Im working in a country that has limited information on the nutrient content of foods in the food supply. Could I use NDSR or the NCC Food and Nutrient Database for my work here?
We recommend caution in using the NCC Food and Nutrient Database for assessing the food and nutrient intake of individuals in countries outside the U.S because the nutrient composition values for foods in the database are based on U.S. foods. Nutrient values for some food items may be ‘safe’ to use in other countries (e.g. nutrient content of an apple in the U.S. and an apple available in another country may be comparable). However, values are likely not comparable for many foods due to different food fortification practices across countries, use of different cultivars of plants, and differences in food ingredient and preparation practices. An additional issue is that some food descriptors vary across countries. For example, in the U.S. ‘biscuit’ refers to a fat-rich leavened baked good generally served with a meal. In contrast, in many other countries ‘bisquit’ refers to a sugar-sweetened baked good served as a snack or dessert.
