Buffer Zone

A defined area around a location (e.g., household or school) used in spatial analysis to assess nearby food access.

Conversion Factor Database

A resource used to convert non-standard units into standard units for analysis.

Controlled Environment (in dietary trials)

A setting where researchers can closely manage and monitor participants’ food intake and lifestyle factors to ensure consistency in dietary intervention studies.

Discretionary Foods

Foods that are not essential to a healthy diet and are often high in added sugars, fats, or salt.

Energy Density

The amount of energy (calories) per unit of food weight or volume.

Energy Intake or Adequacy

Refers to whether a person’s total energy (calorie) consumption meets their physiological needs for maintaining health, growth, and activity levels.

EAR (Estimated Average Requirement)

A nutrient intake value estimated to meet the needs of 50% of individuals in a specific group.

Enumeration Area (EA)

A geographic unit used for census and survey sampling to define sampling clusters.

Food Away From Home (FAFH)

Foods consumed outside the home, such as street foods or meals at school.

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG)

National guidelines that recommend types and amounts of foods for a healthy diet.

Food Composition Databases (FCDBs)

These are digital databases that offer more detailed and extensive nutrient data than standard FCTs, including source codes, calculation methods, and automated data management. While they provide richer information, the software needed to access and use FCDBs is often expensive.

Food Composition Tables (FCTs)

Tables showing nutrient values for key foods consumed in a country, used to assess dietary intake.

Food Desert / Food Swamp

Areas with limited access to healthy food (desert) or high density of unhealthy food options (swamp).

Food environment

The places where people go to acquire and sometimes consume food. It can also be defined as “the consumer interface with the food system that encompasses the availability, affordability, convenience, promotion and quality, and sustainability of foods” (Downs et al., 2020).

Free Sugars

Sugars added to foods and beverages, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices.

General Nutrient Adequacy

Refers to whether a person’s overall diet provides enough essential nutrients to meet basic health and nutritional needs over time.

Healthy Diet Basket (HDB)

A standard food basket that was developed to represent commonalities of food-based dietary guidelines from different regions of the world, for global monitoring of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet.

In-Depth Vendor Assessment

A detailed observational tool used to assess food availability, prices, marketing, and vendor characteristics in retail settings.

Market Basket Analysis

A method of assessing food prices by evaluating a representative set of food items.

Measurement Error

Systematic or random inaccuracies in data collection that affect reliability.

Misreporting

Errors in dietary data due to inaccurate recall or social desirability bias.

Network Buffer

A zone defined by actual street networks rather than straight-line distance, used to better reflect real-world movement patterns.

Non-Probability Sampling

Sampling methods like convenience or snowball sampling where selection is not random.

Non-Standard Units

Units of measurement not aligned with standard metric systems (e.g., bunches, pieces), often requiring conversion.

Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)

Chronic conditions not spread from person to person, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Nutrient Profiling

A method of classifying foods based on their nutritional content, often used to define “healthy” or “unhealthy.”

Observational Checklist

A data collection tool where enumerators record the presence or absence of specific food items.

Open Recall

A dietary assessment method where respondents freely recall all foods and beverages consumed in the past 24 hours.

Portion Estimation Tools

Visual aids (e.g., 3D cubes, playdough) used to help respondents estimate the quantity of food consumed.

Primary Sampling Unit (PSU)

The first level of sampling, often a community, neighborhood, or institution like a school.

Probability Sampling

A sampling method where every individual has a known chance of being selected.

Promotional Characteristics

Features of advertisements that enhance their persuasive power, such as discounts, health claims, or child-targeted imagery.

Radial Buffer

A circular area around a central point (e.g., a school) used to define the zone for advertisement assessment.

Random-Walk Sampling

A non-probability sampling method where enumerators select vendors by walking through an area.

School Zone Assessment

A focused evaluation of food advertising around schools, often using defined buffer zones.

Self-Reported Exposure

A method where individuals report their own exposure to advertisements, subject to recall bias.

Sentinel Food Items

Key food items selected to represent broader food groups in assessments.

Shared Plate Eating

A cultural practice where multiple individuals eat from the same dish, complicating individual dietary assessment.

Shelf Length

A proxy measure used to estimate the availability of food items based on the amount of shelf space they occupy.

Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)

Industrially formulated foods with little or no whole food content, often high in sugar, fat, and salt.

Usual Intake

An individual’s average long-term dietary intake typically estimated using multiple 24HRs or FFQs.

Vendor Typology

Classification of vendors based on characteristics such as type of outlet, permanence, or food specialization.

Food composition tables (FCTs)

FCTs list nutrient values for commonly consumed foods and are essential for accurate dietary analysis. Nutrient content varies by factors like soil, climate, and farming practices, so country-specific data is important. FCTs often include food group tables, alphabetical indexes, and annexes, but coverage and quality vary—some list only 100 foods, others over 10,000. Many are outdated or lack key items like mixed dishes, processed foods, and fortified products, which is especially problematic in urban settings. When data is missing, estimating values is better than leaving gaps. Tools and support are available through the FAO/INFOODS network, including an e-learning course on food composition data.