In the majority of countries, the cost of public health strategies to prevent diseases, such as malnutrition, is a very small percentage of the total expenditure on health. The cost of disease- related malnutrition is very substantial, even based on the most conservative estimates. There is currently no data available for Ireland on the extent of malnutrition in free living older people and only limited data on malnutrition in care settings. Before any prevention strategies can be developed, it is essential that such data are gathered, collated and analysed, to underpin and galvanize these strategies.