The aim of this publication is to provide the interested reader with an authoritative and comprehensive up-to-date bibliography on all important facets of the world food problem, encompassing such questions as the availability of natural reseources, the present and future sources of energy, environmental quality, population growth, world malnutrition, the state of food production, food consumption patterns, future food needs, toxicological aspects of food, agricultural and industrial aspects of food production, and family planning. It is the first compilation of its kind in that it covers the subject from a multidisciplinary point of view, including publications that deal with teh description and alaysis of the world food problem as well as those that offer alternative strategies adn specific technological meaures for alleviating the problem.

For the past thirteen years, symposia have been held either in South America or in Mexico on subjects of special interest to Latin American scientists. When the opportunity of holding the 14th International Biological Symposium in Guate mala was offered, it was most welcome, especially as the occasion was the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). With the encouragement of members of the Ford Foundation staff and the National Academy of Sciences, the idea for a symposium on the broad approach to the problem of nutrition was developed by Dr. Moises Behar, the second director of INCAP, 1961-1974, Dr. Nevin Scrimshaw, fIrst director of INCAP, 1949-1961, and members of the INCAP staff. Because the availability of food has become a serious international problem, a discussion of the underlying problems was most timely. INCAP, one of the pioneer and leading institutions in the area of nutrition, has a profound influence on nutrition in Latin America. The meeting was attended by about 300 scientists from more than 20 countries. Because this was the fIrst symposium in this series to be held in Central America, it provided an opportunity to get acquainted with scientists from many of the Central American republics. It was especially rewarding that so many students from the Central American universities attended this meeting.