An overview of food eaten outside the home in the United Kingdom National Food Survey and the new Expenditure and Food Survey.
OBJECTIVE
To summarise the methods of data collection on foods eaten outside the home in the National Food Survey (NFS) and the new (2001) Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS).


METHODS
The treatment of foods eaten outside the home in the NFS was reviewed as part of a merger process with the UK household budget Family Expenditure Survey (FES). Problem issues were identified and the way these problems are being dealt with in the EFS is indicated.


METHODS
United Kingdom.


RESULTS
Pilot EFS results indicate improved coverage of foods eaten outside the home, in a comparable period to the NFS.


CONCLUSIONS
The new EFS, which represents a merger of the NFS and the FES at the level of data collection and validation, is likely to preserve the qualities of the previous surveys and represents an improvement over them.
Rimmer
D J
DJ
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), London, UK. david.j.rimmer@defra.gsi.gov.uk
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D015930:Diet Records; D005522:Food Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012147:Restaurants / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012574:Schools; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D006113:United Kingdom