The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, spawned a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the rim of the Indian Ocean. Particularly hard-hit were the countries of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Over 180,000 people were killed, tens of thousands more were injured and over one million were made homeless.

The world is down to its lowest grain stocks for decades, and food prices are way up around the world. There are riots over the price of basic foods in Mexico and India, and in Jakarta, Indonesia. Low-income Americans are also feeling the pinch. Global warming? David Kagan, author of Sunstroke, wrote about food riots in the book Doomwatch Legacy.

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Poor people often skimp on food to have money for things they value. In Udaipur, India, the poor spend five % of their income on alcohol and tobacco, 10 % on religious festivals, and almost 10 % on "sugar, salt, and other processed foods. They're poor partly because of spending patterns. Is it possible to help them become un-poor?

The major religions of India also influence the diet. Buddhist, Hindus, and Jains are against killing of any animal. Muslims don't eat pork. Many Indians are vegetarians (people who don't eat meat, only fruits and vegetables), but most Indians don't eat beef, especially from the sacred cow.

In a wonderful step towards including the population at the lower strata of the income, the government of India has announced new a service which will allow them to receive SMS alerts for the food distribution.