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Introduction
The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences under
contract from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was charged to study
the sources of data on food consumption and to suggest a system for integ-
rating these data with data on nutrition and health status. The purposes of the
study were to evaluate current means of determining food consumption
patterns and nutritional status and to devise alternative methods for obtain-
ing information on food consumption, food consumption patterns, and nu-
tritional status.
FDA'S interest in this subject is not unique. The White House Conference
on Food, Nutrition and Health (1969) discussed the need for better surveil-
lance data, and the General Accounting Office (1978) has detailed the need
for improved food and nutrition information systems in the United States.
Similarly, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (1977) and the
Office of Technology Assessment (1978) have identified nutrition surveil-
lance as an important priority. The Surgeon General's recent report, Pro-
moting Health, Preventing Disease: Objectives for the Nation (Department
of Health and Human Services, 1980), cites the need for a national nutrition
surveillance system and for integration of various data sets to provide locally
useful information for nutrition planning. While the need for appropriate
systems of measuring food consumption and nutritional status is broadly
recognized, such systems are relatively expensive and must be properly
designed to provide appropriate information on a cost-effective basis.
Reliable data concerning food consumption of individuals are needed for
various reasons. They are important for adequate assessment of the nutri-
tional value of the U.S. food supply, for assessment of the intake of inci-
1
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2
ASSESSING CHANGING FOOD CoNSUMPT~ON PATTERNS
dental contaminants and of currently approved and possible new food addi-
tives, and for development of food fortification policies and nutritional
quality standards for food products.
Regulators of the safety and nutritional efficacy of the food supply are
concerned with linkages between food consumption patterns* and health.
Changes in the world's economy and changes in food costs and availability,
including the introduction of new products, may have a marked effect on
food consumption patterns of individuals and population groups. An ability
to forecast the possible influences of these changes upon nutrient intake and
on the population's health and productivity would allow formulation of
sound policies and programs with respect to food fortification, consumer
education, nutrition and food intervention, and the like. In the final analysis,
the requirements for appropriate food consumption data relate to health
promotion and prevention of adverse health responses in the population.
The primary uses for which FDA and other agencies may require data on
food consumption patterns linked to nutrition and health are summarized in
the following list. This summary, while not exhaustive, does illustrate those
purposes the Committee considered while developing this report.
Nutritional Considerations
· to identify foods that are the primary contributors of key nutrients in
the diet for various groups
· to identify size and nature of populations whose health is at risk due to
inadequate or excessive consumption of a nutrient
· to obtain more extensive and valid data on the potential relationships
of food consumption patterns to nutritional and health status
· to identify foods most appropriate for use in supplying specific nutri-
ents in fortification programs for populations at risk
· to measure the effectiveness of food fortification programs in reduc-
ing the size of the populations at risk
2. Toxicological Considerations
· to identify the primary patterns of use of foods and food components
in the diets of a population
· to identify extreme or unusual patterns of intake of foods or food
ingredients including additives
· to identify size and nature of populations at risk from use of certain
foods or food products
· to determine amount and/or number of food items in which a food
additive may be permitted
*"Food consumption patterns" as used in this document refer to combinations of foods that
constitute an individual's usual dietary intake, which includes daily and longer cyclical varia-
tions.
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Introduction
3
· to determine the need to modify regulations in response to changes in
food consumption
· to determine intake of incidental contaminants and food additives
3. Historical and/or Secular Trends
· to evaluate the past history of food consumption patterns of popula-
tions, particularly as related to economic, technological, or other factors
· to predict changes in food consumption patterns as they may be influ-
enced by economic, technological, or other developments
Representative terms from entire chapter:
consumption patterns
