Global Data Visualizations

Average amount (grams, g) of the food vehicle available for human consumption per person (capita, c) per day (d).

Food intake is an important piece of information for fortification design, specifically the setting of fortification requirements in food standards. Data on food intake should be used to set nutrient levels and identify allowed compounds in food standards. If food intake is not available for a country, proxy data such as food availability (as calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Balance Sheets) can help provide an estimate for food intake.

Follow these steps to download data from the visualization as an Excel or CSV file:

• Click on the “Data” tab at the bottom of the visualization window.
• Hover over the header row of the table until an ellipses (three dots […]) appears.
• Click on “more options” and a drop-down menu will appear. Select “Export data.”
• In the new window, select the export format that best supports your needs and click the “Export” button.

• GFDx uses food availability data from FAO for maize flour, oil, rice, and wheat flour. Food availability is not the same as food intake and may overestimate total volume of food consumed, and thus nutrient contribution, if there is significant waste or loss of that food.
• GFDx uses salt intake from Powles, et al. 2017. In some countries where actual intake is not available, intake was estimated through statistical modeling. If the Powles estimates for salt intake are not accurate, the estimated nutrient contribution through fortification would not be incorrect.

GFDx populates its database through a bi-annual survey, aiming to reach 196 countries. In between survey cycles, the GFDx database is updated when new information is received directly from fortification partners and/or national stakeholders. To share data for your country, please contact us at info@fortificationdata.org.

For more information about GFDx methodology and indicators: GFDx Data Dictionary.

• Total food availability data for maize flour, oil, rice, and wheat flour are drawn from the most recent version of FAO Supply Utilization Accounts.
• Salt intake data are from Powles, et al. 2017.
• Country classifications of income status and geographic region are from the World Bank and the United Nations, respectively.

Guidelines to set nutrient levels and identify fortificants for use in food fortification are available from WHO for maize flour, salt, and wheat flour. WHO Guidelines for rice exist, and summarize the available evidence for rice fortification, but do not explicitly suggest nutrient levels or compounds. Links to these guidelines are below.

• FAOSTAT: FAO Supply Utilization Accounts.
• WHO, 2009: Recommendations on wheat and maize flour fortification.
• WHO, 2014: Guideline: Fortification of food-grade salt with iodine for the prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders.
• WHO, 2016: WHO Guideline: Fortification of maize flour and corn meal with vitamins and minerals.
• WHO, 2018: Guideline: Fortification of rice with vitamins and minerals as a public health strategy.

Global Fortification Data Exchange. Map: Daily food intake/availability per capita. Accessed dd/month/yyyy. [http://www.fortificationdata.org.]