Food consumption by AUSNUT food groups
Ingredients within AUSNUT food groups
Food consumption patterns can be described using several approaches to data analysis that provide different types of information, the use of which will depend on the purpose of the dietary assessment. In the food and nutrients publication, food consumption patterns are presented by the AUSNUT food and supplement classification at the major and sub-major food group level (details of consumption at more detailed levels are available upon request and will be available in the DataLab later in 2025).
What are the AUSNUT food groups?
The major, sub-major, and minor food groups included in the food and dietary supplement classification are used to organise food consumption data in dietary surveys (see AUSNUT 2023 classification files). These classifications help identify where nutrients, discretionary foods and Australian Dietary Guideline (ADG) food groups are primarily consumed.
For example, cross classifying nutrient intakes with AUSNUT food groups allows researchers to determine which of these food groups contribute most to specific nutrient intake estimates. Similarly, mapping of the AUSNUT food groups– such as ‘402 Medium fat (MF) dairy foods (4-10%) fat’ – to the ADG milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives group helps clarify which foods and AUSNUT food groups contribute to milk consumption patterns within an ADG food groups analysis.
When interpreting food, beverage and supplement consumption by AUSNUT food group, it is important to consider that the same ingredients can be found in different foods across various groups. So, the reported intake by major or sub-major food group might not show the total amount of each ingredient (e.g. milk) from all sources.
In AUSNUT 2023, Milk products and dishes is the major food group where dairy milks were coded when they were reported as separate foods (e.g. milk, cheese, yoghurt), milk products (e.g. ice-cream), or as a part of a dish which was predominately made of milk-product (e.g. dairy-based desserts, milkshakes).
However, there are numerous other places within the AUSNUT food classification system that describe mixed foods where milk may be an ingredient, such as in the Non-alcoholic beverages (e.g. latte coffee), Cereal based products and dishes (e.g. porridge, quiche), Soups (e.g. cream of vegetable soup), Vegetable products and dishes (e.g. mashed potato) or Special dietary foods (e.g. protein shake).
This is due to the way respondents reported the food ‘as eaten’, and how it was captured in Intake24 and assigned an AUSNUT food code. While some foods were disaggregated to ingredients at the time of the interview, most were not, and were reported as mixed foods.
The methods used in the 2023 study are similar to those used in the National Nutrition Survey 1995 and the Australian Health Survey 2011-13. Food supply and consumption patterns change over time, and the food classification system is updated with each survey to include new foods or beverages. Each AUSNUT publication by FSANZ is specific to the corresponding survey and reflects the products available and consumed at the time. See Comparing food and nutrient collections over time for more information. A concordance of AUSNUT 2011–13 to 2023 is available on the FSANZ website.
Mean and median food consumption
Most people eat a moderate amount of a food, but a few eat a lot, resulting in skewed data. Most food consumption data are right hand skewed (positively skewed). The distribution of food consumption for the population (including consumers and non-consumers) will be different from the one for the people who eat the food (consumers), unless everyone consumes that food. To compare how much food Australians eat, it is measured in two ways using both the mean and median.
Mean (average) food intake (both consumers and non-consumers)
- This is the average amount of food eaten by everyone in a group, including the people who didn’t eat any
- It’s useful when comparing how much food different population groups eat each day
- It’s more affected by people who eat large amounts of food than the median for that population
- Values for mean consumption can be aggregated to see totals for larger food groups (e.g. all non-alcoholic beverages).
Median food intake (consumers only)
- This is the middle value or amount eaten by only the people who reported consuming the food or from a food group
- It shows what a “typical” eater of that food or food group consumed
- It’s best used when looking at specific food groups (like a certain type of fruit)
- It’s less affected by people who eat large amounts of food than the mean for that population
- It may be influenced by portion selection methods
- Median values cannot be added up across different foods or food groups, because the number of consumers of each one may be different, so they refer to different populations.
Calculation of volume of beverages
In the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) 2023 and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) 2023, all recorded food and beverage amounts were converted to grams to enable nutrient value calculations. To support this, FSANZ developed a Food Measures file, which standardises the conversion of various portion types into gram weights. For beverages, volumes were converted to grams by multiplying by their density (g/ml). Both gram weight and volume are available on the survey files. See Food and beverage recall for more information about food measure and coding.
To estimate the consumption of sweetened beverages by volume, gram weights for drinks reported in powdered form or as undiluted cordial were converted to volumes using a hydration factor, representing the proportion of water typically added during preparation. Detailed guidance on replicating this process can be obtained from the ABS on request (health@abs.gov.au).
Alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages were collected as part of the dietary recall and covered beer, wine, spirits, ciders & perry, and other alcoholic beverages like pre-mixed drinks and liqueurs. In 2023, a new category was added for dealcoholized beverages. Although these drinks contain little or no alcohol, they are still classified within the alcoholic beverage group due to similar consumption patterns and product characteristics.
Alcohol consumption tends to vary by day of the week with higher intake typically occurring on weekends. As the 24-hour recall captures only a single day, this can introduce bias in estimating alcohol intake. To account for this, the survey methodology includes data on the proportion of interviews conducted on each day of week. This should be considered when analysing alcohol consumption estimates.
More comprehensive data on usual alcohol intake is available through the National Health Survey (NHS) 2022 and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 2022–23.
Alcoholic beverages are the main source of estimated pure alcohol intake. See Food and nutrients in NNPAS 2023 and Energy and macronutrient intake in NATSINPAS 2023 for more information.
100% Juices and juice drinks
There are two main types of fruit and vegetable drinks:
- 100% Fruit and vegetable juices – these only contain juice, typically with no added sugar or preservatives
- Fruit and vegetable drinks – these have less actual juice, and often include added ingredients like water, flavours and sweeteners.
According to the 2013 ADG, 100% juice can occasionally count as one serve of fruit (½ cup or 125 mL); however, fruit juice drinks with added sugar should be limited. Because of the difference, the AUSNUT 2023 classification now separates fruit and vegetable drinks to their own sub-major category instead of grouping them with 100% juice.
People may confuse the two types of drink when reporting, which can affect data accuracy. While estimates from 24-hour-recall records may not give the best picture of consumption, the Apparent Consumption of Selected Food Stuffs, based on the AUSNUT 2011–13 classification, can provide reliable sales estimates.