A study of the literature dealing with past and present food and nutrition problems in Indonesia reveals that the problems remain serious. The major nutrition problems are: (1) Protein-Calorie Malnutrition; (2) Vitamin A Deficiency; (3) Nutritional Anemia; and (4) Goitre. These nutrition problems afflict people of all ages, males and females. However, malnutrition is most evident in preschool children, pregnant women and low income workers. It is apparent that the underlying causes are complex, except in the case of goitre. Food production and supply per capita are inadequate and vary greatly among regions. The First Five-Year Development Plan ("Pelita-I"), 1969-1974, succeeded in increasing rice production but it neglected other food commodities, such as corn, which is an essential part of the diet of rural people in Central and East Java. Rice policy mainly benefitted the farmers of larger properties, a fact which is reflected in the farmers' food consumption patterns. Among the more than 1,000 households (from 30 villages in Indonesia) studied, 74 percent were calorie deficient and 51 percent deficient in both calories and protein. There were also substantial variations in the consumption patterns among different economic regions and classes of people with the poor being worst off. Customs regarding inequitable food distribution within families aggravate this situation. Intervention should begin with programs to alleviate goitre and vitamin A deficiency. (Author/RH)