Food consumption pattern for the population of the state of Kuwait based on food balance sheets

Worldwide dietary data for nutrition monitoring and surveillance are commonly derived from food balance sheets (FBS) and household budget surveys (HBS). We have compared food supply from FBS and food availability data from HBS among eighteen European countries and have estimated the extent to which they correlate, focusing on food groups which are comparably captured by FBS and HBS and for which there is epidemiological evidence that they can have a noticeable impact on population mortality. Spearman's correlation coefficient was +0.78 (P < 10- 3) for vegetables (including legumes),+0.76 (P < 10- 3) for fruits, +0.69 (P < 10- 3) for fish and seafood and +0.93 (P < 10- 3) for olive oil. With respect to meat and meat products, the coefficient was lower at +0.39 (P = 0.08). Moreover, we have examined whether the supply (FBS) or the availability (HBS) of food groups known or presumed to have beneficial effect on the occurrence of CHD and total cancer can predict overall, coronary and cancer mortality in ecological analyses. After controlling for purchasing power parity-adjusted gross domestic product and tobacco smoking we found that for vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, as well as for olive oil, both the FBS and the HBS estimates were inversely associated with all three indicators of mortality, although the number of countries with complete information on all study variables hindered formal statistical documentation (P>0.05 in some instances). FBS and HBS have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they may complement each other in dietary assessments at the population level.

Introduction: information about changes in food and energy supply, macronutrient and micronutrient availability by processing level is required to understand the nutritional transition in Mexican society. Objective: to describe the food, energy, and nutrient supply in Mexican households from 1984 to 2018. Methods: five waves of a Mexican cross-sectional survey were analyzed to identify changes in food, energy, and nutrient supplies in households. Food groups were created using the NOVA classification. The content of energy and nutrients was estimated using Mexican and U.S. databases. The education and income interaction with energy and nutritional supply was analyzed. Results: in this period, the supply of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, processed meat and dairy, fish and seafood, prepared food, and ultra-processed food and drinks increased, whereas unprocessed or minimally processed (UMP) cereals and tubers, legumes, meat, dairy, eggs, and all processed culinary ingredients decreased. These changes have implied a higher supply of protein, total fat, cholesterol, vitamins A and C, calcium and sodium. Total energy, energy density, carbohydrates, and magnesium and potassium density decreased. Across waves, UMP and processed cereals were the main supply for energy, carbohydrates, fiber, iron and potassium. Dairy was the main supply of saturated fat. UMP and processed cereals were the main source of sodium in 1984, whereas ultra-processed cereals were the main source of sodium in 2018. Conclusions: although UMP foods remain the main group in most Mexican households, their supply has decreased over the years, whereas the supply of ultra-processed foods has increased.

ABSTRACTGlobal diets are inadequate in micronutrients, leading to deficiencies and related diseases. Addressing these micronutrient shortfalls requires increasing the nutrient density of the global food supply. Inferring micronutrient supply based on food balance sheet data is widespread practice in nutrition modelling, whereas designing food‐based interventions is usually done using dietary data. Here, we provide an online interactive tool for investigating the micronutrient density of food balance sheet items, to help identify appropriate food supply interventions to increase the availability of micronutrient‐dense foods globally. While the tool can be used for up to 28 food components (including macronutrients), we demonstrate its use by ranking food balance sheet items based on their combined content of 17 micronutrients per 100 g or per 100 kcal. High ranking foods varied between the mass and energy lists, but included offals, seeds, nuts, seafood, and non‐starchy vegetables. The tool can be used by nutrition researchers to identify foods with the potential for supplying the specific combinations of micronutrients needed by at‐risk populations.

Trinidad and Tobago has experienced an epidemiological transition over recent decades characterised by reduced rates of communicable diseases but rapidly increasing rates of obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the changes in energy and nutrient supply that have taken place in Trinidad and Tobago between 1961 and 2007. Food balance sheets for each year between 1961 and 2007 were downloaded from the FAOSTAT database and daily per capita supply for seventeen food commodity groupings was calculated. After appropriate coding, energy and nutrient supply were determined using dietary analysis software. FAO food balance sheets for Trinidad and Tobago from 1961 to 2007. None. The food supply in 2007 provided an extra 1561 kJ (373 kcal)/capita per d than it did in 1961. Energy from carbohydrate as a percentage of total energy fell from 62% in 1961 to 57% in 2007, whereas energy from fat as a percentage of total energy increased from 26% to over 30% and now lies at the upper end of WHO recommendations. Sugars increased from 20% to over 26% of total energy and are well above WHO recommendations. When expressed on a nutrient density basis, supplies of vitamin A, folate and Ca are lower than WHO recommendations. Nutritional imbalances in the Trinidadian food supply need to be addressed to combat the rise in nutrition-related chronic disease that is projected to cause increased disability and premature death in the country in the coming years.

Insufficient data exist for accurate estimation of global nutrient supplies. Commonly used global datasets contain key weaknesses: 1) data with global coverage, such as the FAO food balance sheets, lack specific information about many individual foods and no information on micronutrient supplies nor heterogeneity among subnational populations, while 2) household surveys provide a closer approximation of consumption, but are often not nationally representative, do not commonly capture many foods consumed outside of the home, and only provide adequate information for a few select populations. Here, we attempt to improve upon these datasets by constructing a new model—the Global Expanded Nutrient Supply (GENuS) model—to estimate nutrient availabilities for 23 individual nutrients across 225 food categories for thirty-four age-sex groups in nearly all countries. Furthermore, the model provides historical trends in dietary nutritional supplies at the national level using data from 1961–2011. We determine supplies of edible food by expanding the food balance sheet data using FAO production and trade data to increase food supply estimates from 98 to 221 food groups, and then estimate the proportion of major cereals being processed to flours to increase to 225. Next, we estimate intake among twenty-six demographic groups (ages 20+, both sexes) in each country by using data taken from the Global Dietary Database, which uses nationally representative surveys to relate national averages of food consumption to individual age and sex-groups; for children and adolescents where GDD data does not yet exist, average calorie-adjusted amounts are assumed. Finally, we match food supplies with nutrient densities from regional food composition tables to estimate nutrient supplies, running Monte Carlo simulations to find the range of potential nutrient supplies provided by the diet. To validate our new method, we compare the GENuS estimates of nutrient supplies against independent estimates by the USDA for historical US nutrition and find very good agreement for 21 of 23 nutrients, though sodium and dietary fiber will require further improvement.

Needs-based food and nutrient security indices to monitor and modify the food supply and intakes: Taiwan, 1991–2010

Editorial: Hungry People and Food Composition Data

Over the course of the last 50 years the Republic of Ireland has gone from being one of the poorest countries in Europe to one of the richest; however, it is now experiencing increasing rates of obesity and non-communicable chronic disease. Although several national nutrition surveys have been carried out in Ireland since 1990, there is little information on the Irish diet before then. We analysed the FAO food balance sheets for Ireland from 1961 to 2007 in order to characterise the changes in energy and nutrient supply that took place during that period. Food balance sheets were downloaded from the FAOSTAT database and per capita supply of commodities was analysed using dietary analysis software. Energy from carbohydrate as a percentage of total energy fell from 55% in 1961 to 46% in 2007, whereas energy from fat increased from 29% to 34%; these values are well outside WHO recommendations for the prevention of chronic disease. Energy from alcohol as a percentage of total energy has doubled within the last 20 years. On a nutrient-density basis, vitamins and minerals met or exceeded WHO recommendations, apart from vitamin D, folate, Ca and Fe. Although there are methodological limitations associated with the use of food balance sheets, the present results demonstrate that the current imbalances in the Irish diet were already evident several decades ago. Because they are so long established, they will be difficult to reverse unless major public health nutrition interventions are implemented.

To analyze the contribution of natural, processed and ultra-processed foods to energy and nutrient supply in Mexican households. The database of the National Household Expenditure Survey 2013 was analyzed (n=58 001), which is a cross-sectional survey. Food supply (g/adult equivalent/day) and energy, macro- and micro-nutrient supplies were estimated. Foods were classified following the NOVA system. Households sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed as covariates. Natural foods (NF) contributed with more energy (55.0%) followed by ultra-processed foods (UPF, 21.2%). NF were the main source of most nutrients. Processed culinary ingredients (PCI) and processed foods (PF) had high content of energy, total fats, and saturated fats, but low content of certain micronu- trients. Sodium was mainly available in PF (34.6%) and UPF (31.4%). Sugar-sweetened beverages, fast foods, and biscuits and cookies were the main UPF in terms of energy supply. In Mexican households, the PCI, PF and UPF had low nutritional quality.

In this paper, we develop an approach towards incorporation of nutritional accounts for the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Data Base. We rely on the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) food balance sheets data and nutritive indicators to estimate nutritional content of primary commodities and derived commodities represented in primary equivalent within the food balance sheets. Calories, fats, proteins and carbohydrates are estimated and reported. We further identify use categories that account for food, feed, seed, losses and other uses. In terms of food supply, we identify GTAP Data Base primary commodity sectors, food processing sectors and service sectors that supply food. To redistribute nutritional data according to GTAP Data Base sectors, we calculate Leontief inverses, operating only over those sectors (and uses) that supply food. Trade in both primary and processed commodities is taken into account. The approach is applied to all four GTAP 10 Data Base reference years and can be replicated in a dynamic modelling framework for each simulated year (time step).

BackgroundAdequate zinc nutrition is essential for adequate growth, immunocompetence and neurobehavioral development, but limited information on population zinc status hinders the expansion of interventions to control zinc deficiency. The present analyses were conducted to: (1) estimate the country-specific prevalence of inadequate zinc intake; and (2) investigate relationships between country-specific estimated prevalence of dietary zinc inadequacy and dietary patterns and stunting prevalence.Methodology and Principal FindingsNational food balance sheet data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Country-specific estimated prevalence of inadequate zinc intake were calculated based on the estimated absorbable zinc content of the national food supply, International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group estimated physiological requirements for absorbed zinc, and demographic data obtained from United Nations estimates. Stunting data were obtained from a recent systematic analysis based on World Health Organization growth standards. An estimated 17.3% of the world’s population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake. Country-specific estimated prevalence of inadequate zinc intake was negatively correlated with the total energy and zinc contents of the national food supply and the percent of zinc obtained from animal source foods, and positively correlated with the phytate: zinc molar ratio of the food supply. The estimated prevalence of inadequate zinc intake was correlated with the prevalence of stunting (low height-for-age) in children under five years of age (r = 0.48, P<0.001).Conclusions and SignificanceThese results, which indicate that inadequate dietary zinc intake may be fairly common, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, allow inter-country comparisons regarding the relative likelihood of zinc deficiency as a public health problem. Data from these analyses should be used to determine the need for direct biochemical and dietary assessments of population zinc status, as part of nationally representative nutritional surveys targeting countries estimated to be at high risk.

We aimed to analyze the temporal trends in the per capita food (kcal/day/person) and protein (g/day/person) availability at the national level in the Southeast Asian (SEA) countries from 1961 to 2018. To avoid intercountry variations and errors, we used a dataset derived from the FAO’s old and new food balance sheets. We used the joinpoint model and the jump model to analyze the temporal trends. The annual percentage change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Per capita food and protein availability in the SEA countries increased significantly by 0.8% per year (54.0%) and 1.1% per year (85.1%), respectively, from 1961 to 2018. During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the per capita food availability in mainland SEA did not change significantly and was less than 2200 kcal/person/day. Since the early 1990s, food availability increased appreciably in the mainland SEA countries, except for Cambodia, which has experienced the increasing trend from the late 1990s. Distinct from the mainland, maritime SEA countries showed an up–down–up growth trend in their per-capita food availability from 1961 to 2018. Food-availability growth slowed down for Brunei (since the mid-1980s) and Malaysia (since mid-the 1990s) whereas it increased for Indonesia (1.5% per year), Timor-Leste (0.9% per year), and the Philippines (0.8% per year). Per capita protein availability trends in the mainland SEA countries were similar to the countries’ per capita food availability trends. Since the late 1980s, Thailand and since the late 1990s, other mainland SEA countries experienced a significant growth in their per capita protein availability. Since the late 1990s, per capita protein availability in Vietnam increased markedly and reached the highest available amount in the SEA region, following Brunei and Myanmar. Per capita protein availability increased almost continuously among the maritime SEA countries, except for Timor-Leste. Marked inequality did exist between maritime and mainland SEA countries in per capita food-availability growth till the mid-1990s. Considerable increases in per capita food availability have occurred in most of the SEA countries, but growth is inadequate for Timor-Leste and Cambodia.

We analyzed the temporal trends and significant changes in apparent food consumption or availabilityin Bangladesh from 1961 to 2013. Due to the lack of a long-term national dietary intake dataset, this study used data derived from the FAO’s food balance sheets. We used joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant changes in the temporal trends. The annual percent change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Apparent intake of starchy roots, eggs, fish, vegetables, milk, and vegetable oils significantly has increased (p < 0.05) in the Bangladeshi diet since 1961; whereas cereals changed by merely 4.65%. Bangladesh has been experiencing three structural changes in their dietary history after the Liberation War, though the intake level has been grossly inadequate. Initially, since the late-1970s, apparent vegetable oils intake increased at a market rate (APC = 7.53). Subsequently, since the early-1990s, the real force behind the structural change in the diet has been the increasing trends in the apparent intake of fish (APC = 5.05), eggs (APC = 4.65), and meat (APC = 1.54). Lastly, since the early 2000s, apparent intakes of fruits (APC = 20.44), vegetables (APC = 10.58), and milk (APC = 3.55) increased significantly (p <0.05). This study result reveals and quantifies the significant secular changes in the dietary history of Bangladesh from 1961 to 2013. Bangladesh has experienced inadequate but significant structural changes in the diet in the late-1970s, early-1990s, and early-2000s. Overabundance of cereals and inadequate structural changes in the diet may have caused the increasing prevalence of overweightness and emergence of diet-related, non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh.

We analyzed the temporal trends and significant changes in apparent energy and macronutrient intakes in the Bangladeshi diet from 1961 to 2017. Due to the lack of a long-running national dietary intake dataset, this study used the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s old and new food balance sheet dataset. We used the joinpoint regression model and jump model to analyze the temporal trends in apparent energy and macronutrient intakes. The annual percentage change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Bangladesh has experienced a late energy revolution in their dietary history. During the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Bangladesh was suffering from substantive calorie deficits, where in apparent energy intake was less than 2200 kcal/day/person. Since the late 1990s, Bangladesh has made significant progress in raising the apparent energy consumption in the diet. Since the late 1970s, apparent fat intake started to increase significantly at a marked rate (APC = 2.16), whereas since the early 1990s, protein intake increased significantly by 1.33% per year. Plant sources have mostly governed the protein and fat intake trends in the Bangladeshi diet since 1960, whereas animal sources began to contribute significantly in protein intake since 1990 (APC = 3.43) and in fat intake since 2000 (APC = 2.88). Bangladesh overcame the substantive calorie deficit condition in the diet from the late 1990s. Excessive carbohydrate intake along with imbalanced and low-quality protein and fat intakes have been the central features in the diet in Bangladesh.

Various methods of estimating food consumption, such as food balance sheets (FBS) and household surveys (HS), have been developed over the years and have been used to inform, monitor and evaluate nutrition policies. Because these methods vary in their objectives and data collection procedures, the objective of this study has been to elaborate FBS data for Spain and to study the consistency of fat, carbohydrate and protein intake trends, as measured by FBS and HS, for the period 1958 to 1988. Food balance sheets were elaborated by the authors according to the methodology of FAO using all available data sources for the 1958-1988 period. This data considered every major food item contributing to the total energy intake of the spanish population. Household survey data were taken from three similar national household budget surveys carried out on a representative sample of the Spanish population in 1958, 1964-1965, and 1980-1981. Estimates of food consumption were transformed into macronutrient intake by applying standard food tables. When macronutrient intake were expressed in absolute amounts, an unexpected finding was the tendency of the household surveys to overestimate food balance sheet data for fat, and to a lesser extent protein and carbohydrate, intake during the first years in the series. Also, the slopes of the trends of macronutrient intake were significantly (p < 0.05) greater for food balance sheets than for household survey data, specially for fat. When macronutrient intake were expressed as percent of total energy, differences between the two types of data tended to diminish and heterogeneity of slopes disappeared. We conclude that household survey and food supply data provide partially different information on macronutrient intake trends in the Spanish population for the period 1958-1988. The discrepancy is particularly noticeable for fat intake and when data are expressed in absolute amounts.