Developing new dietary assessment methods: myfood24 focus

Traditional methods of measuring diet, mainly food frequency questionnaires, are not fit for purpose. Diet is complex, with over 150k different food items available in UK supermarkets. This review describes the limitations of nutritional assessment methods used in the past. It provides an overview of recent methods using newer technologies, including online tool myfood24. Limitations of dietary assessment methods include recall bias; inability to estimate portion sizes; lack of adaptability across diverse populations; and inadequate food composition data. New tools include mobile apps for real-time intake tracking; use of image-based approaches for portion sizes and food identification; sensor technologies such as smart utensils and bite counters. Online platforms provide an economical approach for large-scale epidemiology. myfood24 is an online tool, developed for research and validated using biomarkers. Having demonstrated success with >250,000 research participants in over 27 countries; myfood24 is also used in healthcare, for student education and other settings. myfood24 focuses on accurate data and ease of participant use. The underlying food composition database curated by nutritionists has fewer missing data and more nutrient variables than standard generic tables. The database includes diet quality and sustainability measures. A new app includes the novel myfood24 Diet Optimization Engine suggesting individual dietary changes to meet nutrition targets. New dietary assessment tools provide more accurate data with deeper insights into dietary behaviour. They need to be used in large epidemiological surveys; for public health population screening and with patients to fully realise their potential.