Food Code Format File
This dataset is a technical support file for the Individual Foods File (DRXIFF_B) of the dietary interview component. It provides text descriptions for the food codes used in the Individual Foods File. The source of the text descriptions used in this file is the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), version 1. Please refer to the documentation for the Individual Foods File for details information on the dietary interview component and related dietary data files.
The Food Code Format File was created for linking the text descriptions with the food codes used in the Individual Foods File. There are three variables included in the file:
1) FMTNAME: a text field encoding the name of the key variable (i.e., DRDIFDCD) used to link with the Individual Foods File;
2) START: the numeric value of the USDA food codes;
3) VALUE: the text description for the correspondent food code.
The following is an example SAS code to associate the text descriptions with the food codes using the proc format option:
Assuming that the individual foods file (DRXIFF_B) and the Format file (DRXFMT_B) have been copied to a SAS library NHANES:
Options FmtSearch = (NHANES);
Proc Format CntlIn=NHANES.DRXFMT_B Library=NHANES;
Proc DataSets Lib=NHANES;
Modify DRXIFF_B;
FORMAT DRDIFDCD DRDIFDCD.; Quit;
Alternatively, data users may use the format statement in proc or data steps to apply the format when needed. For example:
Proc Format CntlIn=NHANES.DRXFMT_B
Proc Freq Data=NHANES.DRXIFF_B; Tables DRDIFDCD; Format DRDIFDCD DRDIFDCD.;
Run;
To simply obtain a listing of formatted text labels for each food code, data users can apply the following SAS code:
Options LS=240; Proc Print Data= NHANES.DRXFMT_B; Run;
Note that the text label is up to 60 characters long.
Expanded food descriptions can be found in the food descriptions component1 of the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS). The FNDDS2 is available from the Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) website.