Food Ingredients

The team from Kids Against Hunger, Cargill, Pillsbury, General Mills, and Archer Daniels Midland successfully developed a food mixture comprised of fortified soybean, essential vitamins & minerals, vegetables, and rice. Our food packet can reverse the starvation process, help restore health, and improve a child's mental and physical alertness.

  • Multiple Servings Per Packet: One packet provides a child with six one-cup servings.
  • Protein Rich: Each packet contains six 11 gram servings of protein.
  • Vitamin & Mineral Fortified: Each serving contains 21 essential vitamins & minerals for a growing body.
  • Global Acceptance: Rice, a globally recognized staple, is used as the base.
  • Simple & Safe to Prepare: Boil packet contents in water for twenty minutes.
  • Keeps Well: Unopened packet has a shelf-life of three years

Our volunteers pack these four ingredients into each Kids Against Hunger packet. Each of these ingredients serves a very important purpose in helping children recover from malnutrition and saving them from a painful and prolonged death by starvation.

Nutritional Information

Nutrient What it Does Deficiencies Cause
ProteinGrowth & repair of the body; helps transport nutrients throughout the body; helps body fight infection; regulates fluid in the body; is a source of protein; and all enzymes are proteins (enzymes perform many body functions).Kwashiorkor - severe growth retardation, loss of hair color, wounds do not heal, anemia, weakness, increased risk of infection, and can result in death.

Marasmus - same as Kwashiorkor systems & muscle wasting, weakened heart, and impaired brain development
Fats Source of energy & energy stores; forms the major component of cell walls; nourishes skin & hair; insulates the body from heat & cold; and cushions the main organs of the body.Weakness, rough skin, brittle hair, and intolerance to heat & cold.
Carbohydrates Provide the body with energy to perform all it's functions. The brain & nervous system prefer carbohydrates for energy over protein and fats.Weakness, fatigue, confusion, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
Fiber Replaces calories from fat; gives a feeling of fullness; decreases the risk of colon cancer; may decrease cholesterol levels; and may improve blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of glucose (sugar).Can lead to appendicitis, arteriosclerosis (a type of heart disease), colon cancer, constipation, and diabetes (high blood sugar).
Vitamin A Helps in vision; growth & repair of the body; improves immunity; and helps decrease the risk of cancer.Night blindness, rough skin, increased risk of infection, impaired bone & body growth, abnormal tooth & jaw alignment, eye problems that can lead to blindness.
Vitamin C Helps in wound healing; maintains bone & teeth; strengthens blood vessels; improves immunity; and helps the body absorb iron.Scurvy-  bleeding gums, tooth loss, and even death. Anemia, arteriosclerosis (clogged blood vessels) depression, increased infections, muscle degeneration, rough skin, weakened bones, and poor wound healing.
Vitamin D Bone & tooth formation; helps body absorb & use calcium & phosphorous that aids in bone formation.Rickets - Soft bones, abnormal growth, joint pain, and badly formed teeth.
Thiamin Helps in the release of energy from food; supports a normal appetite; supports nervous system functions.Beriberi - extreme loss of muscle tissue, swelling all over the body, enlargement of heart, irregular heart rate, & paralysis. Also can cause mental confusion, weakness, & impaired growth.
Riboflavin Helps in the release of energy from food; promotes healthy skin and normal vision.Vision problems, skin disorders around the nose and mouth.
Vitamin B6 Helps in the release of energy from food; promotes healthy skin, nerves, and the digestive system.Nervous disorders, skin rashes, muscle weakness, anemia, seizures, and kidney stones.
Vitamin B12 Needed for protein & fat metabolism; helps in the formation of antibodies to fight infection and the formation of red blood cells.Anemia, smooth tongue, fatigue, and nerve degeneration that can lead to paralysis.
Niacin Maintains nerve cells; helps in red blood cell production; and helps in the production of genetic material.Pellagra- skin rash on the body where exposed to the sun, loss of appetite, dizziness, weakness, irritability, fatigue, confusion, and indigestion.
Folate Helps in red blood cell formation, protein metabolism, and new cell division. Helps in the formation of the nervous system of developing fetuses.Anemia, heartburn, diarrhea, smooth tongue, depression, and poor growth.
Biotin Helps in energy metabolism, fat production, and storage of a form of sugar (glycogen) that is stored in the liver.Loss of appetite, nausea, depression, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, and skin rash.
Iron Helps in the formation of hemoglobin (enables red blood cells to carry oxygen) and helps the body use energy from food.Anemia, weakness, headaches, increased risk of infections, and inability to concentrate.
Calcium Strengthens bones & teeth; helps muscles work; and helps blood clot, nerves to function, and in blood pressure function.Stunted growth, tooth decay, and bone loss in adults.
Phosphorus Part of every cell in the body and helps maintain acid balance of the body.Unknown
Magnesium Helps in bone formation, protein use by the body, enzyme action, muscle activity, and in nerve function.Weakness, confusion, decreased function of the pancreas, growth failure, and muscle spasms.
Zinc Part of many enzymes, present in the hormone insulin; helps in the production of proteins, boosts immunity; helps transport Vitamin A in the body; helps in would healing, taste, and normal fetal development.Growth failure, delayed development, loss of taste, and poor wound healing.
Iodine Helps in thyroid function and regulation of metabolism.Cretinism - severe physical and mental retardation, Goiter development.
Copper Helps with iron absorption, and is part of several enzymes.Anemia and bone changes.