Cost of the Diet: a method and software to calculate the lowest cost of meeting recommended intakes of energy and nutrients from local foods

BMC Nutrition
Amy DeptfordAndrew Hall

Abstract

When food is available, the main obstacle to access is usually economic: people may not be able to afford a nutritious diet, even if they know what foods to eat. The Cost of the Diet method and software was developed to apply linear programming to better understand the extent to which poverty may affect people's ability to meet their nutritional specifications. This paper describes the principles of the method; the mathematics underlying the linear programming; the parameters and assumptions on which the calculations are based; and then illustrates the output of the software using examples taken from assessments. The software contains five databases: the energy and nutrient content of foods; the energy and nutrient specifications of individuals; predefined groups of individuals in typical households; the portion sizes of foods; and currency conversion factors. Data are collected during a market survey to calculate the average cost of foods per 100 g while focus group discussions are used to assess local dietary habits and preferences. These data are presented to a linear programming solver within the software which selects the least expensive combination of local foods for four standard diets that meet specifications for: energ...Continue Reading

References

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Feb 6, 2014·Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health·Laurel BaroshLilian Chan
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Apr 23, 2015·Food and Nutrition Bulletin·Irene Stuart Torrié De CarvalhoAndreas Håkansson

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Citations

Jan 1, 2018·American Journal of Agricultural Economics·William A MastersJennifer C Coates
Sep 22, 2018·Advances in Nutrition·Rozenn GazanNicole Darmon
Dec 22, 2020·Maternal & Child Nutrition·Masum Ali, Md Ruhul Amin
Dec 29, 2020·Food and Nutrition Bulletin·Adam DrewnowskiStefanie Vandevijvere
Sep 4, 2021·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition·Saskia de PeeMartin W Bloem

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Software Mentioned

SQLite
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Windows XP
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