Dietary coding is the backbone of high-quality nutrition research and program evaluation. Amber’s role involves translating real-world foods — from school cafeteria entrées to summer meal snacks — into standardized nutrient data that researchers, policymakers, and program administrators rely on.

In this inspiring three-part series, we shine a spotlight on the incredible contributions of Dietitians who are impacting their communities.

How healthy are the foods we buy at the grocery store? Thanks to a new set of tools developed by USDA researchers, we now have a clearer way to answer that question.