Online 24-hour dietary recall tools are commonly used in nationwide nutrition surveys to assess population diets. With a steep rise in the development of new and more advanced 24-hour recall tools, the decision of which tool to use for a national nutrition survey becomes increasingly challenging. Therefore, this short communication outlines the process of selecting a 24-hour dietary recall tool for a national nutrition survey in New Zealand.

To identify suitable 24-hour dietary recall tools, a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted (2019-2022). Data on functionalities, validation, usability, and adaptability were extracted for 18 pre-specified tools, which were used in the subsequent evaluation process.

Six of the 18 tools had new relevant publications since 2019. The 14 new publications described six validation studies and eight usability studies. Based on pre-selection criteria (e.g., availability, adaptability, previous use in national surveys), three tools were shortlisted: ASA24, Intake24, and MyFood24. These tools were further evaluated, and expert advice was sought to determine the most suitable tool for use in the New Zealand context.

A comprehensive yet time- and cost-efficient approach was undertaken to identify the potential use of online 24-hour dietary recall tools for a national nutrition survey. The selection process included key evaluation criteria to determine the tools’ suitability for adaptation within the New Zealand context and ultimately to select a preferred tool. A similar approach may be useful for other countries when having to select 24-hour dietary recall tools for use in national nutrition surveys.