Most consumed foods in Brazil: National Dietary Survey 2008-2009

OBJECTIVE: To describe the most commonly consumed foods in Brazil. METHOD: This analysis is based on food intake data obtained on the first of two non-consecutive days' food records from 34,003 subjects aged 10 or over, resident in 13,569 households selected to participate in the National Dietary Survey 2008-2009 from the probabilistic sample defined for the Household Budget Survey 2008-2009. Consumption patterns were analyzed according to gender, age, regions and per capita family income. RESULTS: The most frequently recorded foods were rice (84.0%), coffee (79.0%), beans (72.8%), bread (63.0%), and red meat (48.7%). The intake of fruit juice (39.8%) and soft drinks (23.0%) is notable, as is the low intake of fruit (16.0%) and vegetables (16.0%). This scenario was similar across all age and sex groups; however, adolescents were the only age group which did not report any vegetables and included candies, sweetened dairy beverages and cookies among the most frequently recorded foods. Some foods are of markedly regional intake, such as manioc flour in the North and Northeast and tea in the South Region. Analysis according to income quartile revealed important differences between the highest and lowest income stratum. Subjects in the highest income quartile reported consuming sandwiches, tomatoes, and lettuce and those in the lowest income quartile cited manioc flour and fish and seafood among the most recorded foods. CONCLUSIONS: There is a basic food intake pattern in Brazil based on rice, beans, coffee, bread, and beef with small but consistent regional variation. The consumption of items rich in fat and sugar is also frequent, particularly among adolescents.