ABSTRACT Objective To present changes in the estimated amount of food intake in Brazil between the 2008-2009 and 2017-2018 National Dietary Surveys. Methods Food intake data from the 2008-2009 and 2017-2018 surveys were used to highlight the differences in the frequencies of foods mentioned, the number of the measurement units mentioned, and the frequency of measurements that were incompatible with the reported food and were exchanged by the most mentioned measurement (standard measurement), as well as to describe the updates performed in the database between edits. Results The elaboration of the 2017-2018 referenced measurement table was based on the 2008-2009 table, which was revised and updated. In the 2008-2009 survey, 9980 household measurements were mentioned for 1970 types of food and preparations, while in 2017-2018 there were 11050 and 2534, respectively. While in 2008-2009, 2.8% of citations were replaced by the standard measurement, in 2017-2018, only 0.7% of food items needed to be replaced. Conclusion The procedures used to estimate the amount of food intake between the surveys allowed updating the table of household measurements and minimizing errors in the estimate of this amount, with a reduction in measurement units that were inconsistent or incompatible with the aforementioned foods.