Why is it "...jídla málo." in this sentence and not "...málo jídla." ?
It's only emphasizing "málo" by placing it last. Otherwise "...málo jídla" is the more neutral word order.
Out of curiosity, in Czech does "jíla málo" (in this sentence) indicate 'a little food' as in 'some food' or does it mean 'not much food'?
'a little food' - trochu jídla
"málo jídla" - not enough(not much ) food