The protective foods provide less than 1/5 of their calories.

[00:06:48]When we compare this with an adequate, balanced diet and with the average diet in the United States and Europe, it is clear that the average Asiatic diet is seriously inadequate.

[00:07:06]However, the problem of adequate diets for all is worldwide.

[00:07:11]In the United States and Canada, probably 1/3 of the people have poor diets. In Latin America, probably 2/3 of the people lack adequate food.

[00:07:20]In Europe, about 1/2 are undernourished.

[00:07:24]In Asia, more than 3/4 suffer from food deficiencies.

[00:07:32]1/3 in the United States and Canada, 2/3 in Latin America, 1/2 in Europe, 3/4 in Asia are poorly fed.

[00:07:46]In studying the worldwide problem of more and better food for all, we must consider a number of factors.

[00:07:56]First, the growth of population.

[00:07:59]Between 1740 and 1840, the world population doubled.

[00:08:06]Again, between 1840 and 1940, the population more than doubled.

[00:08:13]The food problem has been intensified, not only by this phenomenal growth, but also by the unequal distribution of the world's population. While only 1/7 live in the whole of the Western Hemisphere, Southeastern Asia alone supports about 1/2.

[00:08:32]There is unequal distribution also of the amount of land under cultivation.

[00:08:36][clears throat] This varies from 3 acres per person in the United States and Canada to about 1/2 an acre per person in Asia.

[00:08:51]This problem can be relieved to some extent by bringing more land under cultivation through irrigation, clearing, and draining.

[00:09:05]The productivity of the land can be increased by crop rotation, by the use of fertilizers, and by the control of pests and diseases.

[00:09:19]Income, ability to buy, is another basic factor in this world problem.

[00:09:27]The spread of industrialization, however, can help to raise incomes and buying power everywhere.

[00:09:35]Complex problems in the distribution of foods must also be solved if increases in production and income are to be effective.

[00:09:50]Finally, long-established food habits often determine what people eat.

[00:09:56]Frequently, this handicaps the development of better diets.

[00:10:02]But, a better understanding of nutrition can change food habits and influence attitudes.

[00:10:09]Both habits and attitudes are factors in the world's food problem.

[00:10:16]In order to meet the food needs of the world's population, we must cope with the problems of production and distribution.

[00:10:26]It is possible to provide adequate food for all, but only if we see the problem and do something about it.