Abstract
We know from past experience that nutritional status can be improved by improving practices without the use of processed food. The question should be: Can food alone, in the absence of improved practices, improve nutritional status outside a rehabilitative, structured feeding situation? Projects discussed in this paper demonstrate that there can be biological impacts from improved practices. Helping families use their own resources better is an important first step, not a last step, in programme development. The lessons that have been learned over the years for improving young child feeding are as follows: science is not enough; knowledge is not enough; the focus should be on improving practices; mothers are not a homogeneous group; and the solution is seldom singular. Processed complementary food is really a small piece of a larger picture that needs to be thought about strategically on the basis of practices and the barriers to improving them. It is important to work with governments to help them formulate and think through the options that present themselves to improve the nutritional intake of young children. Rather than using a zoom lens, which often magnifies the food component, we need to use a panoramic lens to see other options when helping countries.