Purpose@#Key
Foods refers to
foods that have a high contribution in the
nutrient intake of individuals, and exert important effects on their
health. This study was undertaken to identify Korean Key
Foods, using data from the 7th
Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES). @*
Methods@#The
data source for the extraction of Key
Foods was the 24-hour dietary
survey data obtained from the 7th KNHNES (2016–2018), and 21,271 subjects were evaluated. A total of 17
nutrients were selected as the key
nutrients for identifying the Key
Foods, including energy,
carbohydrates,
protein,
lipid,
dietary fiber,
calcium,
phosphorus,
iron,
sodium,
potassium,
vitamin A,
thiamin,
riboflavin,
niacin,
vitamin C,
cholesterol, and
sugars. The
nutrient consumption approach was applied to generate a list of potential Key
Foods.
Foods included in 85% of the cumulative intake contribution from one or more key
nutrients, were subsequently selected as Key
Foods. @*Results@#Of the 1,728
foods consumed by
survey respondents, we extracted 728 Key
Foods. These Key
Foods explained 94% key
nutrient intakes of the subjects. Based on the contribution rate to key
nutrient intake, the top 10 Key
Foods identified were multigrain
rice (5.32%), plain
white rice (4.23%),
milk (3.3%),
cabbage kimchi (2.82%), grilled
pork belly (1.56%),
apples (1.52%), fried
eggs (1.49%),
cereal (1.36%), instant
coffee mix (1.21%), and sweet
potatoes (1.12%). These 10
foods accounted for 23.93% total key
nutrient intake of the
survey respondents. @*Conclusion@#Seven hundred and twenty-eight
foods were extracted and identified as the 2020 Korean Key
Foods. These Key
Foods can be considered the priority
foods to be analyzed for establishing a national
nutrient database.