How Do French Adults Consume Their Dairy Foods? A Characterisation Study Using the INCA3 Database

Dairy foods are rich in nutrients and typically have a lower environmental impact than other animal-based products. Despite these benefits, in France, dairy consumption is lower than recommended. This study sought to understand where in the diet dairy foods are consumed, with a view to identifying opportunities for increasing consumption. A characterisation study was conducted using the INCA3 database (n=783 adults, aged 18-44 years). All eating episodes containing dairy products were classified by product type, and five dimensions to characterise consumption: 1) intakes; 2) eaten or drunk; 3) sweet or savoury; 4) in combination with other foods or by itself; 5) time of day. A sixth dimension, meal or snack, was based on a time-of-day approach. Results showed that (1) an average of 246g, 1126kJ of dairy is consumed per person, per day; (2) dairy is more eaten than drunk; (3) in sweet and savoury dishes depending on the type of product; (4) in proper meals in combination with other foods, rarely by itself; (5, 6) and is mostly consumed at traditional mealtimes and rarely as a mid-day snack. Various suggestions can be made for increasing dairy consumption among French adults, based on product type, eating occasion, and eating context.