Online 24-h dietary recall tools are commonly used in nationwide nutrition surveys to assess population diets. With a steep rise in the development of new and more advanced 24-h dietary recall tools, the decision of which tool to use for a national nutrition survey becomes increasingly challenging. Therefore, this short communication outlines the process of selecting a 24-h dietary recall tool for a national nutrition survey in New Zealand.

To identify suitable 24-h dietary recall tools, a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted (2019–2022). Data on functionalities, validation, usability and adaptability were extracted for eighteen pre-specified tools, which were used in the subsequent evaluation process.

Six of the eighteen tools had new relevant publications since 2019. The fourteen new publications described six validation studies and eight usability studies. Based on pre-selection criteria (e.g. availability, adaptability, previous use in national surveys), three tools were shortlisted: ASA24, Intake24 and MyFood24. These tools were further evaluated, and expert advice was sought to determine the most suitable tool for use in the New Zealand context.

A comprehensive yet time- and cost-efficient approach was undertaken to identify the potential use of online 24-h dietary recall tools for a national nutrition survey. The selection process included key evaluation criteria to determine the tools’ suitability for adaptation within the New Zealand context and ultimately to select a preferred tool. A similar approach may be useful for other countries when having to select 24-h dietary recall tools for use in national nutrition surveys.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the validity of an FFQ utilised in the Food Retail: Evaluating Strategies for a Healthy Austin (FRESH Austin) study, designed to evaluate changes in the consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) in diverse low-income communities in Austin, TX.

The FRESH Austin FFQ was validated against three 24-h dietary recalls (24hDR). All dietary assessments were administered (in-person or by telephone) by trained investigators.

Recruitment was conducted at sites within the geographic areas targeted in the FRESH Austin recruitment. People at a community health clinic, a local health centre and a YMCA within the intervention area were approached by trained and certified data collectors, and invited to participate.

Among fifty-six participants, 83 % were female, 46 % were non-White, 24 % had income < $25 K/year and 30 % spoke only/mostly Spanish at home.

The FFQ and average of three 24hDR produce similar estimates of average total servings/d across FV (6·68 and 6·40 servings/d, respectively). Correlations produced measures from 0·01 for ‘Potatoes’ and 0·59 for ‘Other Vegetables’. Mean absolute percentage errors values were small for all FV, suggesting the variance of the error estimates was also small. Bland–Altman plots indicate acceptable levels of agreement between the two methods.

These outcomes indicate that the FRESH FFQ is a valid instrument for assessing FV consumption. The validation of the FRESH Austin FFQ provides important insights for evaluating community-based efforts to increase FV consumption in diverse populations.