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Analysis of consumption of home-produced foods

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 11, pages 398–406 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

One of the potential exposure pathways of concern when assessing human exposures to environmental contaminants is the ingestion of contaminated foods. Individuals who live near contaminated sites and who grow their own food may be at a higher risk than the general population. Estimating exposures to this subpopulation requires an analysis of homegrown food intake rates. The Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) 1987–1988 data were used to generate intake rates for home-produced foods. Results of the analysis show that, among the general population, homegrown vegetables (18%) were the most commonly consumed of the major food groups, followed by fruit (8%), meat (5%), fish (2%), and dairy products (0.8%). The intake rates for the major food groups vary according to region, age, urbanization, and race. In general, intake rates of home-produced foods are higher among populations in non-metropolitan and suburban areas and lowest in central city areas.

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Acknowledgements

The US EPA funded this research under contract with Versar (contract no. 68-D3-0013). SAS programming was conducted by Dr. Jay Wind from Versar and QA/QC was conducted by Dr. Jonathan Becker. In addition, for the major food groups, distributions were generated for each region by season, urbanization, and responses to the questionnaire. Results of these analyses can be found in US EPA (1997). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia 20460, USA

    JACQUELINE MOYA

  2. Versar Inc., 6850 Versar Center, Springfield, 22151, Virginia, USA

    LINDA PHILLIPS

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  1. JACQUELINE MOYA
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  2. LINDA PHILLIPS
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Correspondence to JACQUELINE MOYA.

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MOYA, J., PHILLIPS, L. Analysis of consumption of home-produced foods. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 11, 398–406 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500181

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