Does the habitual dietary intake of adults in Bavaria, Germany, match dietary intake recommendations? Results of the 3rd Bavarian Food Consumption Survey.

Abstract

Objective: Monitoring dietary habits is crucial for identifying shortcomings and delineating countermeasures. About 20 years after the last population-based surveys in Bavaria and Germany, dietary habits were assessed to describe the intake distributions and compare these with recommendations at food and nutrient level.

Methods: The 3rd Bavarian Food Consumption Survey (BVS III) was designed as a diet survey representative of adults in Bavaria; from 2021 to 2023, repeated 24-h diet recalls were collected by telephone using the software GloboDiet©. Food (sub-)group and nutrient intake data were modeled with the so-called NCI method, weighted for the deviation from the underlying population. Intake distributions in men and women were described as percentiles. These data were used to estimate the proportion of persons meeting dietary intake recommendations. In addition, food consumption data were compared with the results reported 20 years ago collected by the same methodology (2nd Bavarian Food Consumption Survey, BVS II).

Results: Using 24-h diet recalls of 550 male and 698 female participants, we estimated intake distributions for food (sub-)groups and nutrients. A major proportion of the adult population does not meet the food-based dietary guidelines; this refers to a series of food groups, including fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts, cereal products, and especially whole grain products, as well as fresh and processed meat. Regarding selected essential nutrients, a considerable proportion of the population was at higher risk of insufficiency from iron (women), zinc (men), and folate (both men and women), as already described in previous studies.

Conclusion: A major proportion of the adult Bavarian population does not meet the current food-based dietary guidelines. Compared to BVS II data, favorable changes refer to lower consumption of total meat (especially processed meat) and soft drinks, and an increased intake of vegetables. The conclusions based on the intake of selected essential nutrients hardly changed over time. From a public health perspective, the still low intake of vegetables, fruit, nuts, cereal products, and particularly of whole grain products, and associated higher risks of insufficient supply of several vitamins and minerals call for action for improvement.