Book Description

Abstract: Meal planning and food shopping guidance for making the most of the money spent on food is presented in this U.S. Department of Agriculture publication. A series of self-contained units that can be combined with supplementary materials and/or activities in classroom or workshop settings is presented. The first step in reducing the amount of money spent on food involves taking stock of individual needs, including estimating how much spend for food; assessing family food needs, preferences, and eating patterns; and evaluating available time and skills. Components of food purchasing plan development and implementation include menu planning, shopping lists, decisions on where and when to shop, and supermarket shopping aids (i.e. open dating, unit pricing, computer-assisted checkout). Suggestions are provided for deciding on appropriate amount of foods to purchase and cutting and comparing food costs in each of the following groups: vegetables and fruits, breads and cereals, milk and milk products, meat and meat alternates, and fats, sweets, and alcohol. Solutions are provided to a number of common problems related to food waste and spoilage. Guidelines are given for evaluating the success of the food purchase plan. A series of tables compares the cost of simple servings of canned, dried, fresh, and frozen formsof selected vegetables and fruits. Additional features include 1) a daily food guide, 2) sample menus following a selected meal pattern, 3) a chart showing how long perishable foods keep with proper handling and storage, and 4) tables that demonstrate food yields, cost comparisons, and costs per serving of selected items. (aje).