FOOD

LESSON II

COST AND ADULTERA TIONS

Within recent years there has been much good ground for dis-
cussing the high cost of living, since it is necessary for the man earning
a small wage to carefully consider every cent he earns, in order to
provide house and home for his wife and family where they may be
provided with food, clothing, education and a reasonable amount of
the pleasures and comforts which go to make a happy home and
build the nation.

Since the women generally manage the purchasing of foods and
manage the household, it is their duty to study all phases of these
problems in order to utilize to the best advantage the sum of money,
whether small or great, which is allotted for home purposes.

The following outline may serve as a guide to deal with these
problems in the home with a view to solving the high cost of living.

Cost of Food

1. Consideration of income as to high-priced foods.
2. Retail prices. |
3. Possibility of purchasing staple foods in large quantity.
4. Amount of income to be spent on foods.
5. Comparison of price paid, and the food value obtained.
6. Season of year and effect on prices.
7. Knowledge of preparation of foods by different methods.
8. Low-priced foods and cost of preparation. Use of fireless
cooker to reduce cost of fuel.
9. Palatability.
10. Selection for fuel or body-building purposes.
11. Actual cost per pound depends on the food materials contained

in the food and the indispensable use in the body.

High-priced foods may be the only way of obtaining the necessary
materials.

Food depends on efficiency to meet the demands of the body.
It is necessary, therefore, to know the composition of ‘foods, and to
exercise wisdom and common sense in buying to “ reduce the cost of
living and diminish the risk of lowered efficiency through wrong
nutrition.”