Using NDSR Internationally

[KerrinB NCC Staff]

Can NDSR be used outside of the U.S.?

[KerrinB NCC Staff]

This publication describes how NDSR and the NCC Food and Nutrient Database was adapted for use in Brazil

[KatelinR NCC Staff]

(stock response inserted below):
NDSR has been used in countries outside the U.S. But, special procedures are recommended because the nutrient composition values for foods in NDSR are based on U.S. foods. Nutrient values for some food items may be representative of those available 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 not comparable for some 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 ‘biscuit’ refers to a sugar-sweetened baked good served as a snack or dessert.
The special procedures needed will vary greatly depending on the country you are in, what the aims of the study are, and the nutrients you will be looking at. For example, if there are fortification differences in milk between the US and the country you plan to use NDSR in, but the fortification is in a nutrient you are not interested in, then you may not need to do anything. However, if the nutrient in question is important for your study, then you would have to decide how you want to adjust the milk. You could adjust nutrients as a part of your analysis using NDSR output files and adding or subtracting the amount of nutrient needed. This is something you would do after the data has been collected. Or, you could make a User Recipe for milk with the correct fortifications, and instruct interviewers to select that User Recipe instead of the NDSR milk.

If you have some specific follow-up questions, please let us know at ndsrhelp@umn.edu. We may be able to answer some questions, but depending on the level of assistance you need, NCC could provide support through a contract for services or consulting hours as needed.

[Author]

Posts