Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #402951

Research Project: The Role of Dietary and Lifestyle Factors on Nutrition and Related Health Status Using Large-Scale Survey Data

Location: Food Surveys Research Group

Title: Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2019-2020: An application database for national dietary surveillance

Author
item Rhodes, Donna
item MORTON, SUZANNE - American Society For Nutrition
item Myrowitz, Rebecca
item Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/18/2023
Publication Date: 7/21/2023
Citation: Rhodes, D.G., Morton, S., Myrowitz, R., Moshfegh, A.J. 2023. Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2019-2020: An application database for national dietary surveillance. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105547.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105547

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is an application database created for analyzing dietary intakes from What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. FNDDS 2019-2020, the 10th version released contains 5,624 food codes and their descriptions. Values for 65 nutrients are included for each item, as well as weights for common portions. Most nutrient values are derived from USDA’s FoodData Central and newer analytical data from Foundation Foods are incorporated. Changes to the recipe calculation process generate nutrient profiles that represent a variety of items. Both the baby-toddler foods and ready-to-eat cereals categories were updated for FNDDS 2019-2020 to have generic food codes and recipe calculations which represent a variety of commercial products versus prior FNDDS versions which contained food codes for very specific products matched to the exact same Standard Reference codes. The FNDDS is available in multiple formats for download. All are publicly available at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is an application database created for analyzing dietary intakes from What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It contains data to convert foods and their amounts reported into gram amounts and determine their nutrient values. The FNDDS 2019-2020 contains 5,624 food/beverage codes and 22,710 portion weights. Every FNDDS code contains a complete nutrient data set for 65 nutrients. The source for most nutrient values is USDA FoodData Central (FDC), however, some nutrient values were adjusted for inclusion in FNDDS. To enhance the transparency of the database, the source of every individual nutrient value is provided as well as derivation code and year of modification or sample acquisition. For this release of FNDDS, specific categories of foods/beverages were updated to yield standardization of codes, descriptions, weights, and nutrient profiles. The continued focus is on more generic codes that reflect likely products as consumed. The FNDDS is integral to monitoring dietary intake of the U.S. population. In addition, this application database allows for new research analyses and provides additional detail on database development and nutrient profiles for foods and beverages. The complete FNDDS 2019-2020 is publicly available at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg in multiple formats.