Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I get city or county identifiers?

The only identifier you can get is the community ID (commid) in our datasets. Requested by the IRB, we are not allowed to release city/county names or locations and we cannot violate any IRB rules.

We can help link your data with ours, at costs. When request for this service, you submit your data with Chinese Administrative District Codes (GB codes) and all other required materials. We review your application and decide whether we accept, reject, or request modification of your application within 6 weeks.

Can I get the linkages between food codes and food names?

We cannot release the Chinese Food Composition Table (FCT) because the copyright belongs to the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Please contact China CDC National Institute for Nutrition and Health or Chinese Nutrition Society if you need the data.

Which version FCT do you use?

We used three versions FCT in our survey:

FCT 1981: used in 1989, 1991, and 1993

FCT 1991: used in 1997 and 2000

FCT 2002/2004 (two books combined): used in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2011.