Foodcounting: the costs-benefits of nutrition

The consumer costs of foodstuffs are set down primarily in the retail price-lists of food-sellers and there are a series of variables when considering the check-out prices of fundamental foods:

• Which named variety?

• Organic or non-organic?

• Fresh, frozen, canned or dried?

• Low cost or luxury brand?

• Point-of-sale or doorstep delivery?

And there are further variables in relation to depreciation in nutritional value:

• method of packaging?

• eaten raw or cooked?

• method of cooking?

• method of storage?

• period of storage?

And final cost factors in relation to measureable extra costs

• cost of energy to cook or store

• cost of wastage and throw-aways

And for those who wish to include an environmental-count, there are the carbon footprint calculations which are beginning to appear in food-seller labelling.

All of these are counted variable which will be factored in to our proposition on the Foodcounts Mobile Phone Food Diary