Perspective: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Data Quality in Nutrient Databases

Development of a Comprehensive Food Data Citation Standard: A Surprising Gap in the Nutrition Research Literature

“…The PRISMA standards have been broadly adopted and were updated in 2020 [ 6 ]. To reproduce published work, scientists must be able to access the original data, protocols, and key research materials and resources—including the specific databases used [ [7] , [8] , [9] ]. Because complete and accurate data citation is the key to reproducibility, many authoritative science policy bodies are calling for robust archiving and citation of primary research evidence [ 10 ].…”

“…The absence of robust and standardized citation of food composition data introduces potential variability impacting reproducibility efforts. This inherent lack of precision also poses a significant obstacle to fully realizing the potential benefits of precision nutrition initiatives, such as the NIH Nutrition for Precision Health initiative [ 9 ].…”

Nutritional Composition of Hass Avocado Pulp

“…Another facet to this challenge is that we must know exactly what nutrients are in the recommended foods to deliver specific nutrition recommendations or dietary guidance. A recent comprehensive evaluation of data quality in nutrient databases highlights that “gold standard” food and nutrient databases do not provide comprehensive nutrient composition data in their current form [ 10 ]. As one stepping stone towards precision nutrition, this paper reviews the nutrient and bioactive composition of the edible Hass avocado pulp and discusses variations in nutrient composition as well as potential biological significance of select nutrients.…”

Visualizing Data Interoperability for Food Systems Sustainability Research—From Spider Webs to Neural Networks

“…However, as others have noted [ 5 ], there are large gaps in food systems data, and not all data—public or private—are readily accessible. Notably, data on food prices are not always available [ 7 ], nutrient composition data may lack key nutrients [ 8 ], and data on the environmental impact of food production can differ across geographic regions and are subject to change as agricultural practices evolve with time. Being able to link agricultural production with nutrition is key, especially because the existing data on agricultural practices, soil quality, and livestock management are separate and distinct from data on dietary intakes, food composition, nutritional recommendations, and health.…”

“…The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, and nutrition. Furthermore, it serves as a repository of data from multiple food systems domains ranging from agricultural production and nutrition economics to consumer behavior and public health outcomes [ 5 , 8 ]. Creating interoperability among USDA data has been identified as a worthwhile initiative.…”