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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421223
Research Project: Improved National Dietary Assessment and the Relationship of Dietary Intake to the Environmental Impact of Foods and Beverages

Location: Food Surveys Research Group

Title: Leveraging USDA databases to estimate population intakes of foods that are commonly consumed individually and in multi-component foods: The case of cheese

Author
item Sebastian, Rhonda
item GOLDMAN, JOSEPH - Retired ARS Employee
item Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2025
Publication Date: 3/1/2025
Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Goldman, J.D., Moshfegh, A.J. 2025. Leveraging USDA databases to estimate population intakes of foods that are commonly consumed individually and in multi-component foods: The case of cheese. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 142: Article 107434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107434.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107434

Interpretive Summary: Some foods are widely consumed by the American public and are a source of important nutrients. However, it may be difficult to measure their intake because they are a common ingredient in mixtures. We show how to use USDA publicly available databases to quantify U.S. intake of one such food, cheese. We separated every food reported in the nationwide What We Eat in America (WWEIA), NHANES into 1) 100% cheese and 2) non-cheese ingredients. The grams of cheese, total and by type (natural, processed, and cottage) per 100 grams of food were then determined for all cheese-containing survey foods. This information was applied to WWEIA, NHANES to figure out population intakes of cheese. About one in eight survey foods contain cheese. Sixty-eight percent of adults 20 years and older consume cheese on any given day; their average intake is 34 grams (about 1-1/4 ounces). Among children 2-19 years, 74% consume cheese; average intake is 30 grams. Natural cheese accounts for 74% of total cheese intake among adults and 83% among children. Comprehensive intake information about foods that are eaten not only alone but also in mixtures is beneficial to policymakers, food manufacturers, dietitians, nutritionists, and consumers in understanding their role in the U.S. diet.

Technical Abstract: Estimating U.S. intakes of foods consumed both alone and in mixtures is challenging. Using cheese as an example, a methodology for calculating intakes of these kinds of foods in What We Eat in America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is described. Food Data Central (FDC) codes that contain cheese and are included in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2017–2018 were identified using the Food Patterns Equivalents Ingredient Database. Together with information used to develop the Food Patterns Equivalents Database, every ingredient in each of these FDC codes was classified as 100'% cheese or not cheese. These deconstructed FDC profiles replaced the corresponding FDC codes in FNDDS, permitting calculation of the cheese content of every FNNDS food. Population intakes of cheese were then estimated by applying FNDDS to WWEIA, NHANES 2017–2018. Twelve percent of FNDDS foods contain cheese. Among adults ='20'+'years, 68'% consume cheese on any given day, and mean intake is 34'g; among children 2–19 years, the analogous estimates are 74'% and 30'g, respectively. USDA’s multiple data resources provide opportunities to address complex research questions, including those regarding nutritionally relevant foods that are ubiquitous in the food supply.