The present paper is a study of food consumption related to income and balanced diet as variables in a sample of the population of Iguape, State of São Paulo, Brazil. A theoretical "Standard Diet" was established respecting nutritional recommendations, feeding habits and local food availability. In order to know the possibility the families under study, would have of buying food which would make up the "Standard Diet" five levels of income were established based on the proportion of the annual family income that should be alloted to expenditure with food. The data revealed that the overall average "per capita" consumption was satisfactory regarding calories and proteins but unsatisfactory regardind vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavine, vitamin C and calcium. However, analyses of data, when related to the income levels showed that calorie intake was unsatisfactory in the lower ones. Considering families whose income permitted an adequate calorie intake, 10 per cent had an inadequate calorie intake and 20 per cent inadequate protein intake.
Food consumption; Family income; Diet; Calorie consumption; Protein consumption
