This is where Intake comes in

The diet patterns of populations in low- and middle-income countries are changing, and with it, so is the nutrition situation. While undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies were previously the key nutritional problems of concern; now, overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are also increasingly prevalent. This triple burden of malnutrition - where undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight/obesity often co-exist within the same community, and even among individuals within the same household - makes the design of appropriate nutrition interventions at a population-level even more challenging. To intervene effectively requires understanding the food consumption of different target groups and monitoring how food consumption changes over time.

  • Our Mission

    Intake aims to strengthen policies and programs to improve nutritional status by increasing the availability, quality, comparability, and use of reliable dietary data and metrics in low- and middle-income countries. Through our work at Intake, and in collaboration with partners in countries and globally, we want to help ensure the potential for healthy diets for all.

    Intake’s work is currently oriented around six main work streams:

    • Building demand for dietary data
    • Providing technical assistance for the collection, analysis, and use of dietary data
    • Supporting research to simplify and advance dietary assessment methods
    • Documenting best practices in dietary data collection, and sharing resources
    • Developing metrics and tools to help track progress in achieving healthy diets
    • Convening partners for shared learning related to the collection, analysis, and use of dietary data

  • What We Offer

    Intake is a Center for Dietary Assessment established at FHI Solutions in October 2016, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We offer comprehensive technical assistance services at no cost to government entities planning to carry out a dietary survey in a low- or middle-income country. We are also able to provide substantive technical assistance services to international NGOs, academic institutions, and other non-governmental entities on a fee-for-service basis. Please contact us for more information.

How We Work

Intake's way of working is guided by the following key principles:

  • Collaboration

    a desire to foster meaningful collaboration with partners in-country and at the global level

  • INNOVATION

    leveraging appropriate analytic approaches and novel data visualization techniques to help translate dietary data to action

  • DISSEMINATION

    a commitment to share innovations and new tools related to dietary data collection and analysis widely and freely

  • SHARED LEARNING

    an appreciation for the need to foster shared learning related to the collection, analysis, and use of dietary data

  • TAILORED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

    an approach aimed at filling gaps, building capacity, and responding to expressed needs related to the collection, analysis, and use of dietary data in low- and middle-income countries