Why were the FAO/WHO GIFT food groups and subgroups developed?

A major challenge in harmonizing food consumption data relates to the harmonization of the coding of food items. Foods vary between countries and regions in terms of forms, varieties, preparation methods and many other characteristics. It is essential that comparability be maintained, without losing detailed information on what has been consumed. The use of a common food classification and description system among food consumption surveys from different countries – covering different age and sex population groups – contributes to the global harmonization of dietary data.

How are the food groups and subgroups used to compute indicators in the FAO/WHO GIFT platform?

FAO/WHO GIFT provides ready-to-use indicators based on individual food consumption data in the areas of food consumption, food safety and nutrition. These indicators can be browsed by food group, subgroup and food item. The indicators are computed by the platform’s backend technology which automatically assigns each food consumed to a food group or subgroup, based on its FoodEx2 code.