What we eat in America food categories and changes between survey cycles

Abstract Detailed analysis of food and beverage consumption of the U.S. population is limited, yet critical for developing food guidance programs and for dietary surveillance. The What We Eat in America (WWEIA) Food Categories, intended for use with data from WWEIA, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), allow foods and beverages consumed to be summarized by food category. A new version is produced with each 2-year release cycle of WWEIA, NHANES and FNDDS. The objective of this project is to present the WWEIA Food Categories and describe how updates to FNDDS affect the WWEIA Food Categories and potential analysis between survey cycles. The WWEIA Food Categories arrange all foods and beverages reported in WWEIA into 150+ unique categories, each with a 4-digit number and description. Each FNDDS food code is linked to a category. Beginning with 2011–2012 and continuing through 2013–2014, updates to FNDDS focus on increasing the variety of food and beverage codes. A new version of the WWEIA Food Categories plus a summary of changes is available on the Food Surveys Research Group website and can readily be used by other researchers.