The FDA Food Basket Study
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The Total Diet Study (TDS), sometimes called the market basket study, is an ongoing program
administered by the Food and Drug Administration that determines levels of various
contaminants and nutrients in foods.
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The TDS involves purchasing samples of food throughout the U.S., preparing the foods as they
would be consumed (table-ready), and analyzing the foods to measure the levels of selected
contaminants and nutrients.
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This unique aspect allows the TDS results to provide the basis for realistic estimates of the
dietary intake of the selected contaminants and nutrients.
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Sample collections (also referred to as market baskets) are generally conducted four times each
year, once in each of four geographic regions of the country (West, North Central, South, and
Northeast) and are purchased from supermarkets, grocery stores, and fast food restaurants in
three cities in each region.
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Dietary intakes of the selected contaminants and nutrients by the U.S. population are calculated
by multiplying the levels found in the foods by the average consumption amounts for each food.
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The food consumption amounts are compiled for the total US population and 14 age/sex
subgroups.
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Perchlorate, a naturally-occurring and man-made salt used in military, aerospace and industrial
settings, was recently analyzed in TDS samples. This study estimated doses of perchlorate and
iodine through food based on the FDA TDS using samples collected in 2005-2006 and food
intake rates from 1994-1998.
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Although the analysis of the TDS samples did not specifically model a perchlorate dose for the
most sensitive population (pregnant women and their fetuses), the estimated dose range for
women of child bearing age was 0.09 to 0.11 milligrams per kilogram per day (mg/kg-d).
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It is important to note that the high end of the estimated dose range for pregnant women and
their fetuses, 0.11 mg/kg-d, is far lower than the reference dose of 0.7 mg/kg-d recommended
by the National Academy of Science (NAS). According to the NAS, this number protects the most
sensitive population - the fetuses of pregnant women who might have hypothyroidism or iodide
deficiency.

The TDS also found the greatest contribution to the estimated dose for women older than 16 is
from vegetables. Children 2 years old were estimated to have the intake based on body weight
of 0.35 to 0.39 mg/kg-d, which is also well below the reference dose recommended by the NAS.
The greatest contribution to the estimated perchlorate dose for those under age 16 is from
dairy.
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The results of the TDS study make clear that the minute amounts of perchlorate in food do not
come close to meeting the reference dose recommended by the NAS, and therefore do not pose
a health threat.

Despite this evidence, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) has begun the process of
creating an unnecessary national perchlorate standard.
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This standard would likely create millions of dollars of additional costs to the food industry in
the United States with no public health benefit.

Milk, lettuce, broccoli and other products often contain trace amounts of naturally-occurring
perchlorate. Eliminating this background perchlorate from the water used to create these
products would create millions of dollars of unnecessary expenses for treatment facilities and/or
replacement water supplies, yet serve no public health purpose.