The United States Food Supply Is Not Consistent with Dietary Guidance: Evidence from an Evaluation Using the Healthy Eating Index-2010

Abstract

The United States (U.S.) food system is primarily an economic enterprise, with far-reaching health, environmental, and social effects. A key data source for evaluating the many effects of the food system, including the overall quality and extent to which it provides the basic elements of a healthful diet, is the Food Availability Data System. The objective of the present study was to update earlier research that evaluated the extent to which the U.S. food supply aligns with the most recent Federal dietary guidance, using the current Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 and food supply data extending through 2010. The HEI-2010 was applied to 40 years of food supply data (1970–2010) to examine trends in the overall food supply as well as specific components related to a healthy diet, such as fruits and vegetables. The HEI-2010 overall summary score hovered around half of optimal for all years evaluated, with an increase from 48 points in 1970 to 55 points (out of a possible 100 points) in 2010. Fluctuations in scores for most individual components did not lead to sustained trends. The present study continues to demonstrate sizable gaps between Federal dietary guidance and the food supply. This disconnect is troublesome within a context of high rates of diet-related chronic diseases among the population and suggests the need for continual monitoring of the quality of the food supply. Moving toward a food system that is more conducive to healthy eating requires consideration of a range of factors that influence food supply and demand.

Diet Quality of Items Advertised in Supermarket Sales Circulars Compared to Diets of the US Population, as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2010

“…The HEI-2010 reflects the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 as implemented by the USDA Food Patterns [23][24][25] . The HEI has been used to measure the food environment on various levels, such as the US food supply [26][27][28] , federal food assistance programs 29 , and restaurants 27,30 . The diet quality of individual food choices including grocery purchases 2 and dietary intake 31,32 have also been assessed using the HEI.…”

American Diet Quality: Where It Is, Where It Is Heading, and What It Could Be

“…23–26 When scored on the HEI-2010, the U.S. food supply scored between 48 and 55 of 100 points for every year between 1970 and 2010. 24 The components where the food supply scored lowest – whole grains, total fruit, and greens and beans 24 – parallel components in the HEI-2010 where we see lowest scores in the population intake. While national benchmarks for individual diet exist, such as the HP objectives and the DGAs used in this study, there are no national benchmarks for other levels of the food system – for example, for the food marketplace or for the food supply.…”

“…As such, it reflects the overall diet composition (quality) and not whether energy intake is in line with requirements (quantity). Moreover, the density-basis allows the HEI to be applied to any level of dietary assessment: the national food supply, 23,24 the food environment, 25 a set of menus, 26 or individual dietary intake. 14 However, when applied to individuals’ diet, as done in this analysis, the HEI-2010 measures diet quality irrespective of the individuals’ specific caloric or nutrient requirements.…”

Description, measurement and evaluation of tertiary-education food environments

“…Despite increasing awareness of the role that food environments play in dietary behaviour, most studies have focused on residential neighbourhoods. Researchers have applied tools to the retail food environment setting to classify how closely the foods available in these settings correspond with dietary guidelines, such as the healthy eating index (16)(17)(18) . However, these tools do not assess product promotion and degree of accessibility (19) .…”