The purpose of a rapid nutrition assessment is to:

- establish that a nutritional emergency or the risk of a nutritional emergency exists;

- identify the main causes of the emergency, estimate its severity and geographical extent;

- assess its likely evolution and impact on health and nutritional state;

- identify the areas and the socioeconomic groups most affected or at risk;

- assess existing response capacity and identify the most effective measures to prevent or minimize the nutritional emergency; and

- establish or expand existing surveillance, so that the effectiveness of measures taken can be monitored over time.