CB 8809 en
CB 8809 en
methodological document
FOOD GROUPS AND SUBGROUPS
Why were the FAO/WHO GIFT food groups and subgroups developed?
A major challenge in harmonizing food consumption data relates to the harmonization of the coding of food items.
Foods vary between countries and regions in terms of forms, varieties, preparation methods and many other
characteristics. It is essential that comparability be maintained, without losing detailed information on what has
been consumed. The use of a common food classification and description system among food consumption surveys
from different countries – covering different age and sex population groups – contributes to the global
harmonization of dietary data.
The individual quantitative food consumption datasets shared through the FAO/WHO Global Individual Food
consumption data Tool (FAO/WHO GIFT) are coded with the FoodEx2 system. FoodEx2 is a comprehensive and
flexible food classification and description system developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It was
first developed to be used at the European level, and was later scaled up to the global level in collaboration with the
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to
enable the description and classification of food items – such as insects, flowers and wild foods – as consumed in
other regions of the world.
The FoodEx2 classification and description system contains different hierarchies that differently aggregate individual
food items with similar characteristics into food groups and comprehensive food categories in a hierarchical
manner. The FoodEx2 Exposure hierarchy was designed to facilitate the grouping of food items for dietary exposure
calculations, which is a key step in the risk assessment process for food safety. This is the hierarchy that is usually
used for coding food consumption data.
The Nutrition assessment Team, Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) at FAO Headquarter, worked to develop the
FAO/WHO GIFT food groups and subgroups for a simpler and more nutrition-sensitive food grouping, which would
allow non-specialist users to draw conclusions from the indicators presented in the FAO/WHO GIFT platform in an
intuitive way.
The development of the food grouping used in the FAO/WHO GIFT platform was based on the food groups used for
Dietary Diversity Score indicators, as well as those typically used in food-based dietary guidelines. The food grouping
was meant to reflect the role of foods in the diet. It was also reviewed by food composition specialists, and
compared with the food grouping used by the FAO/WHO Chronic Individual Food Consumption Database –
Summary Statistics (CIFOCOss), now integrated into the FOSCOLLAB platform, to ensure maximum possible
coherence with other similar classifications. Finally, the food groups were mapped with FoodEx2 reportable terms
and comprehensively checked to ensure that they are collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive.
Food lists that have not been mapped with FoodEx2 can be mapped manually with the FAO/WHO GIFT food groups,
based on the descriptions of food groups as presented in the list below.
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
How are the food groups and subgroups used to compute indicators in
the FAO/WHO GIFT platform?
Currently, FAO/WHO GIFT provides ready-to-use indicators based on individual food consumption data in the areas
of food consumption, food safety and nutrition. These indicators can be browsed by food group, subgroup and food
item. The indicators are computed by the platform’s backend technology which automatically assigns each food
consumed to a food group or subgroup, based on its FoodEx2 code.
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
manufactured wheat-based
snacks such as chips.
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
Microbiological or enzymatic
ingredients such as starter
Microbiological or enzymatic Microbiological or
1706 cultures, yeast cultures, enzymes
ingredients enzymatic ingredients
for food manufacture and moulds
or microfungal cultures.
Composite dishes, excluding
soups, in which the main
1801 Meat-based dishes Meat-based dishes ingredient is meat, such as meat
or offal stews, meat loafs and
moussaka.
Composite dishes, excluding
soups, in which the main
1802 Fish- and seafood-based dishes Fish-based dishes ingredient is fish or other
seafood, such as fish and seafood
stews, salads and cakes.
Composite Composite Composite dishes, excluding
18
dishes dishes soups, in which the main
1803 Egg-based dishes Egg-based dishes
ingredient is egg, such as
omelettes.
Composite dishes, excluding
soups, in which the main
ingredient is potato, such as
baked potato pies, potato salads,
1804 Potato-based dishes Potato-based dishes
potato croquettes and various
meals with potatoes and meat,
cheese, vegetables or other
ingredients.
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Food Food group Food group – Subgroup NUTRITION subgroup NUTRITION subgroup – Food group description
group short name code short name
code
[Link]
FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (GIFT)
Definitions:
Processed food: foods that have undergone some sort of processing that has partly changed their nature in relation to their form as fresh foods.
Secondary commodity: the lowest level of processing. Includes dried foods of plant and animal origin, milled grains and milk that has undergone simple processing,
leading to the removal of certain ingredients such as water and milk fat.
Derived Products: various intermediate products in the manufacture of edible food products, such as isolated fractions of animal source products (animal fat, milk
fractions, etc.) and plant origin foods (grain milling fractions, oils, juices, plant butter and molasses), and meat, fish and seafood after simple processing such as
boiling and freezing.
Manufactured products: multi- and single-ingredient processed foods that are normally pre-packaged and ready for consumption without cooking, typically
prepared from derived products of plant or animal origin.
Codes:
Food groups highlighted in grey are those we are currently considering for creation, but which have not been mapped with FoodEx2 to date, and thus are not in
use.
References:
FAO & WHO. 2017. Total mercury and methylmercury in fish: Request for data on total mercury and methylmercury in tuna, alfonsino, kingfish/amberjack, marlin,
shark, dogfish and swordfish. [online]. [Cited 13/01/2022]. [Link]
CB8809EN/1/03.22
© FAO, 2022
Some rights reserved. This work is available under a
[Link]
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence