Gwyneth Paltrow fails poverty test

Gwyneth Paltrow was mocked on social media for her low-calorie menu choices. Photo / FilmMagic

Gwyneth Paltrow has admitted she failed in an attempt to feed herself and her family for a week on US$29 ($37.80).

When she accepted the challenge recently, the Oscar-winning actress turned lifestyle guru was ridiculed on social media for her low-calorie choices which included seven limes and a bunch of coriander.

This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store—what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week. pic.twitter.com/OZMPA3nxij

— Gwyneth Paltrow (@GwynethPaltrow) April 9, 2015

She has conceded the food didn't last and she only made it to four days before tucking into a bag of licorice.

Paltrow, 42, took up the challenge posed by celebrity chef Mario Batali to raise awareness and money for the New York City Food Bank.

The amount of US$29 a week was picked because that's how much families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme receive.

Writing on her Goop blog the actress gave herself a C- for her effort.

She said: "As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice).

"My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days - a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year."

She added: "I know hunger doesn't always touch us all directly, but it does touch us all indirectly. After this week, I'm even more grateful I'm able to provide high-quality food for my kids. Let's all do what we can to make this a basic human right, not a privilege."

The week after her failed attempt Paltrow was photographed at an US$85 a head dinner at a Los Angeles restaurant.