EVALUATION OF CORN - SOY - MILK

THE MAJOR OUTPUT OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE A REPORT WHICH, IN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE TERMS, DISCUSSES THE ACCEPTABILITY OF BLENDED FOODS, THE FACTORSINFLUENCING THEIR ACCEPTABILITY, AND THE PROSPECTS FOR THEIRFURTHER USE IN NUTRITION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS. PROJECT PLANS INCLUDE INTERVIEWS WITH PROGRAM OFFICIALS; ALSO WITH LDC RECIPIENTS IN VARIOUS FOOD STAPLE AREAS, PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION AREAS AND GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS. INTERVIEWS WITH AND GOVT OFFICIALS WILL BE INFORMAL. A MORE INFORMAL TECHNIQUE WITH QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE USED FOR BOTH DISTRIBUTORS AND RECIPIENTS. THE INTERVIEWS WILL SEEK ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1) WHERE HAVE BLENDED FOODS BEEN DISTRIBUTED AND UNDER WHAT TYPE OF PROGRAMS, E.G., SCHOOL FEEDING, FOOD FOR WORK, MATERNAL-CHILD WELFARE CENTERS? 2) HOW WERE THEY PREPARED AND CONSUMED? 3) HOW ACCEPTABLE WERE THEY? WHAT WERE FOUND TO BE THE MOST DESIRABLE AND UNDESIRABLE QUALITIES OF THE PRODUCT? 4) ARE THE RECIPIENTS AWARE OF THE COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF THE FOOD? WOULD THEY PURCHASE IT IF IT WERE AVAILABLE TO THEM IN THE LOCAL MARKET? 5) IS THE PRESENT DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ESTABLISHING THEBLENDED FOOD IDEA AMONG THE RECIPIENTS? THE EVALUATION WILLFOCUS ON CSM BUT WHERE TRIAL SHIPMENTS OF WHEAT-SOYA BLEND (WSM) ARE IN USE, THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE TWO FOODS MIGHT BECOMPARED. BRAZIL, INDIA AND THE PHILIPPINES HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THE EVALUATION WITH CARE, INC AS CONTRACTOR FOR INDIA. LOCAL CONTRACTORS WILL CONDUCT INTERVIEWS; TABULATE, PROCESS, ANALYZE, AMD REPORT THE DATA, EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF INDIA WHERE THE LOCAL CONTRACTOR WILL ONLY CONDUCT INTERVIEWS. BRAZIL WAS SELECTED AS A CORN-CONSUMING CULTURE; BUT ALSO CASSAVA-CONSUMING; INDIA IS THE LARGEST RECIPIENT OF BLENDED FOODS, AND IN VARIOUS PARTS OF INDIA, RICE, WHEAT, CORN, COARSE GRAINS, AND CASSAVA ARE CONSUMED. THE PHILOPPINES REPRESENTS A RICE CULTURE. BENEFICIARIES WILL BE LDC POLICY MAKERS