Total Diet Studies

This page provides a description and a link to a "Total Diet Studies" database that provides information needed when modeling exposure levels or performing exposure assessment.

Short description

The Total Diet Study (TDS), sometimes called the market basket study, is an ongoing FDA program that determines levels of various contaminants and nutrients in foods in U.S. Most TDS foods (except for some infant/toddler foods) are analyzed for all elemental analytes (other than mercury) and radionuclides. For other analytes (pesticides, industrial chemicals, and mercury) selected foods are analyzed. Refer to the http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/tds-food.html to determine which TDS foods are analyzed for each analyte group. Total diet study (TDS) compiles the food consumption amounts for the total US population and 14 age/sex subgroups. Information on consumption around 280 foods are surveyd for 1990/1991 and 2003. Average per-capita (eater and non-eaters) daily consumption amounts are provided for each survey food and population group. US level data only.

Long description

Total diet studies (TDS) surveys the food consumption amounts for each TDS food and compiles information for the total US population and 14 age/sex listed below:

M/F 6-11 mos

M/F 2 yrs

M/F 6 yrs

M/F 10 yrs

F 14-16 yrs

M 14-16 yrs

F 25-30 yrs

M 25-30 yrs

F 40-45 yrs

M 40-45 yrs

F 60-65 yrs

M 60-65 yrs

F 70+ yrs

M 70+ yrs

The TDS food lists and diets are also compiled from national consumption survey data through a process of aggregating survey foods and consumption amounts. During the food consumption surveys, detailed information is collected on the types and amounts of food consumed by each survey participant. Over 5,000 different foods were reported in each of the USDA surveys that were used for compiling the 1990/91 and 2003 food lists and diets. Although there are many fewer TDS foods (~ 280) than survey foods (> 5,000), the goal of the TDS diets is to account for total food consumption. To accomplish this, the survey foods were grouped (or aggregated) according to their similarity to TDS foods and a “mapping” file was created in which each survey food is assigned to one of the TDS food.

After the mapping is completed, average per-capita (eater and non-eaters) daily consumption amounts were calculated for each survey food and population group.

Link

• http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/TotalDietStudy/ucm184232.htm#fca
• http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/default.htm

Key words

TDS, total diet study, food, vocs, pesticides, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, radionuclids, contaminants, nutrients ingestion, diet, total diet studies