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II. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PAPERS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED


Agenda Item I: FAO perspective on international and regional food composition activities

11. Biplab K. Nandi presented an overview of food composition activities emphasizing the main agenda items, namely: (i) FAO perspective on the international and regional food composition activities; (ii) review of country status on food composition activities and identification of future actions; (iii) food composition data usage in achieving food and nutrition security in the region; (iv) linking food composition and follow-up activities related to ICN/NPAN/WFS: 5yl; and (v) matters concerning the development of a Regional Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) to promote and implement Food Composition initiatives either at the country or regional level.

12. Food Composition activities fell within Article 1.1 of FAO's Constitution, namely, "The Organization shall collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture". Food composition was also explicit in the ICN and as part of the Strategies and Actions on Food Quality and Safety, which in Section IV, 9 j, read as "Support and encourage the development and use of local food composition information".

13. INFOODS was started as a joint FAO/UNU project by UNU in 1983 and had been co-sponsored by FAO since 1994. The FAO/UNU/INFOODS was formalized by a MoU with its Secretariat in Rome in January 1999. INFOODS promoted international cooperation in the acquisition and interchange of quality data on the composition of foods, in forms appropriate to meet the needs of government agencies, nutrition scientists, health and agriculture professionals, policy makers, food producers, processors, retailers and consumers.

14. FAO's Food Balance Sheets (FBS) also used food composition data. The FBS which analyzed the food situation at the level of individual countries, provided the total food availability estimates by aggregating the food components of all commodities after conversion to nutritive values. Consequently from the nutritive values, the per caput dietary energy, protein and fat supplies were derived to show the trends in energy and nutrient availability and the composition of food supplies.

15. FAO's collaboration for food composition activities ranged widely in areas related to data generation, facilitating data usage at various levels, technical assistance for food laboratories, standards development through the Codex Alimentarius, expert consultations and technical workshops and publications.

16. The Consultation had planned to give particular emphasis to the coordinators of the Regional Data Centres to describe the regional activities. This was noted to be important since some countries were not represented and since some regions had already initiated regional working groups.

17. An update on the food composition activities in the Pacific Islands was presented by Dirk Schulz, Nutrition Officer FAO, SAPA. In the Pacific Islands, major problems included the limited number of food analysis laboratories and skilled technicians. Specific concerns relative to food composition activities included trade of agriculture and fishery products, risk from contaminants (specifically heavy metals and pesticides) and cyanogenic glycosides in cassava, chaya and bambooshoots.

18. The Consultation was informed that a TCP project on "Strengthening food analytical capabilities in the Pacific Region" in collaboration with the University of South Pacific as the host institution was in progress. To date, the outputs of the project included: an assessment of the analytical capacity of food laboratories in five participating countries; upgraded analytical capacity for food analysis; development of an appropriate sampling protocol for the Pacific Region; generation of regional data for Pacific Islands Food Composition data; and capacity-building efforts.

19. The project was expected to result in the publication of the second edition of the Pacific Island Food Composition Table and achieve international accreditation of the Institute of Applied Sciences Laboratory. A regional workshop was also being planned to present the results of the project and facilitate a debate on the use of a regional chemical laboratory for the Pacific Region.

20. The Consultation was informed that the FAO sub-regional office conducted a study in Kiribati this year to analyze different cultivars of Pandanus for their carotenoid content with a view towards promotion of vitamin-dense cultivars to address the problem of Vitamin A Deficiency in Kiribati and other Micronesian countries.

21. Mr Schulz presented a WHO funded study on the total mercury content in several types of seafoods, which were commonly consumed in the Fiji Islands. The study which was conducted at the Institute of Applied Science at the University of the South Pacific, found that the total mercury levels in some of the large predatory fish species (marlin and swordfish) exceeded the Codex Alimentarius guideline level of 1 mg/kg. Other types of fish steaks, smaller reef fish, shellfish, canned tuna and mackerel had average levels below the guidelines. If confirmed by further research, this would have implications for certain health risks, particularly to pregnant women, arising from consuming larger fish species, such as marlin, swordfish, large albacore tuna (canned and fresh) and sailfish.

22. The consultation suggested that it might be useful to make analyses that distinguish inorganic mercury from organic mercury content (rather than measuring total mercury only) in future studies in view of its greater negative effect on human health.

23. It was pointed out that the stage of maturity of a foodstuff as well as the source of the food may have influences on the nutrient content of the food being analyzed and should therefore be taken into account.

Agenda Item 2: Review of status on food composition activities and identification of future actions (regional and country updates)

SAARCFOODS UPDATE: Presented by Jehangir Khalil

24. SAARCFOODS (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Food Data System) was established in 1996 as a regional centre of INFOODS. The member countries under SAARCFOODS include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The first organizational meeting of SAARCFOODS was held in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1996 with Pakistan as the focal point and Jehangir Khan Khalil as the regional coordinator. This meeting constituted the infrastructure development of SAARCFOODS. Sub committees and Working Groups were organized and regular communication with its member countries has since been in progress. The second meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1998. This meeting set the stage for preparation of a detailed framework for future activities as well as finalization of country wise working mechanisms, preparation of draft project proposals on national food composition programmes and activities of technical committees.

25. The main activities of the SAARCFOODS were to: (a) establish strong national food composition (FC) programme in each country of the region, (b) obtain training for personnel in all aspects of food composition, (c) encourage and promote development of national/regional FCT, (d) add other important food components /nutrients for analysis to national/regional food analysis programmes, such as dietary fibre, cholesterol, carotenoids, phytoestrogens, etc., (e) obtain further information on the INFOODS coding and use of CODEX, and (f) motivate governments on prioritizing FC activities and seeking FAO, UNU and INFOODS assistance in the process.

26. Current activities included development of an inventory of scientists/technicians involved in food analysis so as to facilitate the formation of a network of food analytical personnel at national and regional levels.

27. Of the SAARC countries only India and Pakistan had generated their own data while the rest of the countries namely Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka had compiled FCD mostly from the Indian FCT.

28. The status of FCT activities in Bhutan and Maldives had to be ascertained by the focal point and steps were to be taken to initiate and undertake FC activities in these two countries. The activities in Nepal and Sri Lanka were required to be strengthened on a priority basis.

29. An important task of SAARCFOODS was to identify national level capacity and facilitate development of linkages with other organizations and regional centers and get a regular update of Food Composition Activities in the region. Development of SAARC Food Composition Tables (SFCT) had been planned as a follow up of the SAARCFOODS meeting held in FAO RAP in 2000. The guidelines for the SFCT had been approved by the national coordinators which included letter codes, food groups, the country codes, nutrients to be included, units of expression, tagnames, etc. Computerization of the SFCT was another activity envisaged. The database had been completed and the tables were available on a CD. These would need to be circulated and disseminated to the country focal points of the region.

30. Training activities on Strengthening Food Composition Activities had also been facilitated for candidates from SAARC region. One official from Nepal attended the Food Composition Course in the Netherlands and four other candidates from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan undertook a training course in Food Composition at the Institute of Nutrition Mahidol University (INMU), Thailand in 2000. A training programme was scheduled for the region in 2005 in Dhaka as a follow up to the INFOODS meeting held in Washington in June 2003. A special emphasis would be given to Food Composition Training and enhancing laboratory facilities.

31. Despite these accomplishments, SAARCFOODS still had a number of issues and constraints to be addressed. These included: (a) lack of priority to food composition activities at the national level by most SAARC governments, (b) lack of skilled personnel, equipment and chemicals, and (c) problems related to data quality and methodology.

32. Future activities would address the problems mentioned above with a focus on capacity building, upgrading of laboratories, establishment of linkages particularly with industry, reactivation of working groups and generation of food composition database for SAARCFOODS.

33. The Consultation noted concern that there was a need to mainstream FCT activities of resource poor countries like Bhutan and Maldives within the activities of SAARCFOODS. It was suggested that efforts to communicate with these countries should be pursued more vigorously. It was agreed that a time-frame of three months would be sufficient enough to ascertain their willingness and ability to participate in the SAARC Network.

34. Creating awareness on food composition programmes through the focal points was another action envisaged besides strengthening linkages with ASEANFOODS and NEASIAFOODS. In this regard, the Coordinators of SAARCFOODS, ASEANFOODS and NEASIAFOODS met on the last day of the Consultation to review the future course of action.

35. The Consultation noted that there was a need to have FCT print materials since some countries did not have sufficient access to electronic FCD facilities. It was urged that the establishment of SAARFOODS should strengthen and catalyze activities to improve the quality and quantity of food composition data and their appropriate dissemination to the member countries.

36. The Consultation concurred that for most countries, food composition related activities were not priorities of the government. It was therefore recommended that FAO play an advocacy role to help convince governments to allocate funds for this purpose.

Bangladesh: Presented by M.A. Wahed

37. National and international institutes in Bangladesh have carried out several studies on nutrient intake in the past. However, to date, limited information was available on the food composition of specific Bangladeshi foods, and that currently available was derived from food composition tables from other countries, mainly India.

38. It was pointed out that diets in many parts of India differed significantly from those of Bangladesh. The concentration in foods of some of the micronutrients, especially trace elements, was highly dependent on the geochemical environment, soil conditions and cultural practices and, as such, adoption of another country's FCT might not be advisable.

39. Presently, a short food composition list prepared by Helen Keller International was being used in Bangladesh. This was a compilation from other food composition tables including the Indian FCT, with emphasis on Vitamin A rich foods. Institutions that had produced booklets/posters/leaflets on food values (raw basis) included the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS) Dhaka University, Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN), Bangladesh Applied Nutrition and Human Resource Development Board (BAN-HRDB), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Dhaka, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), and Home Economics College, Dhaka. An electronic version of FCT titled Bangla 2000 had been developed in collaboration with Wagenhagen University, Netherlands.

40. The Consultation was informed that the problems encountered in the implementation of the FCD activities were related to sampling, methodology, quality control and uncertainty. Most of the laboratories in Bangladesh also lacked standard equipment and trained personnel.

India: Presented by Bapu Rao

41. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad of the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR), brought out a comprehensive publication on the nutrient composition of Indian foods more than three decades ago. The publication entitled Nutritive Value of Indian Foods had been revised and reprinted from time to time and served as the sole source of data on food composition for academia, research and government organizations dealing with nutrition.

42. The Indian FCT contained the nutritive value of about 600 foods analyzed mainly by the NIN, ICMR. The new edition would additionally include the nutritive values of foods in the northeastern region as well as values of foods rich in carotenoids and dietary fibre.

43. As part of its food composition activities, NIN had undertaken the analysis of foods of tribal areas and special ready-to-eat foods for children. It had also undertaken studies on low cost nutrient supplements for malnourished children developed by Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDRI) to assess the quality of protein and their growth promoting effects.

44. The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) has developed and widely disseminated recipe books which include low cost nutritious recipes for different regions. Nutritive values of the recipes in terms of energy, protein, iron and calcium per serving or 100 g, are included and this information has reportedly been very useful to the communities in identifying rich sources of various nutrients.

45. Home Science Institutions had developed manuals on basic food preparations and their nutritive values. Drawing upon this information and expertise, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) undertook a multicentric study in 2002 in nine states and developed a manual named Nutriguide. The manual served as guide for calculation of dietary adequacy using the nutrient composition of Indian recipes and was being used by dieticians, nutritionists and students of nutrition in Home Science Colleges.

46. As part of multi sectoral collaboration, the Ministries of Health and Agriculture and the Department of Women and Child Development along with laboratories had been closely involved in food composition activities. The Ministry of Environment had also identified species of fruits and vegetables with high beta carotene content and had disseminated the information to their regional centers and research institutions in pursuance of National Nutrition Policy.

47. In order to help the utilization of information on nutritive value of various foods, it was necessary to propagate rich sources of various nutrients through mass media as well as traditional modes of communication like rallies, street plays, puppet shows, etc.

Nepal: Presented by Yogesh Vaidya

48. Nepal had compiled FCT and produced its first ever FCT named Nutrient Content of Nepalese Foods in 1986. This was published by the Nutritional Research and Development Division of Central Food Research Laboratory (CFRL). The tables included data on energy, proximate composition and some selected minerals and vitamins. The revised version published in 1994 provided a supplementary table with a profile of the â carotene content of 107 wild and common vegetables and fruits. In addition, some FCT posters and leaflets had been produced and distributed for use in agricultural extension programmes.

49. Nepal had a few national level laboratories for food analysis activities, including food quality control and standardization, food processing, food composition, crop and plant research. However, these had yet to make a significant contribution to the National Food Composition Programme.

50. There was a strong need to establish a national food composition data centre to promote and coordinate the national food composition programme. Specifically, resources were to be generated for equipment and laboratory upgrading and capacity building in data generation, compilation and dissemination.

51. Future actions recommended were, advocacy on the importance and information on use of food composition data by various stakeholders particularly policy makers; establishment of a network of collaboration and expertise sharing among food laboratories of government, public and private sectors; partnerships with international laboratories for reliable and compatible data generation; standardization of food laboratories for their performance in sampling procedures, analytical methodology and quality assessment; nutrition labelling and monitoring and evaluation; and promotion, dissemination and appropriate use of food composition data and information, through different extension and communication media.

Pakistan: Presented by Jehangir Khalil

52. Several laboratories were involved in the generation of food composition data in Pakistan and included those of the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Pakistan Agriculture Research Centre (PARC), Agricultural Universities, Home Economic Colleges, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

53. The first Pakistani FCT, compiled in 1960 entitled Nutritive Value of Foodstuffs and Planning of Satisfactory Diets in Pakistan contained six food groups and 242 food items. Another table on indigenous feedstuffs was added in 1979 with data on proximate composition, mineral content (Ca, P, Na, K, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn) and digestibility coefficients for 579 foods. The current Pakistan FCT was first published in 1985 with 210 items divided into 13 food groups with data on proximate composition, mineral and vitamin content (Ca, P, Fe, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, beta carotene, vitamin C), and amino acids. The table was reprinted in 1990 and revised in 2001 to include Zn, iodine, vitamin A and cholesterol content and also the composition of some weaning and supplementary food mixes. In 2000, the Food and Nutrition Department of the College of Home Economics, Karachi compiled 73 records of FCD related research and submitted it to FAO Agricultural Statistical database, AGRIS.

54. The Pakistan FCT was entirely based on analyses carried out in the national laboratories and represented only the edible portion of the foodstuffs as purchased. The FCT despite containing most of the food items commonly used in Pakistan, reportedly did not fulfill the basic requirements of home economists, dietitians and nutritionists.

55. The FCD had shown applications for use in food consumption surveys, school feeding programmes, epidemiological surveys, trade and promotion of foods in interventions for nutrition (micronutrient related) problems and in food security analysis in collaboration with WFP in Pakistan.

56. Future actions recommended were creation of awareness for prioritizing the food composition programme, training, laboratory accreditations; development of photo atlas and food images, library and diet analysis software, new food composition database; development of a manual on sampling and sample handling, computerization of the FCT and web posting; development of reference materials for quality assurance; and setting up a nutrient analysis laboratory with latest equipment and trained manpower to perform all tests required to fulfill World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements.

Sri Lanka: Presented by Chandrani Liyanage

57. In Sri Lanka, FCT were published by UNICEF Colombo in 1979 which was essentially a review of the FCT from NIN, India. No national research centre has yet been established in Sri Lanka where continuing programmes for generating and updating food composition data can be carried out.

58. The institutions directly involved in food analysis and related applications included the Horticulture Research Institute (HRI), Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI), National Aquatic Research Authority (NARA), Ceylon Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS), Coconut Research Institute (CRI), Tea Research Institute (TRI), Cooperative Wholesale Establishment Laboratory (CWEL) and Universities. In addition, the Government Analyst Department also analyzes the foods consumed locally for various purposes including food safety.

59. Food testing laboratories in Sri Lanka still used some of the conventional methods and the data gathered were obsolete, needing revision. Poor infrastructure in terms of instruments, personnel and lack of coordination prevented good quality food composition data from being generated. There was no network to collect food composition data from the researchers and technologists involved in food analysis. As there was no systematic sampling protocol, it was difficult to determine if the values of analyses represented regional and national food supplies. Also, regional, seasonal and maturational variations and differences in the foodstuffs have not been taken into consideration.

60. Amino acid and fibre content were some of the data currently being analyzed. Nitrate content of foods and water have also been analyzed where ground water in certain areas was found to have high levels of nitrate. Quality testing of foods and implementation of food and hygiene regulations were handled by four main chemical laboratories and one microbiological laboratory operating through the Health System in the country.

61. A national committee that included nutritionists, other food composition users and food analysts was formed in 2000 to initiate food composition activities. Initiatives under the National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) have also been underway to formulate policies and strategies for improved nutrition and household food security. Consequently, the policy making committee has been informed that generation and compilation of Food Composition data would need to be given priority as FCT were not yet available in the country.

62. Future actions recommended were prioritizing activities on food composition, providing suitable laboratory facilities, training for analysts in sampling techniques and improved methods of analysis, financial allocations for chemicals and establishing networks between and among analytical and data laboratories with the national centre for food composition activities.

NEASIAFOODS UPDATE: Presented by Yue -Xin Yang

63. NEASIAFOODS (North East Asia Food Data System) another Regional Database Centre of INFOODS had been established in 2002 from its forerunner MASIAFOODS (Middle Asian Food Data System) established in 1995. The MASIAFOODS was reorganized in 2002 and renamed into NEASIAFOODS. It included four participating countries, namely: China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia besides three other locations such as Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The official Coordinator for NEASIAFOODS was the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing.

64. NEASIAFODOS consisted of two groups of countries which had been classified on the basis of the food composition activities being carried out. Group I included China, Hong Kong and Korea which deal with matters related to terminology, nomenclature and data compilation. Group II included Taiwan, Mongolia, Macao and Japan and dealt with the analytical methods and quality control systems.

65. NEASIAFOODS activities included: (a) review of food composition data of three participating countries (Japan, China and Korea) for energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat; (b) calculation and comparison of intra-and intercountry differences in nutrient values; (c) conduct of Expert Consultations for data and nutrient description; (d) collection of analytical methodologies for energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate; and (e) Conduct of NEASIAFOODS meetings. As part of its training activities, in 2003 two officials attended the Food Composition Training Course in the Netherlands.

66. The first meeting of MASIAFOODS was held in 1995 as an Establishment Meeting. The second one was held in December 2002 to revise the name to NEASIAFOODS and the third meeting of NEASIAFOODS was planned for May 2004 in Korea. The main objectives of the upcoming meeting were to strengthen FCD activities in member countries, improve the exchange of information on FCD and strengthen cooperation and improve coordination among countries in undertaking FCD activities and to discuss how to use FCT for nutrition surveys and for promoting nutrition education.

67. The Consultation noted that some of the problems facing NEASIAFOODS were: (a) lack of priority given by governments to FC activities; (b) lack of knowledge about food and nutrient description; (c) analytical methods of nutrient analysis and new concepts; (d) lack of knowledge on compilation of FCD; (e) lack of funds to promote the activities for FCD; and (f) lack of FCD in some member countries, such as Mongolia. Sensitization of governments was urgently required in this regard. Future actions included training programmes on data description and nutrient analysis and web site development.

China: Presented by Yue -Xin Yang

68. In China FC activities started in 1952 at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, China. CCDCP was the central laboratory for Chinese FCD generation, compilation and dissemination. Since 1952 six editions of FCT have been published by INFS. Several studies on Food Analysis and Food Evaluation have also been completed through the support of the Chinese Government and FAO. The currently available information on FCD has derived data not only from China but also from Singapore, the United States of America and other countries.

69. The latest edition of the Chinese FCT that was published in 2002 had data analyzed with new and improved methods. The data were more accurate for nutritional researchers and comprehensive for public users in China. The foods analyzed were representative of 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and cover most areas of the country. The foods were grouped into 21 major categories and included 31 nutrients in 1507 foods, 18 amino acids in 657 foods, 32 fatty acids in 441 foods, and data for folate, iodine, isoflavone and glycemic index of some foods.

70. The edition also included the analytical methods as well as 280 photos of the foods. This directly linked the food with its name to avoid misunderstanding by users and the marked weight in grams of the food in some photos helped to evaluate food consumption. Two electronic publications were set up in cooperation with FeiHua Company since 2000. The website is www.fh.21.com.cn

71. FCT in China had been widely used for research, nutrition surveillance, industry and education. In the year 2000, the DRIs and FBDGs based on FCD were developed by the Chinese Nutrition Society.

72. Future actions included improvement of the quality and quantity of FCD in China and capacity building on nutrient analytical methods and equipment. It also intended to make progress in regional food composition database and contribute to the development of NEASIAFOODS under the support and direction of FAO and INFOODS.

ASEANFOODS: presented by Prapasri Puwastien

73. ASEANFOODS (Association of South-East Asian Networks of Food Data Systems) was established in 1986 as the Regional Centre of INFOODS with member countries comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam. Viet Nam joined the network in 1996. In 2001 ASEANFOODS welcomed three new member countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. So far the focal points in the new member countries could not be identified and efforts to identify these are in progress in collaboration with FAO. In order to coordinate the activities of the member countries, INMU was appointed as the Network's Regional Centre in 1996 with Prapasri Puwastien as the Coordinator.

74. The main objective of ASEANFOODS was to organize activities to strengthen the development of national and regional food composition data with high quality and adequate quantity besides accessibility of those to the users. With the support and collaboration of international organizations, namely, FAO, UNU, INFOODS and OCEANIAFOODS as well as national organizations including INMU, various activities have been carried out from 1986 to date. The activities undertaken during 2000 to date have been presented at the Consultation.

75. The Consultation was appraised of the ASEANFOODS, accomplishments which included the development of the first ASEAN FCT in 2000 and the organization of the first international course in Asia known as "FoodComp-Asia 2002" with the support of FAO and ILSI. Major activities to strengthen laboratory performance have included (1) development of food reference materials (RMs) with consensus values of components; (2) two rounds of laboratory performance studies, (3) a questionnaire survey among laboratories in ASEAN that dealt with existing analytical control system, use of reference materials, their participation in the proficiency study and problems encountered and requirements. The document on ASEAN Manual for Food Analysis Methodology was under preparation.

76. Future activities of ASEANFOODS included preparation of the ASEAN FCT as an electronic database with food illustrations, updating the FCT by 2007, organization of the second FoodComp-Asia Course in 2006, and follow-up of the development of the RMs and laboratory performance studies and ASEANFOODS web. An ASEANFOODS meeting will be held in 2005. The activities for revising, documenting and dissemination of the ASEAN FCD would be carried out during 2005-2010. The web site is: http://www.inmu.mahidol.ac.th/aseanfoods

Indonesia: Presented by Komari Kartopawiro

77. FCT for Indonesia had been published and circulated for almost four decades. However, the updated FCT containing analyzed data was published by the Directorate of Community Nutrition, Ministry of Health. Integrated efforts have produced food composition tables published in 2001, which cover a wide range of foods from 12 provinces in Indonesia. Pictures of specific foods from the provinces were also presented.

78. Indonesian FCT included data on proximate analyses, vitamins, minerals, cholesterol, and fatty and amino acids. Collaborating institutions in this effort included the Department of Community Nutrition and Family Resources; and Department of Food Technology and Nutrition of the Bogor Agricultural University and Research and Development Centre for Agricultural Product Industry of the Department of Industry.

79. Since data on food composition were very important for use of academicians, research and food industry and policy makers, activities related to establishing the database and disseminating them to various sectors had been initiated. Food composition data were also being widely applied in the formulation of recommended dietary guidelines and in research and policy formulation for industry and agriculture fields.

Philippines: Presented by Elsa Bayani

80. The FCT for the Philippines were consistent with INFOODS' guidelines on the generation and compilation of food composition data. It had also disseminated and raised awareness on the FCT through development of an FCT User's Guide, CD and hard copies of FCT including software for menu evaluation. A symposium on the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENI) which encourages the use of the FCT had also been conducted.

81. Other relevant activities that supported the regional and global food composition activities included capacity building for (a) development of ASEANFOODS Manual for Food Analysis; (b) preparation of reference materials which is a requirement of the CODEX, and (c) organization of proficiency test rounds.

82. Constraints to the further development and use of the Philippine FCT included: (a) a limited budget for food composition data generation activities. Specifically, this was important in view of the need for food composition data generation on food groups related to diet-related degenerative diseases, newer varieties of plants and animals produced through bioengineering and changing the composition of foods due to variations in the environment and methods of sample collection; (b) new and improved methods and more sophisticated equipment for analysis; (c) lack of proper understanding on the use of FCT resulting in either misuse of FCT data, wrong policy decisions or inappropriate design of nutrition information campaigns and advertising campaigns; and (e) need for advertising campaigns.

83. Future actions recommended were: (a) resource/fund generation and advocacy with legislators and other stakeholders to emphasize the importance of FCT in relation to food and nutrition security goal; (b) forging of agreement between the government and the food industry; (c) capacity building on modern methods and equipment for nutrient analysis to complement and improve the limited food composition data generated by stakeholders for its wider usage; (d) technical assistance to government and commercial laboratories to fast track ISO accreditation and generation of quality data. For users of FCT, more orientation was required for which a User's Instruction Guide should be developed and disseminated to ensure its proper use.

Thailand: Presented by Prapasri Puwastein

84. THAIFOODS or the Thailand Network of food data systems was established at the same time as ASEANFOODS in 1986. It was a network of seven institutes with the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (INMU) acting as the coordinator. Its purpose was to organize activities that strengthened the development of food composition databases with high quality to serve the needs of the Thai users and support ASEANFOODS activities.

85. The Consultation was updated on the activities undertaken from 1999 to date which included establishment of the Thai food composition database and strengthening the performance of laboratories similar to that of ASEANFOODS.

86. In 1999, the first English version of Thai Food Composition Tables was published. It contained analyzed data of 16 food groups with 1050 food items covering 24 nutrients. The tables were divided into two sections: Section 1 included fresh and processed foods with data for 21 nutrients while Section 2 gave additional analyzed data for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar of many food groups.

87. Future activities included updating the Thai FCTs by 2006, continuation of work on RMs and laboratory performance, and conduct of training courses, workshops and technical meetings, among others.

Viet Nam: Presented by Le Danh Tuyen

88. The first FCT compiled in 1944 included the chemical composition of foods in Indochina which featured foods most commonly eaten in Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia. These were revised in 1964 and 1972. For the last three decades, the tables have been used by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry for statistical purposes. The Ministry of Health used FCT in nutritional surveys and for calculations on dietary allowances of the Vietnamese populations and its armed forces.

89. An updated edition of the FCT included analytical results of the Food Science and Food Safety Laboratory for proximate content, minerals and some water and soluble lipids. The data on amino acids and fatty acids have been derived from other sources.

90. In 2001, revised FCTs were compiled which included a total of 725 food items, most commonly eaten in northern and southern Viet Nam. This provides information on the content of protein, lipid, glucose, vitamins A, B1 and B2 and minerals P, Ca and Fe. Energy is expressed in both kilocalories and kilojoules.

91. Future actions included development of a database on food composition of Vietnamese foods. In addition to fulfilling users' needs, harmonization and interchange with regional and international databases were required. More research was needed to revise and update the Vietnamese FCT.

92. Based on the Country presentations the Consultation provided the following recommendations for strengthening food composition activities.

Recommendations on FCD for Country Action

1. Develop/adopt good laboratory practices (GLP) for evaluation of quality of borrowed/calculated/analysed data based on following set of criteria:

(a) Borrowed /calculated data would depend upon:

(b) Analyzed data would depend upon:

2. Develop an inventory/directory of experts in food composition and nutrient analysis as well as the government and private institutions engaged in related analyses.

3. Undertake appropriate advocacy initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of food composition activities.

4. Establish linkages between and among governments, private food industries and nutrient analysis laboratories, particularly in areas of data generation, compilation and dissemination.

5. Undertake/participate in capacity building programmes/activities on data generation and compilation.

6. Strengthen linkages with appropriate food composition data systems networks such as ASEANFOODS, SAARCFOODS, and NEASIAFOODS to promote South-South Co-operation.

7. Develop partnerships between and amongst focal persons/institutions, food composition experts, active FCD users and ANFN representatives to have continuous dialogue and follow up of recommendations

8. Initiate cost-effective social marketing activities (e.g. through schools, mothers/caregivers, seminars/orientation/classes, etc.) for wider dissemination and usage of FCD.

9. Develop user-friendly information, education and communication (IEC) materials.

10. Develop suitable project proposals for strengthening of FCD activities.

11. Explore possible collaboration with potential funding agencies in support of FC activities.

12. Actively lobby for the adoption of the slogan/theme "you have the right to know what you eat" as a national and international theme.

Recommendations on FCD for FAO Action

1. Provide technical assistance to national focal points /institutions for promoting and strengthening FC activities.

2. Support country efforts in upgrading technical capability as well as laboratory facilities for generation, compilation and dissemination of FCD.

3. Promote sharing/exchange of FCD expertise and other resources between and among member countries of ASEANFOODS, NEASIAFOODS, SAARCFOODS, and INFOODS.

4. Organize/support national/regional/international meetings on timely and relevant themes that relate to Food Composition activities and data usage.

5. Raise awareness on food composition activities and applications within governments as well as international organisations such as World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations University (UNU), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and various bilateral agencies.

93. As indicated earlier, the joint effort of FAO/INFOODS or the International Network of Food Data Systems had led to the establishment of regional centres and provision of technical support for food composition data generation and dissemination. Three of the Regional Centres from the Asia Pacific Region that were represented at the Expert Consultation were SAARCFOODS, NEASIAFOODS and ASEANFOODS. The Consultation therefore deliberated on the activities of the Regional Centres and, in particular, agreed to give a focus to SAARCFOODS at the Consultation.

94. Based on the Regional Updates, the Consultation provided the following recommendations for the Coordinating Bodies for collaboration with FAO.

Recommendations for Regional Coordinating Bodies: Collaboration with FAO

· Given the importance of food composition information in agriculture, trade and health which finally aims at achieving food security, FAO can sensitize the national governments in the region on appreciating food composition programmes and providing support to such programmes. The focal points of the Regional Coordinating Bodies need to play a more proactive role in this context.

· Technical assistance to be given by FAO to enhance capacity building and facilitate hands-on-training programmes and study visits for food analysts in the region.

· Technical support to be given by FAO for organizing Meetings of Coordinating Bodies, namely SAARCFOODS, ASEANFOODS and NEASIAFOODS.

· Strengthen implementation of Food Composition activities for promoting usage at various levels. In this regard, FAO can facilitate the production of user-friendly materials/publications such as brochures, booklets for dissemination and wider usage.

Agenda item 3: Food composition data usage in achieving food and nutrition security in the region

Working Group Sessions

95. The participants were grouped into three Working Groups (WG). The topics for the three WG were:

96. WG I consisted of representatives from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand; WG II consisted of representatives from Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, and Viet Nam and WG III included the Coordinators of SAARCFOODS, NEASIAFOODS and ASEANFOODS together with representatives from Thailand and Sri Lanka. The terms of reference and names of group participants and the corresponding outputs of the WG are given in Appendices V, VI and VII.

97. WG I proposed criteria for improving quality and quantity of food composition data as calculated or analyzed values data. In case of calculated data, the aspects highlighted were similarity in terms of variety, geographical location and seasonality, data sources and their original quality and data calculation.

98. The group emphasized that the needs/requirements for improving the quality of FCD were instruction guidelines, training in quality control systems and a food composition course that would address needs and gaps in data generation, data compilation and data use.

99. WG II highlighted the current status of FCT usage, its applications through FBDGs, country update on dissemination of FCT and outlined implementation strategies for effective and efficient dissemination of FCTs for the consumers.

100. A matrix on the status of FCT Development and Dissemination was developed by WG II (Appendix VIII). It was noted that while most countries have developed FCT, their dissemination for use at consumer and community levels was not adequate.

101. It was felt that advocacy for policy makers on the importance of FCT with a clear understanding of recommended dietary allowances and nutrition goals in keeping with ICN, WFS, NNP, NPAN, MDGs and FIVIMS follow up actions were essential. It was likewise agreed that advocacy efforts were to be undertaken on a priority basis in this regard.

102. WG III reviewed the possibilities and provided an outline for developing a TCP project where it aimed to find ways to strengthen national level FC activities and facilitate the organization, coordination and dissemination of a regional FC database.

103. A Technical Assistance Project could be initiated at the country level as for example in Bangladesh where funds could be requested from the government. In such cases, FAO RAP could consider providing technical assistance and other donors could also be explored for necessary collaboration.

104. The rationale for a TCP on FC included country/region specific concerns such as a high demand for FC data, weaknesses in FC activities or absence of FCT activities in some countries (e.g. Bhutan, Maldives). FC data were required for calculations of nutrients in national food balance sheets, food consumption surveys, dietary assessment, nutrition labeling, and trade facilitation and to ensure the protection of consumers through safe food.

105. As regards technical know-how, skills and attitude it was noted that the data generation process needed strengthening (with regard to reference materials, proficiency tests and QA that lead to accreditation). Other areas included improved laboratory skills (methodology).

106. As regards data dissemination, it was emphasized that this must be target group-oriented and tailored towards specific groups such as FC professionals, decision makers, the public, industry, etc.

107. The institutional framework/arrangements would need to be determined in accordance with the participating countries. It was proposed that whenever possible, accredited laboratories in the region could act as host institutions.

108. It was proposed to have a core group of coordinators to formulate a TCP project. The three Regional Coordinators expressed their willingness to act as core members to develop and submit a TCP project shortly.

Agenda item 4: Implementation of follow-up activities related to ICN/NPAN/WFS: 5yl

Bangladesh: Presented by Mirza Altaf Hossain

109. A total of 13 Ministries have been involved in the implementation of follow-up actions relative to ICN and WFS: 5yl. It was highlighted that though the country has attained self-sufficiency in cereals, the production of other vital food commodities such as fats and oils, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, fish and meat continued to be far below the RDA. To narrow the gap, the government had taken initiatives to boost the production of oilseeds, potato, maize, pulses, fish and livestock.

110. One of the most important follow-up activities was the formulation and approval of the National Agricultural Policy. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has developed the plan of action (POA) in accordance with the National Agricultural Policy with technical support from FAO. In this regard, a five year UNDP-FAO-GoB project called Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development (IHNDP) was in implementation and was covering fifteen districts in the country.

111. Other projects included Brenda Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), strengthening of the Seed Wing of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Hortex Foundation, strengthening of Agricultural Information Systems (AIS), Integrated Maize Promotion Project (IMPP), Soil Resources Management and Analytical Service Project, Soho Gudan Rin Prokolpo (SAGURIP) or Crop Storage Project, high yielding varieties (HYV) seed production and technology transfer project and the National Nutrition Programme (NNP).

China: Presented by Xue Xin Yang

112. The Consultation was informed that the economic situation in China had improved over the recent years, and correspondingly, the Engel Index had decreased from 67 to 54 percent over the period 1978 to 1995. The National Plan for Food and Nutrition for the period 2001-2010 issued in 2000 had goals of food intake per person per year as well as daily nutritional goals for energy, protein and fat.

113. School Nutrition Promotion Programmes were being implemented at national and provincial levels and a Soya Bean Promotion Plan was being undertaken to increase protein intake and reduce malnutrition.

114. Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) and Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs) have been published by the Chinese Nutrition Society in 2000. National Nutritional Surveillance has also been carried out during 2000-2002. Prevention and control programmes for the prevention and control of micro nutrient deficiencies including dietary improvement, fortification (fortification with iron and vitamin A of flour, oil and sauce) and supplementation programmes, promotion and protection of breast feeding programmes as well as better care of children were in operation.

India: Presented by Shashi P. Gupta

115. The Food and Nutrition Board under the Department of Women and Child Development was the focal point for ICN in India. It had undertaken a series of actions in pursuance of the National Nutrition Policy.

116. Disaggregated data on the nutrition situation had been generated for 187 districts of 18 States/UTs which was consolidated and presented in the India Nutrition Profile, 1998. Nutrition Surveillance projects were being taken up in five States and efforts for universalizing nutrition monitoring and surveillance through the ICDS infrastructure were in progress.

117. Horticultural interventions for nutrition improvement were in operation in consonance with the IX and X Five Year Plans. Likewise, examples of some schemes being implemented to ensure food security included the Targeted Public Distribution System, for families below poverty line, Antodaya Anna Yojana for poorest of the poor, Mid-day Meal scheme for primary school children and Annapurna Scheme for poor senior citizens.

118. Nutrition advocacy, sensitization and awareness generation have been stepped up. Development, production and dissemination of print materials in local languages, radio sponsored programmes on "Nutrition and Health" and 27 video films on various nutrition topics under the series "Nutrition and National Development" were some of the important activities. States had also taken initiatives in nutrition training of self-help women groups, development of State Nutrition Policy and State Plan of Action on Nutrition.

119. The National Nutrition Mission had been set up under the chairpersonship of the Prime Minister in July 2003. The process of reviewing the achievements under the National Nutrition Policy and the National Plan of Action on Nutrition was underway.

Indonesia: Presented by Komari Kartopaviro

120. The consultation was informed that there were ten programmes currently being implemented as a follow-up to ICN/NPAN/WFS. These included development of institutional capacity building which focuses on training of trainees in relation to decentralization of the food and nutrition programme; development of food and nutrition workers addressing formal and nonformal education on food and nutrition; improvement of food security by the Institute of Food Security under Ministry of Agriculture; food and nutrition surveillance system; the prevention and elimination of under nutrition through food supplements for children under three years of age and through fortification of wheat flour with iron, zinc, vitamin B1, B2 and folic acid, as well as iodine in salt.

121. Furthermore, Indonesia was carrying out nutrition education utilizing food guidelines, programmes on education for institutional food services and was implementing food quality and safety programmes by the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Drug and Food Administration and Universities.

Nepal: Presented by Yogesh Vaidya

122. The National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) of Nepal was adopted by the government in 1998 and was incorporated in the national plans from Eighth Plan onwards. The present Tenth Plan (2002/2003-2006-2007) included nutrition policies as one of the major components under Social Services.

123. In the agriculture, health, education and local development sectors, nutrition had become the focus of the annual programmes. Several NGOs/INGOs had contributed to the improvement of the nutritional well-being of the people living in different socio-economic and geographic conditions.

Pakistan: Presented by J. Khalil

124. The government of Pakistan had instituted a number of activities in support of the WFS to eliminate hunger and food insecurity at the household level. The agriculture, health and nutrition perspective plan for 2011 included actions on enhancing food production including that of animal and poultry production.

125. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) had put strong emphasis on programmes relating to social actions (education, health, infra-structure development, etc.), income generation and eradication of micronutrient deficiencies.

126. Other programmes included school feeding, Agricultural Linkages Programme (ALP) and IDA eradication programmes, salt iodization, vitamin A supplementation, nutrition education, population planning, school feeding Programme, UNICEF Initiative on Child Health and the WFP Initiative on Education of Girl Child and WFP Food Security Analysis. Various UN agencies in Pakistan had also formed a thematic group on Food Security to strengthen local institutions and producers for improving household food security through integrated production, supported by nutrition education and poverty alleviation programmes.

Philippines: Presented by Elsa Bayani

127. The Philippines, through the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN), continued to sustain its gains related to its commitments to the ICN, WFS and WFS: 5yl through its various programmes.

128. The 2003 Nutrition Month celebration focused on the promotion of breastfeeding by having a theme "Kabataan Palusugin, Isulong ang Breastfeeding" or "Nourish the Youth, Promote Breastfeeding", which has been in keeping with the message #2 in Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF).

129. For sustainability efforts on preventing and controlling specific micronutrient deficiencies, national food fortification programmes were being pursued as a long-term measure. Prior to its dateline for mandating food fortification in November 2004, enabling mechanisms including monitoring systems and incentive packages were being put in place to encourage active participation of the food industry.

130. The PPAN continued forging collective efforts in pursuance of its package of programmes and strategies known as "Action for Nutrition Improvement (ANI) Programme" to control and prevent protein energy malnutrition in the country to address the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the undernourished 0-5 year old children by year 2015.

Pacific Islands: Presented by Dirk Schulz

131. Most NPANs in the Pacific Island Countries were developed in the mid to late 1990s but these have not been reviewed since. It was noted that although the plans were multisectoral, the implementation was often limited to the health/nutrition sector. A major limitation was the lack of monitoring of progress in almost all countries.

132. The Consultation was informed that based on the experience of on FAO/WHO workshop on the Development and Implementation of Intersectoral Food and Nutrition Action Plans and Policies, held in Capetown, South Africa in February 2003, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) was collaborating with WHO and FAO in implementing a JICA funded Workshop for Policy Makers on NPANs. The initial workshop will be held in November 2004 involving Fiji, Palau, Kiribati, Tonga and American Samoa. It was planned that a follow-up visit to each of the countries would be conducted by one of the course facilitators within six months of the workshop.

Sri Lanka: Presented by Chandrani Liyanage

133. The National Plan of Action for Nutrition was prepared in 2002 and the Nutrition policy in the country was being updated. FBDGs had also been prepared in 2003. After the previous policy had been put in place, Sri Lanka had shown improvement in the health and related status indicators especially in the vulnerable groups.

134. Various health care programmes, maternal and child health programmes, supplementation for pregnant and lactating mothers, school feeding programmes, agricultural, nutrition education and nutritional fortification, including iodination of salt and legislation for sale of only iodized salt were some of the strategies in operation. National level initiatives included food subsidies through Janasaviya and Samrudhi Programmes while NGOs like Sarvodaya, Reedbana, etc. were implementing feeding programmes along with nutrition education.

Thailand: Presented by Songsak Srianujata

135. Since the ICN, WFS in 1996 and WFS: 5yl, Thailand had achieved several goals in the area of nutrition. The prevalence of low birth weight was below 10 percent, underweight in children under five years had reduced; IDA in school children was below 10 percent and the prevalence of goitre in school children was reduced from 4.3 to 2 percent in 2001. The emerging problem of overweight had been recognized and preventive measures were accordingly being implemented.

136. Consistent with WFS action plans, the participation of people in environmental conservation and the agricultural development plan has been fostered. Poverty reduction projects such as the Debt Moratorium Project, One Village One Product Project, and People's Bank Programme are being implemented. Establishment of National FIVIMS Project and National Food Safety Project, the application of international standards and quality control systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Point (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for food safety, the implementation of Public Health Assurance Project and Food and Nutrition programmes were some of the measures being undertaken.

137. Actions for promoting sustainable agriculture such as organic and integrated farming, agroforestry farming, enhanced research and technology transfer through both local wisdom and new technology by establishing Agricultural Technology Transfer Centres at sub-district levels, designation of agro-economic zones for cash crops, and development of water resource and irrigation systems included some of the examples. The setting-up of a Committee on food security to monitor the implementation of action plans was in progress.

Viet Nam: Presented by Le Danh Tuyen

138. Viet Nam aimed to ensure significant improvement in the nutritional status of the Vietnamese people by 2010. Specific objectives and supporting indicators and strategic action plans were developed and were expected to achieve elimination of PEM as well as micronutrient malnutrition.

139. Like other developing Asian countries, Viet Nam was faced with diet related chronic diseases and these were being addressed through appropriate preventive approaches. Epidemiological research in nutrition in transition, strategic action as well as nutrition education had been reinforced within the framework of National Nutrition Strategy 2001-2010.

140. The Consultation recognized that most countries face problems in the implementation of projects/programmes due to political instability which result in change in policies, bureaucratic procedures/problems, lack of resources, natural or man-made calamities, etc.

141. The Consultation also noted that many countries had been implementing community based nutrition programmes using innovative strategies for programme funding as for example tax incentives that finance literacy programmes, income generation schemes and better health care.

142. Based on the country presentations and discussions under agenda item 4, the Consultation proposed the following recommendations:

Recommendations for ICN/WFS: 5yl/FIVIMS follow-up actions

Country level action

· Continue advocacy and sensitization of policy makers and implementers on ICN and WFS commitments.

· Disseminate widely the information on the progress made as a result of follow-up actions.

· Continue support towards operationalization of FIVIMS related activities.

· Document success stories and share innovative strategies used in implementing food based, community centred nutrition programmes.

· Work for allocation of budget for NPAN activities.

· Pursue intersectoral and multisectoral collaboration to strengthen the linkages between agriculture, nutrition and health through the creation of intersectoral coordinating committees.

For FAO Action

· Support national and regional activities that will strengthen and sustain ICN, NPAN and WFS: 5yl follow up efforts and actions.

· Assist member countries in generating resources for NPAN related activities.

· Promote exchange /sharing of cost effective strategies for nutrition improvement.

Agenda item 5: Special item - Food composition and usage of horticultural crops for better nutrition in IHNDP: a case study. Presented by A.K. Rashid Uddin Ahmed

143. The Consultation noted that Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development Project (IHNDP) covered over 33 000 farmers in resource poor villages of 15 districts in Bangladesh. The project had been promoting the production and consumption of horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits and spices) for better nutrition.

144. A two way approach that included (a) maximization of horticulture production with improved technologies and (b) enhancing consumption through an innovative nutrition education programme was being implemented. Capacity building through training and transfer of technology using demonstrations had been widely undertaken.

145. The on-going project showed promise in enhancing the dietary consumption and diversity of the diets of rural farmers in the project areas. The Consultation recognized and strongly urged that while the project was showing signs of progress in creating nutrition awareness among the project households, it would be necessary to consider the use of specific nutrition indicators to see the impact of change.

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