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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Docs » DMR - Food Categories
  • What are WWEIA
    Food Categories?
  • How are they
    to be used?
  • Files
     

The What We Eat in America (WWEIA) Food Categories provide an application to analyze foods and beverages as consumed in the American diet. Each of the food and beverage items that can be reported in WWEIA, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey are placed in one of the mutually exclusive food categories. This is done by linking each food code contained in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) to one WWEIA category. The focus of this categorization system is on grouping similar foods and beverages together based on usage and nutrient content.

  • This classification scheme includes approximately 170 unique categories.
  • Each category is assigned a 4-digit number and description.
  • Each FNDDS food code is linked to a unique category.
  • Categories contain discrete food items - no disaggregation into ingredients; e.g., pizza vs. grain, cheese, tomatoes, etc.

List of WWEIA Food Categories 2021-2023

  • WWEIA Food Categories are intended for use with dietary intake data from What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS).
  • A new version of the WWEIA Food Categories is produced for each release of WWEIA, NHANES and FNDDS.
  • The categories are designed to be flexible and can easily be regrouped into smaller or larger food groupings as needed to address specific research questions.
  • The WWEIA Food Categories are used to produce data tables summarizing food and beverage intakes of the U.S. population.
  • 2021-2023
  • 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic
  • 2017-2018
  • 2015-2016
  • 2013-2014
  • 2011-2012
  • 2009-2010
  • 2007-2008

WWEIA Food Categories August 2021-August 2023

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories August 2021-August 2023 (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories 2021-2023

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2024. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2021-2023. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic

WWEIA Food Categories for use with 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic data

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2022. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2017 - March 2020 Prepandemic. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2017-2018

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories 2017-2018 (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories 2017-2018

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2020. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2017-2018. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2015-2016

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2018. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2015-2016. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2013-2014

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2016. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2013-2014. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2011-2012

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2015. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2011-2012. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2009-2010

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2013. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg

WWEIA Food Categories 2007-2008

For each food category

  • 4-digit category number and name
  • number of times reported in WWEIA
  • number of FNDDS codes in category

FNDDS codes linked to WWEIA Food Categories (Excel file)

For each FNDDS code

  • food category number and name
  • frequency on Day 1 and Day 2

List of WWEIA Food Categories

Changes in WWEIA Food Categories between survey cycles

Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2013. What We Eat in America Food Categories 2007-2008. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg