To assess racial and ethnic disparities experienced by veterans, we examined food intake and dietary quality across different racial and ethnic groups of U.S. veterans. MethodsThe study included 420,730 men and women aged 19-107 years (91.2% men) enrolled in the VA Million Veteran Program with plausible dietary intake measured by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Dietary quality was evaluated with Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score. Dietary intakes of various race and ethnicity groups were standardized to the age distribution of non-Hispanic White participants, separately for men and women. Differences across race and ethnicity groups were compared using general linear regression models after adjustment for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors as well as military service. ResultsCompared to non-Hispanic White men, non-Hispanic Black men had a relatively lower DASH score, higher red and processed meats, higher sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and lower low-fat dairy intakes. Non-Hispanic Asian men had a relatively higher DASH score as compared with non-Hispanic White men with relatively higher intakes of fruits and vegetables and relatively lower intakes of sodium, red meat and SSBs. Age-standardized DASH scores of Hispanic men and “Other” race/ethnicity groups were not statistically different from non-Hispanic White men. Similar race and ethnicity dietary patterns were found in women, though not all reached a statistically significant level. ConclusionsWe observed a modest difference in overall dietary quality (i.e., DASH score), but identified differences in food preferences across the different racial/ethnic groups. Findings from our study may provide insight for the potential development of specific interventions to help address nutritional disparities experienced among veterans.