Global Hand recommends The Sphere Project’s Minimum Standards (these specify the minimum levels to be attained in each area), where applicable to food and beverages. This document examines the relevant Sphere Project Standards.

The following is designed to be read in light of Principles, and Cross-referential Issues.

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1.1 Food or beverages

Global Hand recommends The Sphere Project’s Minimum Standards (these specify the minimum levels to be attained in each area), where applicable to food and beverages.

Member comments:
“The comments on food in emergency situations are great, but implementation and local “enforcement” could conceivably be done by a subcontractor to our in-country partner. Thus, [our organisation] would have little direct control other than “prestige” in ensuring that best practices are followed."

1.1.1.“The nutritional needs of the population are met.”

General nutrition support standard 1: all groups, page 137 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Each standard is accompanied by key indicators (these are ‘signals’ that show whether the standard has been attained). Here, these include:

• “Levels of moderate and severe malnutrition are stable at, or declining to, acceptable levels.”
• “There are no cases of scurvy, pellagra or beri-beri or riboflavin deficiency.”
• “There is access to a range of foods – staple (cereal or tuber), pulses (or animal products) and fat sources–that meet nutritional requirements.”

Member comments:
One Global Hand (GH) member suggested that the GH standards document is not only a set of best practices for gifts-in-kind (GIK) groups, but also addresses non-GIK issues, over which Global Hand members may have little control.

For example, the member said that the standards on food in disasters (1.1.1. – 1.1.7) could conceivably be done by a partner “in the field”. In such situations, a GH member would have little direct input in ensuring that best practices are followed. To overcome this issue, it was suggested that Global Hand could edit and compress the individual standards into a single document, and leave each member organisation to apply the indicators to their programs, as appropriate, with the exception of GIK-specific activities, which could retain the indicators.

1.1.2.“Food distributed is of appropriate quality and is fit for human consumption.
Food is stored, prepared and consumed in a safe and appropriate manner at both household and community levels.”

Food aid planning standard 3: food quality and safety, page 160 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Key indicators include:

• “There are no adverse health effects resulting from inappropriate food handling or preparation at any distribution site.”
• “All imported packaged food has a minimum six-month shelf life on arrival in the country and is distributed before the expiry date or well within the‘best before’period.”
• “Storage conditions are adequate and appropriate, stores are properly managed and routine checks on food quality are carried out in all locations.”
• “Where food is distributed in cooked form, staff have received training in safe storage, handling of commodities and the preparation of food and understand the potential health hazards caused by improper practices.”

1.1.3. The food items provided are appropriate and acceptable to recipients and can be used efficiently at the household level.

Food aid planning standard 2: appropriateness and acceptability, page 158 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Key indicators include:

• “People are consulted during assessment or programme design on the acceptability, familiarity and appropriateness of food items, and results are factored into programme decisions on the choice of commodities.”
• “When an unfamiliar food is distributed, instructions on its preparation in a locally palatable manner, with minimum nutrient loss, are provided to women and other people who prepare food, preferably in the local language.”
• “People have access to culturally important items, including condiments.”

Member comments:
One member suggested that this document is not only a set of best practices for gifts-in-kind (GIK) groups, but also addresses non-GIK issues, over which Global Hand members may have little control.

Section 1.1.3 in the 2000 edition of the Sphere handbook described food as being acceptable to the"entire population". Global Hand members would have had difficulty ensuring that this is implemented. For example, if food is not suitable for 1% of the affected population, then the organisation is not following this standard. It was suggested that rather than"entire population", perhaps the standard should refer to"a significant portion of the population", or"the population at large".

Global Hand additional comment:

The Sphere standards have since been revised (October 2003), and the word “entire” has been removed from this section.

Member comments: One of the key indicators in section 1.1.3 requires that “People are consulted on the acceptability and appropriateness of the foods being distributed and results are fed into programme decisions.”

One Global Hand member commented that involving local input in determining needs is valuable. However, they also pointed out that language and expectations can make this difficult, especially, they have found, when recipients expect that emergency relief items will be of a higher standard than they owned previously. For example, people in a rural part of Honduras who had no electricity before hurricane Mitch, received electricity as part of emergency relief work. However, if another quake hits and those people want their destroyed 12"black and white TVs upgraded to 32" colour, this GH member would not consider such a request appropriate, even if locals are in favour of it.

1.1.4.“The nutritional and support needs of identified at-risk groups are met. Humanitarian assistance or services are provided equitably and impartially, based on the vulnerability and needs of individuals or groups affected by disaster.”

General nutrition support standard 2: at-risk groups, page 140 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Key indicators include:

• “Targeting mechanisms are agreed among the affected population (including representatives of vulnerable groups) and other appropriate actors. Targeting criteria are clearly defined and widely disseminated.”
• “Distribution systems are monitored to ensure that targeting criteria are respected and that timely corrective action is taken when necessary.”

1.1.5.“All people have safe and equitable access to a sufficient quantity of water for drinking, cooking and personal and domestic hygiene. Public water points are sufficiently close to households to enable use of the minimum water requirement.”

Water supply standard 1: access and water quantity, page 63 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Key indicators include:* “Average water use for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene in any household is at least 15 litres per person per day.”

1.1.6.“Water is palatable, and of sufficient quality to be drunk and used for personal and domestic hygiene without causing significant risk to health.”

Water supply standard 2: water quality, page 66 Sphere Handbook 2004 Revised Edition

Key indicators include:

• “For piped water supplies, or for all water supplies at times of risk or presence of diarrhoea epidemic, water is treated with a disinfectant so that there is a free chlorine residual at the tap of 0.5mg per litre and turbidity is below 5 NTU.”

See the Sphere Project for further detail.

Global Hand recommends InterAction’s PVO Standards (InterAction), where applicable to food and beverages.

1.1.7.“Members involved in the provision of food aid shall be guided and informed by the ‘Representative Food Aid Standards’ promulgated by Food Aid Management.”

Program Standard 7.6.3: Material Assistance, InterAction’s PVO Standards

See InterAction’s PVO Standards for further detail.