A Bicriteria Mathematical Programming Model for Nutrition Planning in Developing Nations

Mathematical programming models for nutrition planning in developing nations typically involve the optimization of a single criterion function subject to resource and nutritional constraints. The nutritional constraints specify that the amount available of each nutrient for human consumption should meet or exceed some prechosen nutrient requirement level. However, fixed nutrient requirement levels are difficult to prespecify. In this paper, a bicriteria mathematical programming model is proposed which does not require planners to prespecify nutrient requirement levels for several key nutrients. Instead, the model generates an entire set of efficient nutrition plans which supply various amounts of these nutrients. To demonstrate the use and potential benefits of this model, an illustrative application to Colombia, South America is included.