ObjectiveTo develop and test a scale for healthy eating practices measurement according to the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population recommendations.DesignMethodological study. The current Brazilian food-based dietary guideline highlights the importance of choosing foods, combining foods to create meals and modes of eating. These recommendations formed the main domains of the scale and served as a basis for the development of ninety-six items, each with a 4-point Likert response option. Content and face validity were tested. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to determine construct validity. Internal consistency was determined using α and ω coefficients, and reproducibility was tested using test–retest.SettingBrazil.ParticipantsA ten-member expert panel was used to assess content validity. Adults aged 18–60 years were included in the face validity (n 20), EFA (n 352), CFA and reliability tests (n 900).ResultsOf the ninety-six initial items, twenty-four were excluded and fifty-five were reworded following the content and face validations. EFA detected a four-domain structure (Food choices, Modes of eating, Planning and Domestic organization), which explained 41 % of the variance. CFA led to a final twenty-four-item model with acceptable goodness-of-fit indices and good reliability measures (α=0·77; ω=0·83). Intraclass correlation coefficient for the total score (0·82) and analysis of the Bland–Altman plot suggested good reproducibility of the scale.ConclusionsThe scale presents good evidence of validity and reliability. This innovative study created a useful tool for evaluation of the impact of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population.