While the details of Eat Right While the Money Tight were not carried in yesterday's Gleaner, the public should not have a problem accessing its information, as it will be distributed islandwide free.

And tips from the CAC that were carried in yesterday's story do advocate a healthy serving of health awareness.

However, while we congratulate the CAC on the publication of this guide, we do take issue with the target group. And we must immediately make it clear that we are not criticising the CAC, but the general mindset in our society which has created the focus of Eat Right While the Money Tight.

Speaking at Wednesday's launch of the nutritional guide, held at the CAC's Seaview Avenue headquarters, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, said:

"As is often the case, the ones who are more seriously affected in financially trying times such as these are those persons in the lower-income category, who are very often unable to meet their daily dietary needs."

So the intended reader and beneficiary of the guide is the lower-income earner (a category that may just include quite a few people who may not think of themselves as such, what with the recession and rising prices). However, if the meal plan will work for the persons who do not have a significantly high (or maybe even significant) income, providing them with ample nutrition, then it should work just as well for those who enjoy higher earnings.

nutritional requirements

We may have managed to differentiate among ourselves based on skin shade and hair texture, address and political allegiance, but a human body remains just that, hence the nutritional requirements are roughly the same (save for extreme cases, of course, such as top-level athletes or those living with various maladies).

It is obvious, then, that Eat Right While the Money Tight is applicable across the society and should be accessed by all regardless of economic standing. And even as we say this, we know that it will not, as the level of literal consumption is as much an indicator of social standing as income.

Certainly, we do not expect everybody to eat the same type and quantity of meals, but if followed even in part, we are sure the CAC's nutritional guide provides a tightening of the budget (and maybe even the belt to adjust to healthy weight loss) that we can all do with.

recession's effect

And we suspect that while the recession's effect on Jamaica was inevitable, reduced consumption in the first place would have gone a far way in mitigating the effects on specific individuals and the nation as a whole.

There is also something to chew over in these recessionary times. If the CAC's 'Eat Right' is adequate While the Money Tight', when the financial constraints ease somewhat (and the US and Canada are seeing a glimmer of hope), then it should do just as well.

And, frankly, the same goes for many of the cutbacks we have made to ride out the recession.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.