Nutritional Value Scores for Foods in Latin America, Asia, and Africa

Kerstin Damerau published this nutrient profiling dataset in 2026 to quantify the nutritional density of local foods in Latin America, South/Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. It provides a Nutritional Value Score (NVS) on a 1-100 scale, integrating 11 vitamins, 5 minerals, and 3 nutrient ratios specifically weighted for the dietary priorities of women and girls aged 15–49.

Use Cases

• Comparing the 'NVS per 1,000 kcal' across regional food groups to identify high-density nutrient sources for public health programs
• Calculating the 'grams of food required to achieve an NVS of 100' to assess the economic affordability of a nutritionally complete diet
• Evaluating the 'sodium:potassium' and 'saturated:unsaturated fat' ratios to screen foods for noncommunicable disease risk factors

Strengths

• Includes 7 weighted components covering 11 vitamins and 5 minerals
• Provides region-specific scores for Latin America, South/Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa
• Incorporates quality-adjusted protein and n-3 fatty acids into the scoring algorithm

Limitations

• Algorithm weights are optimized for women and girls (15-49), potentially limiting applicability to other demographic groups
• Geographic scope is restricted to low- and middle-income regions

Provenance

Source

Kerstin Damerau, Harvard Dataverse

Collection Method

derived from food composition databases and nutrient profiling algorithms

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa