' > ratner than consume a large portion of it himself. Second, the acceptance of rood offered is also a very important part of the culture, and therefore it would be very difficult for an individual to isolate his food gathering and consumption patterns from those of the society at large. This latter point is espe- cially true for foods which have limited availability, such as, breadfruit, pump«in, papaya, bananas, potatoes and during certain times, pandanus and fish. Coconuts and jekaru on the other hand can be gathered in significant quantities at all times. It is therefore much more likely that a maximum (a totally local) diet would be based on them. If it is assumed that Tables 4A and 4B represent the maximum amount of local foods consumed, and that whatever imported food is eaten will have a tendency to displace proportionate amounts of local foods, then in principle a “typical average" diet could be established. This could be done by s. tracting the caloric content of imported food from the total calories of local food consumed per year as shown on the maximum table, and then converting the difference to gram welghts using calorie to gram conversion factors for the local foods. By using this method, one can derive the typical amount of local food that could be expected to be consumed in addition to the imported food eaten. Taole 5 derives this diet pattern and also presents the averages for the differenc age groups and sexes. In summary the results of the study establish maximum estimates of the consumption of local foods, based on the amount of local food that an islander liv- ing a traditional life and a totally local diet could consume. These estimates could be further refined by the use of calorie conversion factors specific to the Marshall Islanders and specific to the local food they consume. With refer- ence to the contemporary diet or "typical average" we are continuing our study in two ways. One is by the utilization of the interview method in an attempt to determine the full range of local food consumption in combination with studies of food wasting and food sharing. A second is by the determination of the quantity of imported food consumed in these same communities. In other words, we are suggesting a double approach which would attempt to determine the contemporary diet from opposite directions. This could produce either two corresponding figures or more likely, two reliable figures between which the contemporary or "typical average'' diet of the islanders in the community in question would lie. 1 ®@