The Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children (DNSIYC) was commissioned by the Department of Health (DH) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to provide detailed information on the food consumption, nutrient intakes and nutritional status of infants and young children aged 4 up to 18 months living in private households in the UK.

The survey was carried out by a consortium of organisations: Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research (MRC HNR), NatCen Social Research (NatCen), the MRC Epidemiology Unit and the Human Nutrition Research Centre at Newcastle University. The fieldwork in Northern Ireland (NI) was carried out by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Fieldwork was carried out between January and August 2011.

DNSIYC provides the only source of high quality nationally representative data on the types and quantities of foods consumed by the 4 to 18 month age group, from which estimates of nutrient intakes are derived.