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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 #425661
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: Consumption of eggs/omelets and egg sandwiches by U.S. adults: What We Eat In America, NHANES 2017 – March 2020

Author
item Sebastian, Rhonda
item Crawford, Sara
item Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group
Publication Type: Research Technical Update
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2025
Publication Date: 5/6/2025
Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Crawford, S.B., Moshfegh, A.J. 2025. Consumption of eggs/omelets and egg sandwiches by U.S. adults: What We Eat In America, NHANES 2017 – March 2020. Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group. 66:1-10.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40472122/

Interpretive Summary: Eggs, omelets, and egg sandwiches are popular foods in the U.S. In this data brief, we provide an overview of consumption of these foods by adults in the U.S. Using data from What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017- March 2020, we examined who consumes them; where they are obtained; nutrient intakes of adults who consume them on the intake day versus those who do not; and their contributions to total intakes. We found that 19% of adults age 20 years and older consume eggs/omelets and 8% consume an egg sandwich on any given day. Males are more likely to consume an egg sandwich, but intake of eggs/omelets does not differ by sex. Consumption of eggs/omelets is higher among Hispanic adults relative to non-Hispanic White, and Black adults. Grocery stores are the source of most (74%) eggs/omelets, whereas egg sandwiches (or their ingredients) are obtained from grocery stores (45%) and fast food restaurants (34%). Consumers of these egg items have higher intakes of fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and choline, and lower intakes of carbohydrates than non-consumers on a 1,000-kilocalorie basis. Among consumers, eggs/omelets and egg sandwiches account for more than 40% of daily intake choline and 25% or more of daily intake of vitamins A and D. The information in this data brief can inform policymakers, food manufacturers, dietitians, nutritionists, and consumers about the considerable role of eggs, consumed as eggs/omelets and egg sandwiches, in dietary intakes of the U.S. adult population.

Technical Abstract: Eggs are ubiquitous in the American diet. They are nutritious, providing high-quality protein, vitamins, and other essential dietary components (1–3). Though eggs are an ingredient of many foods, among adults in the U.S, the majority (78%) are consumed as an individual item (e.g., fried eggs), in omelets, and in sandwiches (see definition of “eggs” on page 8). In this report, intakes of eggs consumed by adults 20+ years as eggs and omelets (hereafter referred to as “eggs/omelets”) and egg sandwiches are presented. This analysis is based on one day of dietary intake data from What We Eat in America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017 – March 2020. A complementary report (Dietary Data Brief No. 65) describes egg consumption by U.S. children 2-19 years.