ANALYSIS OF DATA

For this section of the project, results from the diet problem were on one hand very nutritious but also nontypical of a regular Caribbean diet. The consumption of flour, rice, and pasta are seen as everyday staples but there were less than two occurrences of these items on the list. A weeklong meal plan is 7 days, therefore for 2 or less days out of 7 days there is no common staple. The frequent occurrence of food items like breadfruit, broccoli and cauliflower can act as a replacement for regular staples like bread but consumer adoption of such a change to their diet may not be well liked. the food items themselves are not new to Caribbean cooking but compared to what a lot of Trinbagonians east on a daily basis, some of the food items on the list may not be frequently eaten. Foods like Caraille (vegetable), which people find bitter, and smoked eel which is not considered typical for most people, are very high in nutrients and for those willing to try the meal plan, they can be certain they will get their full daily recommended intakes. 

Some common trends were observed in the food combinations. there is a high prevalence of fish and chicken, which makes sense as farmed fish and chicken tend to be quite affordable and the Feed Conversion Ratio for both are higher than other meat sources like pork and beef. 

There is also a high recurrence of sunflower oil and fish oil, which can be due to their high nutrient density. The amounts (in grams) recommended for consumption are small however so people can easily integrate them into dishes. 

A key point to the table obtained is that most of the food items are from imports. This means that the local produce placed in the program were not cost competitive compared to imported goods. This can be due to economies of scale along with enhanced manufacturing capabilities used by countries with large agricultural sectors. In the short term this can be seen as a negative due to cost being a big factor for consumers to purchase goods but in the medium to long term this can be changed. using these food combinations we can identify which crops are consumed in the greatest quantities, then check to see if they are suitable for new or (pre-existing) increased local production. By growing theses crops locally there can be great cost savings and new employment opportunities. This is providing the agricultural sector is willing to improve their technology to increase cost competitiveness with other countries. We may not have the same production capabilities but if we can produce enough to obtain food security, then we would have some reassurance if global issues caused more food price volatility and this paper would have achieved its objective.

Food item	Total Import costs (Jan – Apr)/ TT$	Savings based on 50% local production increase/ TT$
Frozen chicken	36,761,530.95	18,380,765.48
Dried split peas	3,740,039.87	1,870,019.94
Canned sweet corn	3,896,457.64	1,948,228.82
Fresh potatoes	26,137,888.49	13,068,944.25
Cauliflower	803,901.04	401,950.52

Food item	Imported food prices (2020)/ per 100g	Local food prices (2021)/ per 100g
Orange	0.29	1.63
Pineapple	1.95	0.84
Sweet peppers	1.20	2.10
Squash	1.26	0.99
Tomatoes	0.82	2.15
Lettuce	1.09	2.36
Carrots	1.76	0.96
Pigeon peas	0.60	2.16

A survey is to be made testing out how appetizing the proposed meal plan is and what changes consumers would make to improve it. Limited changes to suit personal preference allows for grater acceptance of the meal plan but will cost individuals more as cost was already considered with the linear program.