By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Reviewed by Lauren HardakerDec 16 2025. From tracking energy and sodium intake to shaping dietary indices used worldwide, the “What We Eat in America” program has quietly become one of the most influential data sources in modern nutrition science, fueling research, surveillance, and policy evaluation across the globe. Study: The Reporting of “What We Eat in America” Nutrient Intake Data in the Scientific Literature: A Scoping Review. Image credit: Hryshchyshen Serhii/Shutterstock.com A recent study in the Journal of Nutritionexamined the extent to which The What We Eat in America (WWEIA) nutrient data have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. The What We Eat in America (WWEIA), a component of the US national dietary surveillance program called National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), plays a crucial role in informing and evaluating healthcare and public health policies, nutritional guidelines, and food programs. Importance of national dietary surveillance Assessing the nutrient content of foods through national dietary surveillance is essential.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays a key role in characterizing foods based on their nutrient profiles. For over two decades, the NHANES has been conducted continuously in the United States, serving as the federal government’s premier program for evaluating the health and nutritional status of the population. WWEIA serves as the dietary intake component of the U.S. NHANES, a principal national surveillance program managed jointly by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). WWEIA collects two 24-hour dietary recalls from a representative sample of non-institutionalized Americans using the Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM). The resulting data are used to support public health policy, develop nutrition guidelines, and evaluate food programs. The Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), developed and maintained by the USDA, forms the foundation for determining nutrient values. Specifically designed to analyze dietary intake data from the WWEIA, NHANES, FNDDS, and the AMPM, these functions serve as interconnected tools within national dietary surveillance. The food and beverage items listed in FNDDS are based on AMPM questions and response options. Beyond nutrient and food component values for foods and beverages consumed in the United States, FNDDS also includes comprehensive reference data for all nutrient values. Examining a decade of nutrition studies The current review included all nutrient components, referred to as nutrients, estimated in FNDDS, except for added vitamin E and vitamin B12. This scoping review included publications that analyzed the U.S. population or its subgroups using WWEIA or NHANES dietary intake data. All research contexts and applications of nutrient analyses were considered, except studies focused solely on dietary supplement intakes. Eligible Read More