5.2.3 Ration/identification cards
- Issue ration or identification cards to each household. Cards should:
- be pre-numbered sequentially
- contain some form of identification such as a photograph, a physical description or fingerprints to discourage forgery
- be of durable paper or plastic or digital identification chips
- indicate the name of the card holder, usually the head of household
- indicate the household size or number of individuals who depend on the card holder for their ration
- break down household members by age groups
- contain an address, e.g. village, camp sector
- provide spaces to indicate distributions received
- have a stated expiry date
- include accountability information, such as how to make a complaint.
- Consider issuing identification cards to female heads of households, especially for food commodity distributions, as this acknowledges women’s predominant role as guardians of the household goods in many cultures.
- Keep blank ration cards in the office safe and inventory periodically to prevent unauthorised issuance (see Annex 19.8 Ration card format).
- If identity cards are not feasible, issue tokens, books or tickets. For instructions on distribution systems using tokens see Annex 19.9, and section 12.1.1.
