Used in published nutrition research
Researchers across Australian and New Zealand universities cite Foodworks in their methods. When a study reports dietary intake “analysed using Foodworks,” that’s the same platform and the same food composition data available to you here.
Easy Diet Diary, the companion app built on Foodworks’ analysis engine and Australian food databases, has been validated against traditional dietary assessment methods. A 2018 peer-reviewed study published in Nutrition Journal found no significant difference in macronutrient density between four-day app-based food diaries and 24-hour dietary recalls, with 83% of participants preferring the app. These are published findings from independent researchers at the University of Western Australia, not internal testing.
For research use, Easy Diet Diary includes a food-only mode that strips out calorie counts, nutrient breakdowns, weight tracking, and goal-setting from the participant’s view. The researcher controls this from Foodworks when connecting a participant. Your study subjects log what they eat without being influenced by the nutritional feedback, and the data flows directly into your Foodworks workspace for analysis.
Some published studies using Foodworks
These peer-reviewed studies cite Foodworks in their methodology. Spanning nutrition, public health, exercise science, and clinical medicine research.
The mushrooms on the menu (MOM) study: vitamin D mushrooms are a feasible and acceptable way to increase vitamin D intake in a residential aged care facility.
Used FoodWorks v10.0 to analyse the nutritional composition of standard and UV-exposed mushroom-enriched menus in an Australian aged care setting.
Food- vs. supplement-based very-low-energy diets and gut microbiome composition in women with high body mass index: A randomized controlled trial
Participants logged food via Easy Diet Diary for full study period. Macronutrient intake analysed using FoodWorks Professional with Australian food composition databases. RCT comparing food-based vs supplement-based VLED in 47 women (BMI 30-45) over 3 weeks.
Long-term effectiveness of a choice architecture intervention in increasing healthy food choices of high-school students from online canteens.
Used Foodworks for nutrition analysis of online lunch orders across a cluster randomised controlled trial.
Assessment of dietary carotenoid intake using food records and biomarkers in an Australian cardiology cohort.
Used FoodWorks 10 with AUSNUT 2011-13 data for nutrient calculations.
Validation of a phosphorus food frequency questionnaire in patients with kidney failure undertaking dialysis.
Used Foodworks for dietary assessment of dialysis patients across two major Perth hospitals.
Maternal adiposity and energy balance after normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies.
Used Foodworks to assess dietary energy intake in postpartum women.
Feasibility of a commercial smartphone application for dietary assessment in epidemiological research and comparison with 24-h dietary recalls.
Tested Easy Diet Diary (with nutritional feedback disabled for research use) against traditional 24-hour recalls in 50 adults. No significant difference in macronutrient density between methods.
The impact of a one week Be-Fit-Food™ delivered meal program on body composition and blood glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: preliminary data
Dietary intake from participant food diaries entered into FoodWorks for nutritional analysis of a Be Fit Food delivered meal intervention in type 2 diabetes patients.
Development and evaluation of the Australian child and adolescent recommended food score.
Used Foodworks for dietary assessment in Australian youth.
Local data, built for this region
Foodworks is built on food composition data from the peak bodies responsible for measuring what Australians and New Zealanders actually eat.
In Australia, that’s AusFoods, drawing on FSANZ’s food composition data covering 80+ nutrients and dietary components across the foods that make up the Australian diet. In New Zealand, it’s FOODfiles, the national food composition dataset jointly maintained by the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research and the Ministry of Health.
Alongside this, AusBrands covers thousands of branded commercial products currently sold in Australia, with nutrient data sourced directly from manufacturers. For hospital and clinical research, Foodworks also includes a Hospital Foods database covering 1,200+ products from brands including Abbott, Nestle Health Science, Nutricia, and Fresenius Kabi.
For research, this distinction is methodological. A study analysing dietary intake in Australia or New Zealand requires food composition data built for that food supply. Foodworks draws on the data built for this region, by the bodies responsible for it.
Built for research teams
Most nutrition research involves more than one person handling dietary data. PhD students, research assistants, co-investigators. People join the project. People leave.
Foodworks is browser-based, so every member of your team analyses against the same food composition database version. That matters for reproducibility: if a co-author queries your nutrient calculations two years after publication, you can confirm exactly which database version was used. No ambiguity about the method.
The organisation owner controls access and permissions centrally. Grant a new PhD student access in their first week. Revoke it when they submit their thesis. Dietary data stays within the platform, not on personal laptops that leave the building when someone graduates or changes institutions.
For ethics committees, Foodworks and Easy Diet Diary together have passed ethics approvals on a number of occassions.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we get asked most, answered plainly. If yours isn't here, our team is based in Australia and are happy to help, just reach out.
Already a Foodworks customer? Visit our support centre for help articles, tutorials, and video guides.
Can I cite it in my methods section?
Yes. Published research needs tools with a traceable, documented data source. Foodworks has appeared in method sections of Australian nutrition research for over twenty years. The underlying food composition databases are curated, version-tracked, and documented. For details on how to cite Foodworks see our support article here.
Is the data appropriate for my study population?
Foodworks was built specifically for the Australian and New Zealand food supply and cohort populations.
Will my team be able to use it?
Yes. Not everyone on a research team has a nutrition background. Foodworks produces structured, interpretable outputs that a non-dietitian can work with downstream. The CSV export is clean enough that your biostatistician doesn’t need to understand food composition methodology to run the numbers.
Is the data secure enough for my ethics approval?
Australian hosting, encrypted at rest, access-controlled, backed up in-country. Foodworks meets the specfic expectations of ethics committees.
Endorsed by leading researchers
Clare Collins is a Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle and Director of the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute. She ranks in the top 1% of most-cited scientists globally in her field, and she has supervised over 50 PhD candidates, published more than 700 papers and been awarded over $37 million in research funding. In 2023, she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to nutritional health, dietetic research, scientific organisations and science communication.
Her research spans dietary assessment methodology, precision nutrition, and nutrition technologies. She led development of the validated Australian Eating Survey food frequency questionnaires that have been used in hundreds of research projects over two decades. Her team at the University of Newcastle conduct innovative nutrition studies across health, condition and life stages.
Clare has used Foodworks across her career, first as a clinical dietitian, then with consumer groups, and now as part of her research programme at the university.
You export the data. Done.
There’s a big difference between people who are nutrition and dietetic researchers versus people who just want to measure diet. They don’t necessarily know how to use dietary instruments so that they get valid data. And the big pain point for non-nutrition people is cost: with a paper-based system, you’re paying dietitians to do interviewer-based 24-hour recalls, paying them to enter all the data, and paying them to tell you how that data can be used. With an online system like Foodworks, you export the data and you’ve got your nutrients.
Ready to talk about research use?
Foodworks offers educational and institutional licensing for universities and research teams. Whether you're evaluating the platform for a study, costing a grant application, or need answers for your IT or ethics committee, the Xyris team can help.
Free food diary template
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