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The questionnaires about nutrition expose the fact that there are households that shelter some malnourished individuals, despite the similarities between the structure of the house and the income level. Most causes have been credited to this occurrence, like differences in demand for time, food preferences, purchasing power, social networks, kin, and so forth. All of these aspects will impact the household as far as its capacity to get food is concerned, but they do not clarify what happens to the consumables when it gets to the house.

However, the knowledge about the various ways of food distribution within the house could give answers as to who gets the most benefits, and to what degree these advantages are. Similar to the limited knowledge about the allocation of food in the house, there is also limited info on how the food campaigns could impact this. But then, food campaigns that concentrate on the residential area are created with particular objectives in mind. Being familiar with the variance in intra-household food allocation practices can provide closure to the reason for the desired result to not be achieved. Information about these intra-household food allocation processes can help in the planning and efficient implementation of future campaigns.

Any person who is studying this must keep in mind that not all the food in the house that is eaten may be distributed using the same system. The staple food (in the case of the Philippines, it is rice) may be abundant, so it will be easier to dispense in any method, while other foods that are nutrient-dense should be distributed with more care. There are societies where a lopsided meat share may go to the breadwinner, while fruits or dairy items are normally fed to the children.

Another normal food distribution pattern involves all the members of one household will eat a single formal meal together for one day, with cooked food distributed in a specific manner, but most of the time the people in the house eat whatever food is available.



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