A comparison of household food availability in 11 countries

Objective compared the household food availability data collected by the Na tionwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) in the United States and the Househ old Budget Surveys (HBS) from 10 European countries that participated in th e DAta Food NEtworking (DAFNE) project, namely Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hu ngary. Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Methodology The DAFNE project harmonized European household food availabili ty data by clarifying which food items were included in each country's HBS, and then defining comparable food categories among countries. NFCS househo ld data were harmonized with the HBS data by applying the same procedures u sed in the DAFNE project. Results The results presented in this paper reveal a number of similarities and differences in household food availability among 11 nations. In nearly all countries studied, red meat was available in greater quantities than p oultry and seafood combined. Most countries favoured bread and rolls over o ther types of grain products, had a low to moderate availability of seafood and legumes, had a moderate amount of sugar available, and consumed approx imately two-thirds or more of fruits and vegetables in a fresh form. Milk a vailability tended to be inversely correlated with cheese availability. Onl y in Mediterranean households was vegetable oil, namely olive oil, the prim ary type of added lipid available. While the data presented in this paper c an do much to improve our understanding of food availability in US and Euro pean households, it is important to remember that those data do not include foods purchased and consumed away from home. Applications Despite the limitations of household food availability data, t he results presented in this paper can help health professionals develop a more international perspective.