For policy makers

Why do you need food composition data?

Food composition data are vital for government officials to make informed nutrition and health policy decisions. Food composition data, often combined with national dietary intake data, has a variety of uses for policy makers. It can be used to help identify diet-related determinants of health, assess energy and nutrient intakes of a specific population and identify key food contributors of specific nutrients in the diet, which in turn can be used to inform the development of effective public health policy.

Most countries have their own national food composition tables, either as a book or in an electronic or online format. However, given the global trade of food, changes in the ethnic makeup of populations with migration and the rapidly changing food supply, policy makers need access to an official, comprehensive and up to date food composition data source that contains data on a broad range of foods.

The eSearch facility offered by EuroFIR AISBL provides this comprehensive and official data source.  Policy makers can either singly or simultaneously search more than 20 national and specialised food composition databases. Given its electronic format, the format of the food composition datasets also allows data to be linked to other databases, for example for easy analysis of national diet and nutrition survey data as well as for risk assessment.

For more information about the eSearch facility

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