Factors affecting meal planning

Factors affect meal planning which are as follows:

1.  Economic factor: The amount and the kind of food for a family depend on its income. With the decrease in income percentage, expenditure food increases and hence more careful efforts are required to plan meals. S
2. Season: Meals should be in accordance to the season. With the change in season, availabi­lity of foodstuffs and our taste also change. In summers, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, pumpkin, tinder, bitter gourd, etc., are in abundance whereas carrots, radish, tomato, peas, cauliflower, etc., in winters. Seasonal foods are also more like able as well as nutritious.
3. Food availability: Availability of food also affects the meal planning. A housewife should make maximum use of locally produced foodstuffs because they are cheap, tasty and compatible with the cli­mate. For example, sea food is easily available and cheap in coastal areas so it is the staple food of the people living there.
4. Availability of time, energy and labor saving devices: Meal planning is greatly affected by availability of time, energy and labour saving devices with the housewife. This is important in those cases where the housewife i also working.