Costing a sustainable, basic 7-day menu : a tool for policymakers and educators to help ensure adequacy in dietary intake

Abstract

Background: Caritas Malta is a not-for-profit organisation which strives to eradicate poverty and promote a decent quality of life for the most vulnerable. Ensuring an accessible, appropriate, nutritious diet is 1 of its activities. Objective: : A study was conducted by Caritas Malta in 2019-20 to establish A Minimum Essential Budget for a Decent Living (MEBDL), covering basic necessities for low income households. This included the amount required for food. The goals were to offer evidence for food security policy development, and to produce a tool for counselling on food budgeting and meal planning. Study Design, Settings, Participants: Three 7-day menus were created based on the Maltese national dietary guidelines, incorporating traditional dishes, whilst taking into account contemporary lifestyles. The menus included 3 meals and 2 snacks daily and met the nutritional needs of 3 configurations of low-income households (2 adults and 2 children, 1 adult and 2 children, 2 elderly persons). Feedback on the menus was obtained from representatives of these target households during 1-to-1 or focus group interviews