National Food Survey

National Food Survey

Results from the National Food Survey for the first quarter of 1999 show that the proportion of food energy derived from fat continued to decline falling to 37.7 per cent compared with 38.5 per cent in the same period of 1998. There was also a slight decrease in the proportion of food energy derived from saturated fat. Total energy intake at 1,680kcal was slightly lower than in the first quarter of 1998, mainly due to a decrease in consumption of spreading and cooking fats. A drop in consumption of fresh and processed fruit resulted in a decrease in assessed intake of vitamin C compared with the same period in 1998. Vitamin A intake also fell as a result of a drop in consumption of liver. Assessed intake of all minerals and vitamins, except for iron and zinc, remained well above the Reference Nutrient Intakes.