Diet is a major aspect of glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes, particularly among the elderly. The objective of this study was to describe the food habits of elderly diabetic subjects compared with non-diabetic ones and to examine the difference between their nutritional behaviour and nutritional recommendations. This study was based on the Three City (3C) community-based cohort. The food habits of 1336 participants aged 65 or over, including 149 diabetic subjects, were evaluated using a FFQ and a 24 h recall of food consumption. For both sexes, intake of carbohydrates was lower for diabetic compared to non-diabetic subjects, essentially due to a lower intake of mono-/disaccharides. For diabetic men, this was compensated for by a higher intake of protein whereas women had a lower energy intake overall. Fibre intake was also higher in diabetic men. There was no absolute increase in fats intake, neither for men nor for women, and distribution of subtypes of fats (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) did not differ between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Carbohydrates provided 40.5 % of energy intake in diabetic men and 43.9 % in diabetic women. Contrary to nutritional recommendations for diabetic subjects, for approximately two-thirds of the diabetic subjects carbohydrates represented less than 45 % of daily energy intake. Although food habits of elderly diabetic subjects differed from those of non-diabetic ones, these habits are not totally in line with nutritional recommendations. These results should be taken into account to adapt nutritional advice given to the diabetic population.