The French Agency for Children's Foods (SFAE) has conducted a national survey on the eating behaviors and food consumption of children under 3 years of age every 8 years since 1981. A survey of this scope requires the involvement of many stakeholders with diverse skills (professionals in conducting studies and surveys, healthcare professionals and researchers such as pediatricians and nutrionists, sociologists and statisticians) before, during and after the completion of the survey. In 2013, the survey was repeated and focused on 1188 children aged 15 days to 35 months. This survey is original in that it examines the habits and behaviors of mothers regarding their child's diet and also assesses the children's diet from a quantitative point of view (in terms of daily food intakes and nutrient intakes). The purpose of the present paper is to describe the methodology of the national dietary survey and to discuss the effects of the method on the assessment of food and nutrient intakes.
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