For researchers

Why do you need food composition data? 

Assessment of dietary habits and nutrient intakes is required for many epidemiological and clinical studies. As a researcher, you have to rely on high quality and up-to-date food composition data and food composition databases for research that involves looking at the nutrient intake of the studied sample. For international research, i.e. a study carried out in different countries simultaneously, it is particularly important that the food composition data used in the different countries are comparable.

Many researchers rely on national food composition databases when calculating the nutrient intake based on dietary protocols. However, the information required may not always be available, the data may be old or have values missing for the nutrients of interest. If your study sample includes people from ethnic minority groups, you may have to analyse dishes for which data is not available in national databases and the required data may have to be sourced from elsewhere.

The eSearch facility offered by EuroFIR AISBL is invaluable to enable you to search for information in a number of European and international food composition databases simultaneously. This can allow you to find products that may not be available in your own national database, to compare values to see if there are differences between your country and other countries, to estimate missing nutrient values or to find more up to date data. You can also search specialised datasets for information about plant bioactive compounds with putative health benefit, such as polyphenols or carotenoids, in foods. For more information about the eSearch facility.

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