Dietary data were obtained during a community-based study of risk factors for heart disease in 1983. Results were compared for men and women in broadly defined socioeconomic groups based on occupation and education. People in higher status occupation groups and with more education, and women more than men, had food consumption patterns more consistent with current health promotion messages. For example, they reported eating more wholemeal or brown bread and more fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking more skim or low-fat milk, eating fewer eggs and having less sugar in hot drinks or on cereals. There was some evidence, however, of an interplay of influences of cost and health awareness. For example, retired men were less likely than employed men to eat butter, cream, fresh fruit and vegetables, while men in the upper socioeconomic groups reported relatively higher consumption of butter and cream. The results emphasise the need for a range of strategies aimed at specific subgroups in order to improve national dietary patterns in Australia.