Guarantor: N Slimani. Contributors: NS was the overall coordinator of the ENDB project and in charge of the preparation of the paper in collaboration with the other co-authors. GD, JV, GS, SS, MP, IU, DATS, NS were members of the 'task force group' involving specific managerial or technical tasks for the project and/or the preparation of reference ENDB guidelines. IU was also in charge of the development of the DBMS in collaboration with the coordinating centre. SS, MP, PG, AM, JI, WB, AF, SW, EV, JU, SC and AB were involved as the national compilers in charge of documenting, compiling and evaluating the subset of their national nutrient databases used in the ENDB project. AM, JI, WB and IU were also involved as members of the 'ENDB expert group' headed by DATS, in charge of revising the reference ENDB guidelines. MN, MCB-R, CS, AT, SN, IM, JR, HB, MO, PHMP, PJ, PA, DE, EL, MS de M, AT, KG, CS, SR, AW, SB were involved as local EPIC collaborators in the supervision and preparation of EPIC-specific databases relevant to the ENDB project (e.g. recipe files). CC and MvB, at the coordinating centre, were involved in tasks relevant to these EPIC databases. AFS has provided long-standing scientific collaboration and support for setting up the ENDB. ER is the overall coordinator of the EPIC study. All co-authors provided comments and suggestions on the manuscript. Objective: This paper describes the ad hoc methodological concepts and procedures developed to improve the comparability of Nutrient databases (NDBs) across the 10 European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This was required because there is currently no European reference NDB available. Design: A large network involving national compilers, nutritionists and experts on food chemistry and computer science was set up for the 'EPIC Nutrient DataBase' (ENDB) project. A total of 550-1500 foods derived from about 37 000 standardized EPIC 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDRS) were matched as closely as possible to foods available in the 10 national NDBs. The resulting national data sets (NDS) were then successively documented, standardized and evaluated according to common guidelines and using a DataBase Management System specifically designed for this project. The nutrient values of foods unavailable or not readily available in NDSs were approximated by recipe calculation, weighted averaging or adjustment for weight changes and vitamin/mineral losses, using common algorithms. Results: The final ENDB contains about 550-1500 foods depending on the country and 26 common components. Each component value was documented and standardized for unit, mode of expression, definition and chemical method of analysis, as far as possible. Furthermore, the overall completeness of NDSs was improved (X99%), particularly for b-carotene and vitamin E. Conclusion: The ENDB constitutes a first real attempt to improve the comparability of NDBs across European countries. This methodological work will provide a useful tool for nutri...

Objective: To assess the intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) and other fatty acids in 14 Western European countries. Design and subjects: A maximum of 100 foods per country were sampled and centrally analysed. Each country calculated the intake of individual trans and other fatty acids, clusters of fatty acids and total fat in adults andaor the total population using the best available national food consumption data set. Results: A wide variation was observed in the intake of total fat and (clusters) of fatty acids in absolute amounts. The variation in proportion of energy derived from total fat and from clusters of fatty acids was less. Only in Finland, Italy, Norway and Portugal total fat did provide on average less than 35% of energy intake. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) provided on average between 10% and 19% of total energy intake, with the lowest contribution in most Mediterranean countries. TFA intake ranged from 0.5% (Greece, Italy) to 2.1% (Iceland) of energy intake among men and from 0.8% (Greece) to 1.9% among women (Iceland) (1.2 ± 6.7 gad and 1.7 ± 4.1 gad, respectively). The TFA intake was lowest in Mediterranean countries (0.5 ± 0.8 en%) but was also below 1% of energy in Finland and Germany. Moderate intakes were seen in Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway and UK and highest intake in Iceland. Trans isomers of C 18 X1 were the most TFA in the diet. Monounsaturated fatty acids contributed 9 ± 12% of mean daily energy intake (except for Greece, nearly 18%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids 3 ± 7%. Conclusion: The current intake of TFA in most Western European countries does not appear to be a reason for major concern. In several countries a considerable proportion of energy was derived from SFA. It would therefore be prudent to reduce intake of all cholesterol-raising fatty acids, TFA included.

The Seventh Summary Edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods (MW7) was published in September 2014 and is intended to be a convenient single volume containing the most recent nutrient values for a wide range of almost 1200 foods that are commonly consumed in the UK. In addition to analytical data from recent surveys, all values have been reviewed and either validated as being representative of foods currently consumed or updated. Sources of data are provided for all foods and food names and descriptions are presented in a more standardised format for clarity. The full range of UK food composition data is included in the 2015 version of the Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset and consists of approximately 3300 foods, including all data published in MW7, and updated and/or validated data for foods that have been included in earlier publications in the McCance and Widdowson series.

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Food composition databases provide detailed information on the concentrations of nutrients and nutritionally important components in foods. Information on the nutritional composition of foods forms the basis of the quantitative study of nutrition, and is widely used in a variety of fields, including epidemiological research, clinical practice and health promotion, policy and food manufacturing. This review details key milestones in the development of food composition databases, focusing on the history of the well-known and highly regarded McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods series. Evolving requirements for food composition data are outlined together with changes in the format over time. Finally, the importance of networks and cooperations, such as the new European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) Network of Excellence, in supporting and improving food composition data is discussed.