July 13, 2007

     Volume 2007, No. 6

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IN THIS EDITION

USDA NUTRIENT CONTENT OF THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY, 1909-2004, A SUMMARY REPORT

DOES THE HIGH COST OF NUTRIENT-DENSE DIETS ACCOUNT FOR THE PREVALENCE OF NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AMONG DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS?

USDA NUTRIENT CONTENT OF THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY, 1909-2004, A SUMMARY REPORT

This updated report from USDA provides historical data on the nutrient content of the U.S. food supply for each decade from 1909-1919 and then each year from 2000 to 2004. This data is referred to as disappearance data as opposed to consumption data because it provides information on the food that disappears into the marketing system. Information from this report is useful in determining the ability of the U.S. food supply to meet the nutritional needs of the American population, in assessing relationships between food supplies, diet and health, and in documenting trends in food and nutrient consumption. Included in this report are data for:

• food energy and the energy-yielding nutrients - protein, carbohydrate, and fat (total, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated)

• cholesterol

• dietary fiber

• 10 vitamins - Vitamin A, Carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Total Folate, Folate, DFE, Vitamin B12

• 9 minerals - Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Potassium, Sodium, Selenium

• estimated percentage contributions of nutrients by major food groups

Trend information of interest include:

• Food energy per capita per day has increased form 3,400 kcal to 3,900 kcal.  The major increases occurred   in the 1990s and 2000.  The high point for kcal availability per capital per day was 4,000 in 2001.

• Carbohydrate availability has fluctuated but the number of available grams per capita per day in 2004 (481g) is only 6 grams less than the number of grams available per day in the decade 1909-1919. The major contributor to carbohydrate availability, sugars and sweeteners, is up from 23% to 37% of total carbohydrate availability.

• Protein availability in 2004 was 113 grams per capita per day, up 18% from the decade 1909-1919. Meats, poultry and fish contribute 40% of the total protein available, while dairy provides 19% and grain products provide 22%.

• Fat availability is up 49% from the decade 1909-1919 to 179 grams per capita per day.  For individual fatty acids, saturated are up 12%, monounsaturated up 68%, and polyunsaturated up 177%.  Total fat contribution from red meat has decreased from 1909-1919 when red meat contributed more than 32% of total fat.  In 2004, red meat contributed 13% of total fat. Dairy contribution to fat availability is down from 15% to just over 10% while fats and oils have increased their contribution to total fat during the same time period from 40% to 59%. Approximately half of the saturated fat availability is from fats and oils, while meats, poultry and fish contribute 22% and dairy products contribute 21%.

• Increased levels of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron are indicative of Federal enrichment standards. Total folate levels increased significantly in the late 1990s as a result of folate fortification of grain products beginning 1998.

• Levels of potassium were lower in 2004 than in the decade of 1909-1919, a reflection of lower consumption of white potatoes.

Citation:

Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 1909-2004 A Summary Report. Hiza HAB, Bente L. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Home Economics Research Report No. 57. February 2007.

To access the report, go to Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 1909-2004 A Summary Report.

DOES THE HIGH COST OF NUTRIENT-DENSE DIETS ACCOUNT FOR THE PREVALENCE OF NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AMONG DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS?

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition assesses the possibility that economic factors affect dietary choices by skewing preferences towards energy-dense foods low in essential nutrients both within and among food groups. A nutrient profiling system based on the presence of 23 qualifying nutrients and 3 negative nutrients in relation to energy density and energy cost was used to analyze the diets of 1332 adults participants in the French National INCA1 Study.  As a result, 7 major food groups and 25 subgroups were ranked in terms of their contribution to dietary energy, diet quality and diet cost.  Results showed:

• Fruits and vegetables contributed 8% of dietary energy, 17% of the total cost and covered 210% of the RDA (based on a percentage of 2001 French Recommended Dietary Allowances per 1913 kcal) with the highest nutrient-density score

• Meat contributed 18% of total energy intake, 35% of the total diet cost and covered 174% of the RDA.

• Dairy products contributed approximately 11% of dietary energy and also diet cost and covered 112% of the RDA.

• Starches and grains, sweets and salty snacks provided a greater percentage of total energy than dietary cost but also had low nutreint density scores. 

• These results confirm the association between high nutritional quality and high energy cost.  The authors suggest that these results indicate that the present structure of food prices may present an obstacle to the adoption of food-based dietary guidelines, at least by low-income people.

Citation:

Nutrient-Dense Food Groups Have High Energy Costs: An Econometric Approach to Nutrient Profiling. Maillot M, Darmon N, Darmon M, Lafay L, Drenowski A. The Journal of Nutrition, 2007 Jul;137(7):1815-1820.

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