Dietary Quality by Food Source and Demographics in the United States, 1977-2018

Food prepared away from home (FAFH) has become a mainstay in U.S. consumers’ diets, accounting for more than 50 percent of total food expenditures since 2009 and more than 30 percent of total food energy intake since 2011. This report analyzes data from nationally representative food consumption surveys conducted between 1977 and 2018 to examine U.S. consumers’ dietary quality relative to the Federal dietary guidance and how this varies by food source. The food sources this report examines include food at home, food purchased at restaurants, food purchased at fast-food establishments, food obtained at school among K–12 school and daycare children, and other food obtained away from home. Dietary quality is measured by nutrient and food-group density (i.e., intake amount per 1,000 calories) for 12 nutrients and 35 food groups. All analyses are conducted for individuals aged 2 and above, both as a group and subdivided by demographics. In general, U.S. consumers make more nutritious choices when grocery shopping for foods than when obtaining food from commercial eating establishments. Compared with FAFH, food at home (FAH) is denser in underconsumed nutrients and food groups—e.g., fiber, iron, whole grains, fruits, dairy, and dark green vegetables—and lower in the density of over-consumed nutrients and food groups, including saturated fats, sodium, and refined grains. However, FAH has more added sugars in addition to a lower intake of seafood and most types of vegetables. In recent years, school foods have differed from other FAFH consumption due to a lower density of saturated fats and a higher density of whole grain, fiber, and fruit.