Adapting Methods for Determining Priorities for the Analysis of Foods in Diverse Populations

Identifying and prioritizing the most significant foods and nutrients for sampling and analysis is essential in creating national food composition databases. A prioritized food list for the United States population has been developed using the Key Foods approach, where data from food consumption surveys are combined with USDA nutrient data to determine a foodʹs rela tive nutrient contribution to the diet. However, the population of the United States is diverse. Foods consumed by the many ethnic groups include traditional recipes, which use unique ingredients and preparation methods. Foods which are relatively minor contributors to the diet of the total population often make a much larger contribution to the diet of a particular ethnic group. The Key Foods approach has been used to develop food lists for ethnic groups identified in large nationwide surveys, such as African Americans. For these groups, extensive demographic and consumption data, as well as comprehensive food composition data, are available. More limited data exists for other groups, such as American Indians. Therefore, alternative methods of collecting information, such as small localized surveys and interviews, are used. Methodologies used to identify foods consumed by both groups will be examined. Using these techniques, researchers can develop cost-effective approaches for selecting foods.