history of meals for millions, soy, and freedom from ... - SoyInfo Center

exist for such a book about this very interesting and
important man.
Contents: List of tables (4 tables). 1. Introduction. 2.
Multi-Purpose Food and the origins of the Meals for
Millions Foundation. 3. Meals for Millions: Constitutional
development and internal structure. 4. Conflict and
cooperation within the United States. 5. HMF and the
United States government. 6. Meals for Millions and the
United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF]. 7. Meals for
Millions overseas. 8. New leadership and new policies. 9.
Conclusion. Bibliography.
Introduction: This is a study of an international nongovernmental
organization (NGO). Although there are
thousands of NGOs that operate internationally, they have
captured the attention of only relatively few scholars.
“NGO’s represent the ‘unofficial side of world affairs’ in
counter-distinction to the official government side reflected
by such intergovernmental organizations (IGO’s as the
United Nations, the Organization of American States, and
the European Economic Community).” The United Nations
and its specialized agencies have, since 1945, concluded a
host of “consultative agreements” (as provided in Article 71
of the UN charter); the United Nations has concluded such
agreements with 297 NGO’s, UNICEF with 57, FAO with
40, and WHO with 46.
Lyman C. White, in his book on “International Non-
Governmental Organizations:... (1951, p. 10), observes that
they are frequently “pioneers–the first to recognize a need,
the first to do something about it, either in study and
research or in a program of action.”
“In brief, MFM is a small non-profit organization
founded to provide famine relief and to promote a scientific
approach to the prevention of starvation. The Foundation
pursues its first objective by distributing an American
produced, low-cost, soybean protein food, Multi-Purpose
Food (MPF), in countries whose people suffer from chronic
malnutrition or undernourishment... MFM works toward its
second and infinitely more difficult goal by attempting to
stimulate the formulation and production of MPF or MPFtype
foods in foreign countries” (p. 3-4).
Walter H. Pawley of FAO’s Freedom from Hunger
Campaign wrote in 1963, “up to half the population of the
world continues to suffer from under-nutrition and
malnutrition in varying degrees” (p. 4).
“MFM’s efforts to combat starvation fit into the much
broader struggle by the majority of the worlds population to
secure a decent standard of living.”
“Two research considerations also made Meals for
Millions an attractive subject for a study of an NGO. First...
[it] has numerous contacts with the representatives of
governmental, non-governmental, and intergovernmental
organizations as well as citizens of over one hundred
countries... Secondly, the officers of Meals for Millions
agreed to make available all their records and
MEALS FOR MILLIONS, SOY, AND FREEDOM FROM HUNGER 81
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correspondence including that of a confidential nature. This
commitment, which was more than fulfilled during the
summer of 1962, permitted the writer to review the
multitudinous correspondence, reports, transcripts and notes
of interviews,... and financial records kept of file at the Los
Angeles headquarters of the Foundation. Key officers of the
Foundation including its president, one of its vice
presidents, its research director, its executive director, its codirector
and secretary plus important members of the staff
made themselves available for at least one and frequently
more interviews. The writer was also permitted to observe
the day-to-day operations of the headquarters office, attend
staff meetings, listen to an executive council session, and
become fairly well-acquainted with the ‘tone’ of the
Foundation” (p. 6).
Chapter 2, “Multi-Purpose Food and the origins of the
Meals for Millions Foundation, begins (p. 8): “Meals for
Millions Foundation was incorporated in the State of
California on 5 July 1946 because the aspirations of its
President, Clifford E. Clinton, became linked to the
existence of the vegetable protein food supplement, Multi-
Purpose Food.” There follows the story of Mr. Clinton’s life
and work.
When he moved to Los Angeles to establish a
restaurant, he “decided to apply a principle of ‘practical
Christianity’ and never to refuse a meal to a person who
could not pay for it. Since the [Great] depression was
beginning to gain momentum, there were many residents of
Los Angeles who fitted into this category. Indeed, during
the first sixty days of business Clinton’s restaurant served
nearly 10,000 who could not pay for their food. This
number far exceeded that of paying customers and
obviously presented a challenge to Clinton’s ideal.
However, Clinton believed that if the ideal were valid then
there had to be a way of achieving it. Working on this
assumption, Clinton went to the various concerns that
supplied his restaurant and asked them to sell their food to
him at cost. The food suppliers, who had plenty of food but
no buyers, agreed to Mr. Clinton’s request. Many of them,
in fact, exceeded their initial promise by giving Clinton
quantities of food they could not sell. Clinton then set up a
basement cafeteria where each item of food could be
purchased for one cent. Volunteers helped serve the food,
the local musicians’ union supplied an orchestra of
unemployed musicians free of charge to provide
entertainment, and artists donated their talents to decorate
the cafeteria. Next he sold tickets for a penny a piece to
regular paying customers who when asked for a meal by
someone on the street would give them a few tickets with
directions... to Clifton’s cafeteria. Mr. Clinton continued this
system of relief throughout most of World War II” (p. 8-9).
“With the entry of the United States into World War II,
Clinton [now age 42] set aside plans for expansion in order
to enlist in the army. But he soon received an honorable