Dietary Surveys and Nutrients in Food Research Programme (N08)

The objective of this research programme is to ensure that the data on nutrition generated by dietary surveys are cost-effective and scientifically robust.

The Agency's objective in respect of nutrition is to improve the health of the UK population through encouraging and facilitating the adoption of a healthy, balanced diet. One of the four main elements of a strategic framework to achieve this objective on nutrition is the securing of a sound evidence base for action to promote a healthy diet. Accurate and up-to-date information on the amounts of food eaten in the UK and its nutritional value are vital to this evidence base. This information is provided by the Agency's dietary surveys and nutrients in food surveillance programme.

The aim of this research programme is to ensure that the Agency's dietary surveys and supporting analytical surveys are cost effective and that the data they generate are robust, of high quality, and are able to be translated effectively into information to support policy development.

Research conducted in this programme currently falls into three main areas:

• the development of improved methods of nutrient analysis, particularly the separation and measurement of the different forms of certain nutrients that occur in foods;
• the validation of current methods and development of improved methods for collecting reliable quantitative data on habitual food consumption;
• appropriate further analysis of data from Government dietary surveys to investigate dietary and other factors that contribute to good or poor nutritional status.

Name: Gillian Swan
Tel: 020 7276 8912
Email: gillian.swan@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk