{"id":17898,"date":"2018-02-07T07:44:56","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T12:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/?page_id=17898"},"modified":"2025-08-25T12:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:28:21","slug":"4313e","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/4313e\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin #4313 Thrifty Food Plan Survivor Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Food for ME: Citizen Action for Community Food Recovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Kathy Savoie, MS, RD, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Associate Professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu<\/a>.<\/strong>
Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thrifty Food Plan Survivor Challenge (TFPSC) is a simulation exercise that immerses learners in a “real-life” situation to plan a week\u2019s worth of meals in accordance with dietary standards and economical confines for the Thrifty Food Plan.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"grocery<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

According to the USDA Economic Research Service\u2019s \u201cHousehold Food Security in the United States in 2015,\u201d Maine is the 9th<\/sup> most food insecure state in the country, the most food insecure state in New England, and has the third highest rate of very low food security in the United States. Given these realities, a need exists to prepare people to work with food insecure audiences. One strategy includes exposing people to simulations. Simulations are a type of interactive educational exercise that promotes experiential learning as learners live through a “real-life” situation. Simulations are an effective learning method that impacts retention of knowledge and attitude change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thrifty Food Plan Survivor Challenge Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research has shown that many people don\u2019t understand the issues faced by those who are food insecure because they had never experienced poverty. Completing the Thrifty Food Plan Survivor Challenge (TFPSC) can sensitize people for work with food insecure populations by exposing them to the reality of living on a limited food budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The TFPSC is a simulation exercise that immerses learners in a “real-life” situation to plan, shop and prepare a week\u2019s worth of meals and snacks according to the Thrifty Food Plan Market Basket Standards while remaining below the Cost of Food at Home economical confines for the Thrifty Food Plan. The TFPSC couples economic confines with the added challenge of meeting dietary standards. For example, a learner completing the assignment in January 2018 would need to create a weekly plan including meals and snacks for less than $37.80 that also meets the Low-Cost Food Plan market basket quantities of food purchased for a week found in USDA\u2019s Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal Cost Food Plans, 2007. The Low-Cost Food Plan outlines the volume of food needed within twenty-nine food sub-groups to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans by gender and age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While completing the challenge, learners are encouraged to adopt \u2018real-life\u2019 situations of food insecure populations. The reality of meeting food needs with limited transportation to sources of food, limited access to food supplies and limited resources to store and prepare food present different obstacles for learners to overcome while also learning more about food access instead of traditional means for purchasing foods (food pantries, soup kitchens, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thrifty Food Plan Survivor Challenge<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. Read the following report:<\/strong> Thrifty Food Plan, 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Complete the assignment<\/strong> outlined below to determine if you can \u201csurvive\u201d the challenge of planning a week\u2019s worth of meals at or below the Thrifty Food Plan cost. You can take one of two approaches to complete this assignment: 1. Price foods then prepare a menu or 2. Plan a menu then price foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Go to the store<\/strong> and price out the quantities of food for your sex\/age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Fill out Table 1<\/strong> using the Thrifty Food Plan standards for your age and sex (page ES-7, ES-8 and pages 23-24 of The Thrifty Food Plan, 2006). Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Group<\/strong><\/th>Food<\/strong><\/th>Standard<\/strong><\/th>Amt. bought<\/strong><\/th>Unit price<\/strong><\/th>Price<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Other veg.<\/td>Corn
Celery
Onion<\/td>		2.01lb<\/td>1.00
.50
.51<\/td>		.30
.50
.33<\/td>		.30
.25
.17<\/td><\/tr>
Breakfast cereals, cooked and ready to eat<\/td>Grape Nuts<\/td>.18lb<\/td>.18<\/td>2.40<\/td>.43<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5.  Add the prices<\/strong> for the cost per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Compare your cost<\/strong> to the Cost of Food at Home<\/a> sheet. For an individual in a 1 person family, add 20% to the cost for an individual on the chart. (i.e., multiply by 1.2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Design a breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack<\/strong> with the food you have \u201cbought.\u201d Do not report the entire recipe, but do list all the ingredients. Report only quantities to feed 1 person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example: <\/strong><\/em>Eggplant Parmesan — \u00bc eggplant, 2 T breadcrumbs, \u00bc cup ricotta cheese, \u00bc cup tomato sauce, 3 T oil, 1 egg, 1\/8 cup milk.
Note:<\/em><\/strong> All the ingredients need to be \u201cbought\u201d the same week. AND this day\u2019s meals and snack need to be well-balanced according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exception<\/em><\/strong>: You can assume that the following staples are in you home pantry: herbs and spices, salt, pepper, baking powder and baking soda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Record all cost<\/strong> for your actual food intake for 1 full week. Do not record all supermarket purchases such as shampoo, etc., but only food costs. Include all food and drink eaten away from home. If you share food with others in your household, record all household costs, then divide by the number of people in your household, and add on your personal away-from home costs. Do not include your list of food costs, but use it to answer a question listed in #9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Answer the following questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n