ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1675142
Nutrient Density and Affordability of Aquatic Foods in the FAO uFISH Database Assessed Using Nutrient Rich Food (NRF) Indices
Provisionally accepted
- University of Washington, Seattle, United States
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Background: Fish and shellfish are valuable sources of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. Their nutrient density and price vary by species. Objectives: This study aimed to determine nutrient density and nutrient affordability per unit cost of fish and shellfish in the FAO/INFOODS uFISH database. Methods: Two versions of the Nutrient Rich Food (NRF) index were constructed. The NRF was based on a positive subscore, NRn, and a negative subscore, LIM. The NR6 subscore was the sum of percent daily values (%DV) for 6 priority micronutrients widely identified to be lacking in low and middle-income countries, including iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and folate. The NR9 subscore, specifically tailored to include micronutrients relevant to fish and shellfish, was the sum of %DV for protein, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. The LIM subscore was based on saturated fat and sodium. In both cases NRFn. 2 = NRn −LIM, with %DV calculated per 100 g and capped at 100%. Food prices, obtained from GlobeFish, were converted to the cost per 100 g protein. A new Affordability Index for Aquatic Foods was calculated as nutrient density per unit cost. Results: The NRF6.2 score identified mollusks, and especially bivalves, as the best aquatic source of priority micronutrients. The NRF9.2 revealed small pelagic fish as the most nutrient rich, followed by bivalves. Mackerel, tilapia, squid, and mussels provided the most protein, NRF6.2 nutrients, and NRF9.2 nutrients per penny. Conclusion: Fish and shellfish are an affordable source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and priority micronutrients. However, there were species differences in cost and nutrient density, with mackerel, mussels, tilapia, octopus, and squid scoring the highest for nutrient density at an affordable cost.
Keywords: Nutrient profiling, Nutrient Rich Food (NRF), Aquatic foods, fish, Shellfish, Priority Micronutrients, Affordability index
Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Johnsson, Harris and Drewnowski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Adam Drewnowski, adamdrew@uw.edu
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