British English translation of the Food Craving Inventory (FCI-UK)

•We have designed and tested a UK-specific version of the Food Craving Inventory.•Cultural differences in food preference were apparent and highlight the need for culturally-relevant measures.•The factor structure closely resembles that of the original measure.•Craving was correlated with external eating and emotional eating.

There is evidence for cultural variation in the foods that may be craved. We have designed and tested, in a sample of 234 participants, a UK-specific version of the Food Craving Inventory. A four-factor structure comprising of sweet foods, fast foods, high fat, and complex carbohydrates was extracted. The final scale was analogous with the original US scale, and shared similar associations with external eating and dietary restraint, although no association was found with BMI. The measure has potential to contribute to the development of theoretical understanding of food craving, and to measuring outcomes in intervention studies and clinical samples.