The MECS programme focuses on an alternative strategy to the enduring problem of biomass-based cooking. It calls for a greater focus on modern energy as the source of clean cooking, and has evidenced that cooking
with modern energy using energy-efficient appliances can be cost effective, particularly for urban communities.

To date the programme has focused on household energy consumption. As at February 2020, the programme added research workstreams on energy for institutional cooking, for cooking energy in humanitarian contexts, and proposed that the household work should extend its remit to consider the changing habits of eating.