Technical report - a) Background, purpose and research design

Tuesday 3 December 2002

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey programme is a joint initiative between the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health (DH).

The programme was established in 1992 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and DH, following the successful completion and evaluation of the benefits of the first survey of this type, of the diet and nutritional status of British adults aged 16 to 64 years carried out in 1986/87 (1986/87 Adults Survey) . MAFF's responsibility for the NDNS programme transferred to the Food Standards Agency on its establishment in April 2000.