| Summary: | Prices of a market basket of 149 foods that could be combined to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were surveyed in 29 stores in an eight parish area of Southeast (SE) Louisiana. Two-week cycle menus and recipes were planned to meet the 2005 DGA in a culturally acceptable way. Linear Programming (LP) analysis was also performed on the market basket to determine the cost-minimizing combination of foods that will sufficiently meet the 2005 DGA. The study used dietary recommendations for a reference family of four: a 40 year old male, 40 year old female, 9 year old female and 7 year old male.
The maximum Food Stamp (FS) benefit for a family of four is $471/month, and the average FS benefit for a family of four is $326/month. The cost of the 2-week menus was $615.89, $144.89 higher than the maximum, and $289.89 higher than the average FS benefit for a family of four. The cost of the LP market basket was $325.50, $145.50 lower than the maximum, and $0.50 lower than the average FS benefit for a family of four. The LP market basket was characterized by a limited variety of foods that will be difficult to organize into menus. The high cost of the two-week menus compared to the cost of the LP Market basket is probably due to their increased amount of dietary variety and consumer acceptability.
FS recipients in SE Louisiana may not be able to afford to follow the 2005 DGA recommendations.
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