Food consumption of adults in Germany: results of the German National Nutrition Survey II based on diet history interviews

TLDR

The second German National Nutrition Survey (NVS II) evaluated food consumption and nutritional behaviour in a representative German sample using a modular design with three dietary assessment methods. The study assessed usual food consumption by having 15 371 German‑speaking adults aged 14–80 complete a diet history interview from November 2005 to November 2006. NVS II found that Germans consume insufficient plant foods, especially vegetables, and excess meat, with higher bread, fruit‑juice, and beer intake than other European countries; men drank twice as much meat and soft drinks and six times more beer than women, while women ate more vegetables, fruit, and tea; older adults ate less meat and more fish, vegetables, and fruit than younger groups; higher‑SES participants ate more vegetables, fruit, fish, water, coffee/tea, and wine, whereas lower‑SES participants ate more meat, soft drinks, and beer; overall, women, the elderly, and higher‑SES groups were closer to German dietary guidelines.

Abstract

The second German National Nutrition Survey (NVS II) aimed to evaluate food consumption and other aspects of nutritional behaviour of a representative sample of the German population, using a modular design with three different dietary assessment methods. To assess usual food consumption, 15 371 German speaking subjects 14–80 years of age completed a diet history interview between November 2005 and November 2006. With reference to the guidelines of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), NVS II observed that the German population did not eat enough foods of plant origin, especially vegetables and consumed too much of meat and meat products. While generally similar food consumption is observed in other European countries, consumption of bread, fruit juices/nectars and beer is higher in Germany. On average, men consumed two times more meat and soft drinks as well as six times more beer than women did, whereas the consumption of vegetables, fruit as well as herbal/fruit tea was higher in women. Older participants showed a lower consumption of meat, fruit juice/nectars, soft drinks and spirits as well as a higher consumption of fish, vegetables, fruit, and herbal/fruit tea than adolescents and younger adults did. There are also differences in food consumption with regard to socio-economic status (SES). Persons with higher SES consumed more vegetables, fruit, fish, water, coffee/tea and wine, while persons with lower SES consumed more meat and meat products, soft drinks and beer. In general, the food consumption of women, the elderly and the higher SES group tends to be closer to the official dietary guidelines in Germany.