An international research initiative · 2026 — ongoing
Estimating bread consumption across 185 countries.
A standardized global picture of bread intake — including whole-grain and refined-grain subtypes — across countries, regions, and population groups.
Globe hotspots illustrative · findings pending publication
The project
The first harmonized, worldwide estimates of bread intake.
About the projectBread is one of the world’s most widely consumed foods. In many countries, it serves as a common vehicle for mandatory micronutrient fortification, and its health implications may differ by bread type, including whole-grain and refined-grain breads. Yet internationally comparable estimates of bread intake remain limited.
The Global Bread Intake (GBI) Study addresses this evidence gap by generating standardized estimates of bread consumption across countries, regions, and population groups to strengthen the global evidence base for nutrition research, public health interpretation, and policy.
- 185 Countries Planned coverage across adults and children
- 145+ Surveys From multiple sources
- 144 Population subgroups Jointly stratified by age, sex, education, and residence
Methodology
A structured analytical workflow, built on established GDD methods.
The study draws on the Global Dietary Database (GDD) framework for survey identification, custodian engagement, data harmonization, quality control, and Bayesian modeling for generating comparable intake estimates across countries and population groups.
Explore the methodologyFrom survey data to stratified estimates
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01
Data sources
Available national and subnational dietary surveys with individual-level quantitative intake data are identified and utilized across multiple countries.
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02
Harmonization
Dietary data are reviewed and harmonized using standardized definitions and procedures to support comparable bread intake estimates across countries and population groups.
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03
Bayesian modeling
A Bayesian hierarchical model adapted from GDD methods synthesizes available data to generate comparable bread intake estimates and quantify uncertainty.
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04
Stratified outputs
Bread intake estimates are produced for adults and children at global, regional, and national levels, across key time points, with outputs jointly stratified by age, sex, education, and urban/rural residence.
What the GBI Study delivers
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Geography
Global, regional & national estimates
Comparable bread intake estimates from the worldwide level down to individual countries.
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Bread type
Total, whole-grain & refined-grain estimates
Separate estimates for total bread, whole-grain bread, and refined-grain bread.
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Population subgroup
144 jointly stratified population groups
Estimates by every combination of age, sex, education, and urban/rural residence.
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Time
Estimates over time
Comparable estimates across key time points, allowing bread intake patterns to be tracked over time.
Survey data
Built on harmonized survey data from across the world.
The study draws on multiple survey sources, including established GDD-linked surveys, FoodEx2-harmonized public surveys, other surveys with high-quality public microdata, and newly identified surveys, to support comparable estimates of bread intake across countries and population groups.
Explore survey data
Global estimates · preview
Illustrative regional mean bread intake estimates.
These placeholder bars show the expected format for regional estimates of total mean bread intake and bread intake by type, including whole-grain and refined-grain bread. Values are illustrative only; findings are pending publication.