To assess the perceived outcomes associated with diet/food intake in the general adult population.

The Food Benefits Assessment (FBA©) questionnaire was developed from subjects’ verbatim transcripts (n 18) and after comprehension tests (n 5). Normal-weight (n 130) and overweight (n 67) subjects then completed the final questionnaire twice, 7 d apart. Psychometric properties were assessed, including construct validity by principal components analysis (PCA), concurrent validity (Spearman coefficient) with the Short Form-36 scale (SF-36), known-group validity by comparing FBA dimension scores according to lifestyle and clinical variables, internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α) and test–retest reproducibility in stable subjects over 1 week (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC).

PCA and Multitrait analysis confirmed the final version of the FBA comprising forty-one items split into seven dimensions (vitality; digestive comfort; physical appearance; well-being; snacking; disease prevention; aesthetics). All dimensions displayed good item convergent validity (0·44 to 0·80), good concurrent validity (highest correlation between well-being dimension of FBA and mental health scale of SF-36, r = 0·83) and good known-group validity and reproducibility (ICC ≥ 0·76); internal consistency reliability was good to excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0·79 to 0·91).

The FBA is the first valid and reliable questionnaire that allows the assessment of diet effects and impact as perceived by subjects. It is a good candidate in the nutrition field for further use in specific population settings and with a particular food or daily diet. Linguistically validated English (UK and US) and German versions of the questionnaire are available.