The objective of the study was to develop a food frequency questionnaire for each of the following groups: female adults, male adults and male and female adults, based on dietary data obtained in a population-based study comprising individuals from different income levels. Dietary data was obtained from a 24-hour Dietary Recall applied to a probabilistic sample of 1,477 subjects in the city of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil) in 2003. Food items accounting for at least 90% of total daily calorie intake and nutrients were selected. The reference time frame was the year preceding the interview and subjects had the choice of four serving sizes.