The history of food composition databases

Church, S. M.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2006.00538.x

Cited by 51 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In a report on the future development of The Composition of Foods in the UK, 52% of users reported using third-party nutritional analysis software as a means of accessing food composition data (Raats, Angus & Lumbers, 2004). A more recent inventory of UK nutritional analysis software highlighted the diverse and rapidly changing nature of the market for such software products (Church, 2006). Inevitably the delivery of food composition data to a wider audience will involve developers of nutritional software programmes and hence these represent another key user group.…”

Section: Nutritional Analysis Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Compilation of food composition data sets: an analysis of user needs through the Use Case approach

et al. 2011

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Objectives: To identify the common requirements of users involved in the compilation of food composition datasets with a view to informing the development of a common access system to food composition data, within the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) project. Methods:A number of examples of food composition dataset compilation have been examined employing the Use Case approach, namely the compilation of a dataset for a national nutrition survey, for a cross-national nutrition study and for a nutritional software programme. Results:The key user requirement identified from the compilation step analysed by the Use Case approach is the increased availability of and access to more detailed food composition data on a wider range of foods and nutrients.Conclusions: Food composition data serve a variety of purposes and different user groups will often have both common needs and more individual or specific needs of their datasets.The development of Use Cases for specific processes effectively identifies the needs of users, highlighting any similarities and/or differences in those needs. The application of the Use Case approach to support the software development activities within EuroFIR ensures that user needs are effectively identified and captured in a systematic and documented way.

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Section: Nutritional Analysis Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%

Compilation of food composition data sets: an analysis of user needs through the Use Case approach

et al. 2011

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“…Although data on total carbohydrate and fat contents and major fatty acid classes are widely available, there is less information on other components with pathological relevance such as fructose, lactose or various amino acids, gluten or antigens. The importance of reliable data on food composition for therapeutic diets was recognised long ago and, for McCance, it was the main reason for compiling his database which, in its updated form, is still in use in the United Kingdom (Church, 2006). For diabetics, exchange lists have been commonly used classifying foods according to their carbohydrate, energy and fat content.…”

Section: Fcdb In the Planning Of Clinical And Therapeutic Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the problem of the lack of comparability between the various national reports has been recognised for some time. Accordingly, a first attempt to create a FCDB for international use was made as long ago as 1949 on the Food and Agriculture Organization's initiative (Church, 2006). Today, many countries have their national databases that are regularly updated.…”

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confidence: 99%

Importance of food composition data to nutrition and public health

2010

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Introduction: Adequate nutrition is one of the pillars of public health. Before developing and implementing effective intervention programmes to improve nutrition at the population level, it is important to know the nutritional situation of the target group. Assessment of energy and nutrient intake: The estimation of nutrient intake from food consumption requires reliable data on food composition. These data are also the fundamentals of food-based dietary guidelines for healthy nutrition, containing the necessary information on food sources for different nutrients. Furthermore, food composition tables can provide information on chemical forms of nutrients and the presence and amounts of interacting components, and thus provide information on their bioavailability. For some nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin E and niacin, the concept of equivalence has been introduced to account for differences in the availability and biological activity of different chemical forms. Non-nutritive food components: Although most food composition tables focus on energy, macro-and micronutrients, interest in non-nutritive components is increasing. Considering the beneficial effects of biologically active secondary plant cell compounds such as polyphenols and carotenoids, more data on these are needed. On the other hand, there are a number of naturally occurring or 'man-made' non-nutritive substances with negative effects, and to control exposure, the main dietary sources must be known. Another aspect is contaminants, which could have detrimental effects on consumers' health. Among these are agrochemicals, industrial pollutants reaching the food chain and substances formed during food preparation. A valid risk assessment requires data on exposure, and thus on the contents of contaminants in foods. However, these data are highly variable and may significantly differ even within narrowly confined regions. Current food composition databases are far from complete: The fact that composition tables generally do not provide information about the origin of substances found in food can also influence their usability. For example, the German Nutrient Data base does not discriminate between naturally occurring and added sucrose impeding the estimation of added sucrose intake that should be limited. Points of focus: Considering the increasing number of persons relying on community nutrition and catering, healthy menu lines can improve the consumers' diets and contribute to nutrient supply. The development and implementation of appropriate guidelines also need food composition databases (FCBs) to compose meals. The ever-increasing number of new food preparations and manufactured products has resulted in a need for procedures for regularly updated data. Moreover, there is a lack of data particularly for essential trace elements such as copper, chromium or molybdenum and also vitamin K, as well as the already mentioned non-nutritive components. Limited comparability between countries is another issue. Regional differences arise especially from the...

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“…Globally, it appears that the early efforts towards the development of composition data began with Johann Friedrich John's 1814 compilation of 700+ plant analyses (Colombani, 2011), although a major impetus for development of Australian databases was likely the work of Atwater and the release of the Atwater factors in 1896 (S. Church, 2006). Extensive reviews of the history of food composition programs of the United States of America and of Europe have been conducted noting nutrition scales as early developments in this field (S. Church, 2006).…”

Section: Introduction and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extensive reviews of the history of food composition programs of the United States of America and of Europe have been conducted noting nutrition scales as early developments in this field (S. Church, 2006). Colombani meanwhile outlines the developments with the beginning of food composition with the progress of the chemical composition of bodies, namely the three to five element systems which largely took shape during the 1700s and considers the format of the table to impact on what could be considered a true food composition data table.…”

Section: Introduction and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the influential developments and stakeholders within the food composition program of Australia

Probst

Cunningham²

2015

Trends in Food Science & Technology

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Development of the Australian food composition program, focussing on the enablers and barriers to progress, is reviewed following a process of reference harvesting and unstructured interviews with experts. Strong growth in new data and publications during the 1930s and 1970/80s was followed by more stagnant periods, particularly during the 1990s, enabled by data needs for national nutrition surveys, labelling requirements and national policy needs. From the late 1980s there was a move from paper to computerised tables and then to online databases in the 2000s. Australia's food composition tables have evolved in line with international developments in science and changed data publication methods. Maintaining the timeliness of these databases requires significant investment in new analytical data and skilled scientists to drive this process. ABSTRACT:Development of the Australian food composition program, focussing on the enablers and barriers to progress, is reviewed following a process of reference harvesting and unstructured interviews with experts. Strong growth in new data and publications during the 1930s and 1970/80s was followed by more stagnant periods, particularly during the 1990s, enabled by data needs for national nutrition surveys, labelling requirements and national policy needs. From the late 1980s there was a move from paper to computerised tables and then to online databases in the 2000s. Australia's food composition tables have evolved in line with international developments in science and changed data publication methods. Maintaining the timeliness of these databases requires significant investment in new analytical data and skilled scientists to drive this process.

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The history of food composition databases

Cited by 51 publications

References 14 publications

Compilation of food composition data sets: an analysis of user needs through the Use Case approach

Compilation of food composition data sets: an analysis of user needs through the Use Case approach

Importance of food composition data to nutrition and public health

An overview of the influential developments and stakeholders within the food composition program of Australia

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