The nutrient profiles of the foods in the database, and their associated measures, reflect the food supply and food preparation practices during this time period.
Nutrients reported
AUSNUT 2011-13 contains data for 53 nutrients or related components for foods and beverages. This includes a combination of nutrients reported as part of the AHS and additional nutrients that were required by FSANZ to feed into nutrient calculations (note: these have been identified in the list below using an asterisk).
For foods and beverages, the 53 nutrients are:
- energy, with and without the contribution of dietary fibre to energy
- proximate constituents including moisture (water), protein, total fat, available carbohydrate (with and without sugar alcohols), total sugars, added sugars, free sugars, starch, dietary fibre, alcohol and ash*
- fatty acid components including total saturated, total monounsaturated, total polyunsaturated, total trans, total long chain omega 3, linoleic, alpha linolenic, eicosapentaenoic*, docosapentaenoic* and docosahexaenoic* fatty acids
- vitamins including vitamin A (as retinol equivalents), preformed vitamin A (retinol), pro vitamin A (beta-carotene equivalents) and beta-carotene*, thiamin, riboflavin, preformed niacin, niacin equivalents, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, alpha tocopherol*, vitamin E, natural folates, folic acid, total folates and dietary folate equivalents
- minerals including calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc
- other components including caffeine, cholesterol and tryptophan*.
Values for linoleic, alpha linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, total long chain omega 3 and total trans fatty acids, ash, beta-carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin E, folic acid, dietary folate equivalents, iodine, selenium, sodium, tryptophan and caffeine were not previously published in AUSNUT 1999 (ANZFA, 1999).
Values for eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids and total trans fatty acids, ash, beta-carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, alpha-tocopherol, folic acid, natural folates, selenium and tryptophan were not previously published in AUSNUT 2007 (FSANZ, 2008). AUSNUT 2007 did include values for vitamin D which are not included in AUSNUT 2011-13.
For more information about the nutrients reported for foods in AUSNUT 2011-13 including information on the units, derivation and assumptions and limitations refer to the Food Nutrient List.
Sources of nutrient data
AUSNUT 2011-13 incorporates nutrient composition data from a range of sources.
To help users identify where the nutrient data comes from, each food and beverage in AUSNUT 2011-13 is assigned a derivation code which indicates how the majority of nutrient data, or data for key nutrients, were derived.
The derivation code names used in AUSNUT 2011-13 were:
- Analysed - nutrient values were primarily derived using Australian analytical data published in NUTTAB 2010 (FSANZ, 2011) or unpublished analytical data commissioned by FSANZ or provided by the food industry since the release of NUTTAB 2010
- Recipe - nutrient values were derived using a recipe calculation
- Imputed - nutrient values were based largely on a similar food or beverage, with only minor changes needed
- Label data - most of the nutrient data, or data for key nutrients, were derived from website or label information for Australian foods such as the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) and ingredient lists
- Borrowed - nutrient data were primarily derived from data published in international food composition tables and electronic databases
- 95 NNS - nutrient data were taken from data published in AUSNUT 1999 (ANZFA, 1999) with minor amendments if necessary and with the addition of nutrients not previously reported.
Although each food and beverage is assigned an overall derivation code, users should be aware that individual nutrient values for some foods may have been derived using a different technique. For example, a food described as being Analysed may have a small number of nutrient values that came from similar foods.
For information on where nutrient data for each food and beverage comes from, refer to the AUSNUT 2011-13 Food Details File.