Better prepared next time: considering nutrition in an emergency response

To the Editor: Cyclones, floods and bushfires are experienced in Australia every year, and Australia’s management of natural disasters centres on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.1 Although access to safe food is a basic human need, during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods there was minimal information available to guide household food preparedness and food supply to communities.2 To ensure that Queensland is better prepared for future natural disasters, the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry recommended the development of consistent community education programs.2 Following the floods, a local food security resource kit3 was developed; however, there were no statewide resources. In 2011, we were members of a multidisciplinary working group — the Food Requirements in Disasters Working Group — that was established by Queensland Health to provide advice on food requirements in disasters for households and community organisations.

There is little international literature on food recommendations in disasters that is specific to high-income countries. Existing Australian resources did not consider nutritional requirements for infants, children and adults, did not provide sufficient advice for appropriate food purchasing in the event of no access to power or water and/or were no longer publicly available.4,5 Twenty-six principles and nutritional criteria (Box) — covering food safety, practical considerations and nutrient requirements — guided the development of recommendations on food requirements during disasters for infants, children and adults.

Five online fact sheets (available at http://www.health.qld.gov.au/disaster/html/prepare-event.asp) outlining the food and equipment required to sustain two people for 7 days (Emergency pantry list for Queensland households) and to support both breastfed and formula-fed infants for 3 days (including Food for infants in emergencies and Preparing ready-to-use infant formula in an emergency) were developed. The recommended types and quantities of foods align with the Australian dietary guidelines and Infant feeding guidelines (available at http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au). To facilitate purchasing choices, tips and examples of product sizes based on items available in major supermarkets are included.

Credible, easily accessible information is essential to ensure households have the capacity to prepare for and respond to disaster situations, to prevent panic buying and food shortages, and to minimise any negative impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals affected by disaster. Queenslanders now have access to a suite of resources to help them stay safe and healthy during natural disasters and severe weather conditions.