Development of Food Composition Research and Compilation Guidelines

Food composition data are key for food and nutrition security. Knowing what people eat and which nutrients the consumed foods contain helps assessing the nutritional status and improving diet quality and health. Food composition data are required for dietary intake assessment, development of nutrient requirements, nutrition education and diet formulations. Moreover, these data are essential for food labeling and can play a fundamental role in diversifying our food and nutrient supply e.g. in breeding/research. In order to obtain reliable food composition data, standards and guidelines are important. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Centre for Development Research (CDR) of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) have agreed to provide academic services on food composition issues: Scientific support of the “Development of the FAO/INFOODS Compilation Guidelines RR20402: “Methodologies, norms, standards, definitions and tools for the collection, management, aggregation and analysis of data formulated and disseminated”. Food Composition Compilation Guidelines will be developed in collaboration with international experts. The objectives are to undertake a review on food composition compilation issues and to identify information gaps; to form work packages; to establish and coordinate working groups of international experts to address these tasks.