Food convenience and desirability are personal factors within the food environments that influence people’s food acquisition and consumption. Their understanding can contribute to addressing malnutrition.

During the field research undertaken in October and November 2022, almost 400 people were interviewed in the districts of Moamba, Ribaue and Buzi either on convenience or desirability aspects, based on two different types of questionnaires. After a pre-test in Moamba, the methodologies and questionnaires based on proven international methodologies have been adapted to better fit the context of rural areas in Mozambique.

The questions related to convenience included aspects such as gender roles and time spent on food purchase and meal preparation, decision factors and amount of money spent on food purchase, as well as the frequency of consumption of convenience and fortified foods in the diet of local consumers. In addition, the desirability assessment survey included questions on the type of food purchased in different food markets and stalls, the quality and constraints of produce and food choice factors.

In March 2023, further field research to deepen some of the findings will take place and a Living Lab to discuss the adapted concepts and methodologies with specialists on food security and nutrition will take place in Maputo.

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