Investigating the nutritional quality of charitable ready meals for people experiencing food insecurity-An Australian case study.

Abstract

Aim: To analyse the nutritional quality of ready meals produced by a food relief charity in Melbourne, Victoria, to identify areas of nutritional strength and opportunities for improvement.

Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were collected over 30 consecutive cooking days in January-February, May-June, and October-November 2023. Chefs used pre-specified, standardised forms to collect data such as raw ingredients and cooked weights. Data collected were entered into FoodWorks 10 for analysis. Average nutrient content and number of food group serves per meal were reported. Six criteria were used to assess nutritional quality, for noncommunicable disease prevention: contains ≥1 serve (i.e., ≥75 g) non-starchy vegetables per meal, does not contain processed meats, used wholegrains, sodium <700 mg/meal, sugar <15 g/100 g, and unsaturated: saturated fat ratio ≥2:1.

Results: Ninety meal batches were collected and analysed per single meal serving. All meals contained ≥1 serve of non-starchy vegetables and <15 g of sugar/100 g. Two out of 90 meals contained processed meats (i.e., sausages), and only one meal used wholegrains. Half of all meals met the <700 mg sodium/meal criteria, with the meals containing a mean (SD) 794 mg (378.5) of sodium. Most meals (62%) did not meet the ≥2:1 unsaturated: saturated fat ratio.

Conclusions: Meals contained adequate non-starchy vegetable content, were low in sugar, and had minimal use of processed meats. Improvements could be made to their wholegrain, sodium, and fat content. Improving the nutritional quality of charitable meals could significantly improve recipients' health, without detracting from the call for policy action on food insecurity.