There has been no comprehensive review of food composition tables in Europe since the updated bibliography of the world's food composition tables was published in 1975 by the FAO [1]. Thus, prior to the workshop, representatives from each of the 17 countries participating were asked to prepare a paper on the state of food composition tables/nutrient data banks in their respective countries. Those preparing the papers were asked to include: (1) an overview on the establishment and development of food composition tables/nutrient data banks and plans for the future; (2) the role of the various food composition tables/ nutrient data banks within the country, for example, is there a national data bank serving a variety of needs, or are there purpose-specific data banks? (3) the manner in which coordination is achieved at the national and international level, and (4) information on the attitude of government to food composition tables and nutrient data banks.
In addition, a paper on the Nordic working group on food composition tables and nutrient data banks was prepared by Mrs. Bergström (3.2). Thus the four papers for the Nordic countries are grouped together (3.3–3.6) followed by the papers for the other countries in Europe represented at the meeting (3.7–3.19). In 3.20, a summary is presented of the questionnaire on food composition tables/nutrient data banks in Europe which was complied, circulated, and analyzed by Dr. Arab.
Thus, a picture has been built up of the situation at the time of the Wageningen Workshop with respect to food composition tables and nutrient data banks in Europe. The intention is to revise and extend this investory at regular intervals in order to avoid duplication of effort and to help to bring about cooperation not only between countries but also within countries.
Reference
1 FAO: Food composition tables: updated annotated bibliography (FAO, Rome 1975).
L. Bergström
Norfoods is a project group on food composition tables and nutrient data banks under the Nordic working group on food and nutrition within the official Nordic cooperation concerning foods (see fig. 1).
Figure 1. Administrative framework for Norfoods
The goals of the project group are to coordinate and to stimulate work on food composition tables, nutrient data base systems, and on food analysis in the Nordic countries. The group comprises one representative each from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden and a representative from the Committee of Deputies. Norfoods started its activities in 1982 and has met two or three times each year. During these meetings, information has been exchanged on a number of issues including data contained in food composition tables and nutrient data banks (see the reports from individual countries), on the definition of various foods and dishes, on food enrichment and food standards, on current food analysis projects, and on nutrition surveys and other research projects being carried out in the Nordic countries.
This inventory period has been vital for the continuing work of Norfoods. It has facilitated cooperation in identifying, at an early stage, the similarities and differences between the various Nordic countries with respect to data available on the composition of foods. This background information has allowed the members of Norfoods to outline the tasks which need to be tackled.
The major projects of Norfoods are: (1) the preparation of a dictionary of foods and dishes including English, Nordic, and, where appropriate, scientific names: the first part of the dictionary, which will be on foods, is due for publication in 1985; (2) a comparison of data on the nutrient content and the source of such data in food composition tables and nutrient data banks in the Nordic countries; (3) the preparation of a directory of nutrient data banks in the Nordic countries; (4) a register of references on food composition tables and nutrient data banks from all over the world of special significance to the Nordic countries, and (5) a register of references with respect to nutrient losses and gains during the preparation of foods.
In addition to the first part of the food dictionary, it is planned to publish the results of the other studies mentioned above before the end of 1985. Other projects which have been started include: (1) a review of the capabilities of nutrient data base systems established in Nordic countries; (2) preliminary work on the establishment of a computer network of nutrient data banks in the Nordic countries; (3) a survey of enriched foods and of standards for foods in Nordic countries; (4) a comparision of recipes and dishes eaten in Nordic countries, and (5) a register of current projects in Nordic countries carrying out analyses to determine the nutrient content of foods.
As far as Nordic nutrient data bank are concerned, a proposal has been presented to divide foods into 13 main food groups. Discussions have also been held on methods of calculating the energy content of foods and on procedures to be adopted for the rounding off of values in the tables.
It is expected that the work of Norfoods will result in the harmonization of the food composition tables and nutrient data base systems in the Nordic countries. For information on the activities being carried out in the individual Nordic countries, the reader is referred to the summaries on the following pages.
A. Møller, J. Højmark Jensen
Food composition tables have been published in Denmark since 1889. These tables have been prepared by interested individuals on their own initiative. In the last 10 years mostly two tables published by Helms [1, 2] have been used. Most of the data on nutrients in Danish foods are based on analyses carried out in government laboratories, mainly at the National Food Institute. In 1981 the Nutrition Unit at the National Food Institute began the compilation of data for the first national food composition table which was published in May 1983 [3]. It is a comprehensive table containing information on 370 food items. For each food, approximately 100 nutrients and other compounds of nutritional importance are listed. About two thirds of the data are based on analyses of Danish foods, the remainder has been collected from the literature.
The data collected for the national food composition table will serve as the basis for the national nutrient data bank to be developed within the next few years. The nutrient data bank is to be connected to a data network system linking all official food laboratories in Denmark. It may also contain data on nonnutrients. It is envisaged that the bank will contain data at different levels. For example, the basic level may contain the raw data which could be used for research purposes, whereas the top level may contain the type of data used in food composition tables. Programs have to be developed for the processing of data from food consumption surveys.
At present, there are several nutrient data banks in Denmark, including one at the Technical University which is based on data from the US Agriculture Handbook No. 8[4]. In the near future the data basis will be exchanged for the official Danish food composition data.
A nutrient data bank has been developed on a commercial basis by the Home Economies Committee of the Farmers' Associations. It has been established as part of the Agricultural Computer Centre in Århus. It is also based on the food composition tables of Helms [1, 2] and has been developed to process data from food consumption surveys carried out by members of household organizations.
Increasing public interest in nutrition has resulted in an increase in official activities in this area including (1) a surveillance system for nutrient content of foods on sale in Denmark; (2) official recommendations for nutrient intakes, and (3) the planning of a major national food consumption survey. An official data bank for nutrient content of Danish foods is considered to be an integral part of these activities. The National Food Institute is also participating in the activities of Norfoods.
References
1 Helms, P.: Fodevaretabeller (Academisk Forlag, København 1973–1975).
2 Helms, P.: Næringesstoftabeller (Lægeforeningens Forlag, København 1978).
3 Møller, A.: Levnedsmiddeltabeller (Dafolo Forlag, København 1983).
M. Ahola
In Finland there are no official food composition tables, and there is no general nutrient data bank. However, the food composition tables complied by Turpeinen [1] are in general use in nutrition education and extension training. The first edition of these tables was published in 1952, and since then 20 editions have been published, the latest in 1983. These tables are based mainly on food analyses carried out in Finland. The 20th edition includes 216 food items commonly consumed in Finland. For each food item, the content per 100 g of the following are given: water, ash, fat, carbohydrate, protein, energy, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, retinol equivalents, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, cholesterol, and fatty acid. Analytical data collected 1975–1980 on 28 mineral elements in 396 Finnish foods were published in a comprehensive mineral table of Finnish foods by Koivistoinen in 1980 [2]. This table was published in Finnish by Varo in 1980 and revised in 1981 [3].
In the early 1970s a data-processing system for dietary surveys was established [4]. This system is used mainly for research purposes by the Department of Nutrition at the University of Helsinki, the Social Insurance Institution in Helsinki, and the Social Rehabilitation Centre in Turku. The system has two programs. The first converts the food consumed into intakes of basic ingredients with the aid of the food composition file, and the second converts these data into nutrient intakes using the nutrient data file. The recipes for prepared foods included in the food data file were revised in 1983. The output files of the food programs can be entered as such into other programs, which means that multivariate analyses of the dietary variables and background can be made easily. The food composition file and nutrient data file included in the data-processing system are much larger than any of the food composition tables published in Finland. At present, the nutrient data file comprises 60 nutrients and other dietary items in 450 food items and 770 prepared foods. Most of these data come from the tables of Turpeinen [1], analyses carried out by Finnish food manufacturers, and laboratory analyses carried out by the Department of Nutrition. Some data have been taken from foreign food composition tables. An effort has been made to include new analytical results in the system as soon as they are published. The main limitation of the present system is a lack of resources for updating the nutrient data files.
Recently the Finnish authorities, especially the National Board of Trade and Consumer Interest and the National Board of Health, have shown an interest in establishing a centralized data system to serve the needs of food quality control in particular. A working group has been set up to undertake preliminary planning for the system. The first stage will be to identify the potential users of the system and sources for valid food analysis data, as well as the sources of existing information. Finland is participating in Norfoods.
References
3 Varo, P.: Kivennäisainetaulukko (Finnish mineral element tables); 2nd ed. (Otava, Keuruu 1981).
A.H. Rimestad
In Norway, there is one official food composition table. The National Nutrition Council is responsible for the content and the National Society for Nutrition and Health for the design and publication. This table was published initially in 1961, and has been revised several times. The 5th edition was published in 1984[1]. This table was intended for use primarily as a tool in nutrition education and other such activities. It is also used by dietitians and research workers, but they also have to obtain information from other sources. The importance of the food composition table is recognized by government, and finance is set aside annually for its revision an updating.
The table comprises 760 food items and prepared dishes. Most values are derived from analyses carried out in Norway for the nutrients in milk and milk products, meat, fish, cereals, as well as most values for nutrients in fruit, berries, and vegetables. No single laboratory is responsible for these analyses but both government and private laboratories are contracted for particular analyses. There is also close cooperation with various agricultural organizations which contribute test material and also carry out the analytical work in their own laboratories. Analyses which cannot be carried out in the branch laboratories are handled at official laboratories and financed by the related branch. Cooperation with the food industry has been developed, and many manufacturers supply the results of analyses carried out on processed foods in their own laboratories. They also provide the recipes of some processed foods from which the nutrient content can be calculated. Values for the nutrients in imported foods are obtained mainly from the literature and sources outside Norway.
It is considered important that up-to-date analytical data for raw foods and for industrially processed foods are made available. Another task is the collection of data for foods and food products not included in the food composition tables. This can done by monitoring and analyzing food products being offered to the consumer.
The Section of Dietary Research at the University of Oslo has its own nutrient data bank which is used primarily by the research workers in the processing of dietary data. The section is now designing an official Norwegian nutrient data bank. Norway is participating in Norfoods.
Reference
L. Bergström
One of the tasks of the National Institute of Public Health which was founded in 1938 was to analyze food items. The data obtained together with data from the literature were complied in a food composition table, Födoämnestabeller, which was first prepared by Abramson in 1947. Since then these tables have been revised several times, the 7th edition was published in 1982 [1].
Analysis of foods for a comprehensive Swedish food composition table began in the early 1960s. In 1971, the responsibility for food matters was taken over by the National Food Administration which published a comprehensive food composition table in 1978 which was revised in 1981 [2]. A second extended edition of this table is planned to be published late in 1985. An abbreviated form of the table was published in 1981 and revised in 1984 [3].
In the early 1960s, a nutrient data bank was developed based mainly on the food composition table of Abramson [1] and data supplied by the food industry in Sweden. Since 1981, a new data bank has been prepared by the National Food Administration. This data bank is based on the official food composition table which also serves as an national standard for all nutrient data banks in Sweden. As shown in table I, there are at present in Sweden 28 such systems developed by national, regional, local authorities, universities, food industries, wholesalers, and private firms. These systems have been devised mainly for nutrient calculation and analysis, recipe analysis and product development, diet planning and analysis, menu planning, and food production and control. Most of these nutrient data banks are still in the process of being developed. It will be desirable to develop some coordination between Swedish systems. However, at present, there are no plans to develop a national data base system serving all needs in Sweden, even if this would be possible in the future. Sweden is actively participating in Norfoods.
References
1 Abramson, E.; Andersson, B.-M.: Kosttabell; 7th ed. (Esselte Studium, Stockholm. 1982).
M.V. Veitl
In Austria there are no national food composition tables, and there are no plans to produce such tables. Use is made of food composition tables from the Federal Republic of Germany. There is also no national nutrient data bank in Austria. Food analyses are carried out by federal and private institutes mainly to see that legal requirements are being met. From these analyses the content of the main nutrients, some minerals, and the level of contaminants are determined. Although the results are not published in national food composition tables, they are published in national and international journals.
Use is made of data on food composition in the preparation of meals and special diets in hospitals, to assess the nutritional requirements of nursery school children, and to check the vitamin content of foods served in school canteens. In one hospital use is made of a large computer to calculate nutrient intakes from food intake questionnaires, to prepare recipes with the desired nutrient content, and to calculate the desired nutrient balance between ingested food and excreted nutrients.
G. Verdonk, H. Claesen
In the period from 1960 to 1967, a series of six tables on the composition of foods from manufacturers in various regions of the country was prepared [see ref. 1]. In addition, a table was prepared at the University of Louvain under the direction of Prof. De Vuyst [2].
In 1970, a nutrient data bank was established in the State University Ghent [3]. This data bank has been used for a number of studies within the university itself and also the multifactorial trial being carried out by five Belgian universities on the relationship between nutrition and mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer of the digestive tract. The data bank now includes data on 31 nutrients for about 200 foodstuffs and is mainly derived from the Dutch and British food composition tables. Data from Belgian manufacturers for some products such as margarine are also included.
References
1 FAO: Food composition tables: updated annotated bibliography (FAO, Rome 1975).
Table I. Nutrient data banks in Sweden, 1985
| System owner | The National Food Administration, NFA (Statens livsmedelsverk, SLV) | The National Agricultural Market Board (Statens Jordbruksnämnd) | The National Board of Consumer Policies Konsumentverket | The Material Administration of the Armed Forces (Försvarets materielverk) | Gothenburg University, Computer Centre (Göteborgs Universitet, Göteborgs Datacentral) | Gothenburg University, Dept. of Home Economics Education, (Inst. f. Huslig Utbildning) | University of Stockholm, Dept. of Inf. Processing Computer Science, (CLEA) | Karolinska Institute, Dept. of Medical Nutrition, Inst. f. Medicinsk Näringslära | Umeå University, Dept. of Nutritional Research (Umeå Universitet, Enheten f. Näringsforskning) | Umeå University, Dept. of Home Economics Education (Umeå Universitet, HTB-Institutionen) | University of Uppsala, Dept. of Home Economics Education (Inst. för BEHT) | Kalmar County Council, Production Kitchen (Kalmar Läns Landsting, Produktionsköket) | Malmöhus County Council (Malmöhus Läns Landsting) | Stockholm County Council, (Stockholms Läns Landsting Finanskontorets Upphandlingsavd.) | AIVO Co., Ltd. (AIVO AB) | Computer Workshop HB (Dataateljen HB) | ITT Scanips | Diet and Nutrition Data Co., Ltd. Kost och Näringsdata AB | AB Värmlandsdata | Östgötadata | AB Felix | AB Findus | Semper AB | DAGAB | Nature and Culture (Publisher) Natur och Kultur | Esselte Studium | Östersund Army Garrison Östersunds armégarnison/15 | Danish Hospital Institute, Copenhagen: owner: The Swedish Association of Local Authorities4 | |||
| Contact person | Lena Bergström | Margot Herbertsson/ Göran Lindblad | Majbritt von Knorring | Gertrud Johansson | Monica Abrahamson | Inger Jonsson | Anita Kollerbaur | Charlotte Nygren/ Rolf Sjöström | Karl Sandberg | Berit Lundmark | Valborg Elglund/ Håkan Briddgård | Agneta Kjällman | Mariana Atterhult/ Lena Kanström | Björn Hellström/ Tom Blomqvist | Dag Sandblom | Anders Westman/ Andreas Sandberg | Lillemor Hvitfeldt-Wallentinson | Gunnar Söderlind/ Roger Gustafsshiöld | Sten Blom/Lennart Gustavsson/B.O. Konor | Birgit Hansson | Anita Johansson | Pelle Bruner | Lilian Fredriksson/Eva Bonnier | Kjell Floberg | Ulla Larsson | Britta Bergström-Reiback | |||||
| Address | Box 622 | Vallgatan 8 | Box 503 | Karolinen | Box 190 70 | Box 15015 | Nygatan 43 | Trädgårdsgatan 14 | Länssjukhuset | Box 1003 | Box 9106 | Box 20058 | Hyggesvägen 19A | Box 23058 | Bredåkersvägen 7 | Box 502 | Box 500 | Box 23142 | Box 27323 | Hornsgatan 15 | |||||||||||
| S-75126 Uppsala | S-55182 Jönköping | S-16215 Vällingby | S-65180 Karlstad | S-400 12 Göteborg | S-400 41 Göteborg | S-106 91 Stockholm | S-901 87 Umeå | S-901 87 Umeå | S-752 20 Uppsala | S-39185 Kalmar | S-22185 Lund | S-10272 Stockholm | S-161 20 Bromma | S-902 32 Umeå | S-104 35 Stockholm | S-217 63 Malmö | S-667 00 Forshaga | S-58101 Linköping | S-24100 Eslöv | S-26700 Bjuv | S-10435 Stockholm | S-17178 Solna | S-102 54 Stockholm | S-17 176 Solna | S-83 185 Östersund | S-116 37 Stockholm | |||||
| Telephone | +46-(0)18-175500 or +46-(0)18-175730 | +46-(0)36-169480 | +46-(0)8-7390100 | +46-(0)54-103000 | +46-(0)31-603029 | +46-(0)31-243417 | +46-(0)8-162000 | +46-(0)90-166086 | +46-(0)90-117800 | +46-(0)18-130568 | +46-(0)48-81491 | +46-(0)46-127673 | +46-(0)8-7372500 | +46-(0)8-872810 | +46-(0)90-129240 | +46-(0)8-7360150 | +46-(0)40-915530 | +46-(0)54-118800/70600 | +46-(0)13-107000 | +46-(0)423-13100 | +46-(0)42-70800 | +46-(0)8-247700 | +46-(0)8-272980 | +46-(0)8-232480 | +46-(0)8-7343300 | +46-(0)63-158000 | +46-(0)8-248500 | ||||
| System name | KOST | - | - | under development | Foodcomp | Kostplan see AIVO Co. Ltd. | Princess | under development | Nutridata | Närdat | System för beräkning | Kalmar Kost | Näringsvärdesberäkning | KIS-PLAN | Kostplan | Matdat | A La Carte | Dietist | Prandium | Kaisa | - | Tina | - | Week menu catering | Näringslära | Camp | |||||
| In operation since | 19811 | 1978 | 1984 | (1980) 1982 | 1985 | under development for microcomputer | 1979 | 1983 | 1982 | 1985 | 1984 | 1984 | 1984 | 1981 | (1969) 1980 | 1985 | 1984 | 1971 | 1977 | 1982 | 1982 | 1985 | under development | under development | 1976 | ||||||
| Nutrient data sources | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 8, 1963, British 1978, German 1981 Analyses from own and other laboratories Food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | NFA Nutrient Data Bank 1984 own analyses food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 | Swedish Food Composition Tables other | NFA Nutrient Data Bank: 1984 | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 | NFA Nutrient Data Bank 1983 | Swedish School Food Composition Tables: 1984 | NFA Nutrient Data Bank: 1985 food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 | Swedish School Food Composition Table: 1984 | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | NFA Nutrient Data Bank: 85-01-01 food industry data | Abramson/Andersson Food Composition Table: 1982 own analysis | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978 own analyses | Several food composition tables, own analyses food industry data | Swedish Food Composition Tables: 1978, 1981 food industry data | Food Composition Tables: Swedish School Table 1984 | Food Composition Tables: Swedish 1978, 1981 food industry data | ||||||
| Number of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| foods | 850 | - | 1,500 | 840 | 600 | more can be added | 600 | 870 | 600 | 300 | 800 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 600 (1,500 or more can be included) | 500 (700 can be included) | 700 | 1,500 | 2,000 | 850 | 1,500 | 1,400 | 600 raw food items and several hundreds of prepared ones. | 800 | 200 | 660 | ||||||
| recipes | 400 | - | - | 510 | 550 | - | 600 | - | - | - | - | 550 (2,200 or more can be included) | - | 300 | - | - | - | 900 | Current recipes for own products | 150 | - | 100 | |||||||||
| aggregated foods | 130 | 125 | - | - | - | - | - | 133 | (7 sets of breakfasts, 63 sets of dinners, 63 sets of suppers)2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 week menu with approx. 50 different diets: 6 more are planned | - | - | - | - | 20 ordinary meals, 5 breakfasts | - | ||||||||
| Nutrients per food | 35 | 10 | 26 | 35 | 24 (48, 72, etc. can be included) | 12 | 20 | 35 | 15 | 35 | 26 (50 can be included) | 26 | 24 (48, 72 or more can be included) | 9 (11 can be included). P/S ratio | 15 | 26 | 32 | 35 | 12 | 29 | 123 (83 nutrients are used in all common calculations) | 11 | 8 | 16 | |||||||
| Other data | food cost and consumption data | food cost data | - | food cost data, recipe procedures | - | - | food cost data | food cost data | - | food cost data | food cost data, recipe procedures | food cost data can be included | food cost data, recipe procedures | food cost data can be included | food additives, food cost data restrictions: recipe procedures, foods, nutrients, and cooking methods | food cost data, recipe procedures | - | - | food cost data, foreign substances | food cost data, recipe procedures, data on purchase and inventory | - | food cost data | |||||||||
| Nutrition recommendation | Swedish nutrition recommendations | - | Swedish nutrition recommendations | no | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations RDA, WHO energy | no | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish recommendations for special diets | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations Swedish recommendations for special diets | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations | no | Swedish nutrition recommendations Swedish recommendations for special diets | Swedish nutrition recommendations Swedish recommendations for special diets | Swedish nutrition recommendations Swedish recommendations for special diets | no | no | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations | Swedish nutrition recommendations | ||||||||
| Recipe calculation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Food yields | yes | - | no | yes | yes | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | |||||||
| Factors for nutrient losses and gains | yes | - | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | |||||||
| System is used by | the administration, some departments of the universities of Uppsala and Stockholm, individual scientists and students | The Board | The Board | Departments of Clinical Nutrition and of Home Economics Education | students of food science and economics and of home economics | scientists, nutritionists | students of food science and economics and of home economics | students of food science and economics and of home economics | the production kitchen | dietitians and food managers of the Country Council | dietitians and food managers of the Country Council | Örebro and Gärebro and Gävle communes, Gothenburg University. S:t Göran's High School, Karolinska Hospital. Stockholm School Administration. Nutricare Co. | Ängelholm High School. Fyris School Uppsala. Lundsberg's School Vara. Vakstanäs School of Rural Economics | restaurants | regional and local authorities private firms | hospital food departments | hospital food departments of Östergötland's County Council | the staff of Felix | the staff of Findus | the staff of Semper | DAGAB's customers | schools | Gothenburg and Södertälje school administrations | ||||||||
| System is suited for | nutrition surveys, specially large ones, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, research, education, food frequency, meal pattern, optimizing recipes, calculations of nutrients, calculations of statistical parameters, calculations per capita food consumption | calculations of nutrients on the Swedish total and per capita food consumption and food supply, food volume calculations - food costs, food consumption statistics | diet planning, menu planning, education, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, research, education, calculations of nutrients | nutrition surveys diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, research, education, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs | diet planning menu planning. education, calculation of nutrients | education (diet and menu planning and nutrition surveys), calculations of nutrients | education, calculations of nutrients | education, menu planning, calculations of nutrients and costs | menu planning, calculations of nutrients and statistical parameters, production control | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, research, education, calculations of nutrients | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning. menu planning, research. education, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs. optimize recipes, nutrition labelling, production and inventory controls | menu planning. education. calculations of nutrients. calculations of costs | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, research, education, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs, calculations of statistical parameters, optimize recipes, nutrition labelling, production control, inventory control, fiscal controls | nutrition surveys, diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, education, calculations of nutrients. calculations of costs, optimize recipes, nutrition labelling | diet planning, special diet planning, menu planning, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs, optimize recipes | nutrition surveys, diet planning. special diet planning, menu planning, education. administration of special diet orders, purchasing and inventory control, calculations of nutrients, calculation of costs, production control | calculations of nutrients | Calculations of nutrients nutrition labelling | calculations of nutrients calculations of costs optimize recipes | diet planning, menu planning, purchase planning, inventory planning, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs | education, calculations of nutrients, nutrition labelling | diet planning, calculations of nutrients, calculations of costs, production planning | |||||||
| Computer | Nord 100/CXE | Nord 100 | ABC 806 | IBM 3033 | Apple III | Commodore PET 3032 | Cyber 170–730 | Cromenco System Zero | IBM 4331 | Victor | ABC 800 | IBM PC. Apple III. Macintosh | ABC 80, ABC 800, ABC 806. Compis | ITT-XTRA, Partner | Facit, ABC 80, ABC 800, IBM PC | IBM PC, AT, IBM PC, XT | Ericsson 2500 | ICL ME 29 | Honeywell 66/40 | IBM PC XT | SORD M203 | IBM PC, ABC 806, Compis | IBM 370 | ||||||||
| Program source | own | own | Diet and Nutrition Co. | SAS, Gothenburg Computer Centre | AIVO | Princess project | own | UMDAC Umeå University Computer Centre | - | - | own | own | own | - | own | own | - | own | own | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Program language | Cobol | Basic | Basic | SAS | UCSD-Pascal | Simula | Basic | Fortran V | Basic | Cobol | Dataflex/Pascal | Basic | UCSD-Pascal | Basic | Basic | Basic | Dataflex | Cobol | Cobol | Cobol 74 | Basic, mostly | Basic | Basic, Compis-Pascal | PL1 Fortran | |||||||
| Operating system | Sintran III VSE | Sintran III VSE | - | Guts Terminal System | A III-SOS | TOPS 1020 | - | Cyber 170–730 | C-DOS | DOS/VSE | MS DOS | ABC DOS, EM DOS | MS DOS, A III-SOS | Luxor UFD DOS | CP/M, CCP/M | modified to each computer type | MS DOS | OS-V6 | - | - | MS DOS | - | MS DOS | DOSVS | |||||||
| Data base management system | MIMER | - | - | SAS | AIVO | own | - | CRM | - | DL/1 | Dataflex | own | Macintosh own | - | - | Dataflex | IMK | sequential files | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Access | modem, terminal | modem, terminal | - | modem, terminal | own use | own use, terminal | own use | terminal | own use for the present | used only within the county council | modem, terminal system | modem, terminal system | - | modem, terminal system | modem, terminal system | own use only | own use only | own use only | - | - | modem, terminal system | ||||||||||
| For sale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nutrient data base system | yes, on magnetic tape | no | no | no | no | not yet | no | no | no | not yet | yes, on floppy disc | no | yes, on floppy disc and Winchester drive | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on magnetic tape | no | no | no | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on floppy disc | yes | |||||||
| Nutrient data base | yes, on magnetic tape | no | no | no | no | not yet | no | no | no | not yet | yes, on floppy disc and paper | no | yes, on floppy disc and Winchester drive | - | no | no | yes, on floppy disc | no | no | no | no | yes, on floppy disc | yes, on floppy disc | no | |||||||
| Services | nutrition serveys, menu planning, diet planning, calculations of nutrients, etc. | no | no | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | calculations of nutrients menu planning | calculations of nutrients cost calculations of meals | system modifications | calculations of nutrients, menu planning, etc. | - | see footnote 3 | no | no | no | calculations of nutrients and costs | - | installation of the system planning of menus, nutrition, purchase | |||||||
1 A new version with 105 nutrients will become available in 1986.
4 Storhushållsgruppen Kommunförbundet Micro Camp will be launched in Sweden
H. Rottka, W. Polenski, H. Scherz
At present in the Federal Republic of Germany there are at least four major food composition tables, all based on the Souci/Fachmann/Kraut food composition tables [1].
Apart from work in various departments of universities, most food analysis is carried out by government agencies which come under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, such as the institutes for research on milk, bread and potatoes, meat, and vegetables. All these institutes analyze foods mainly for technological and scientific purposes and do not operate a systematic service. Although each institute does not publish regularly, all values are supplied to the Research Institute for Food Chemistry (DFL) in Munich. This institute is responsible for the national nutrient data bank and for revision of the Souci/Fachmann/Kraut food composition tables. Thus raw data are collected from three main sources: analysis carried out by DFL, analyses carried out by other institutes in the Federal Republic, and from the literature.
Since 1978, the rapidly expanding body of raw data has been transferred to the LINDAS (Lebensmittel-Inhaltsstoff-Daten-System) data bank which is based at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (Leibniz Rechenzentrum of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften). For each food item, the following data are available: the name in German, English and French, the constituents of the food in German and English, number of samples tested, analytical results, method of analysis, and literature references. The mean and variation of the data for each constituent of the food can be calculated. The fat, carbohydrate, and protein content of each food item, the total energy value, and the amount and energy value of digestible material can be calculated.
Outputs can be provided in the form of tables in German or in English as follows:
Food composition tables (standard tables) similar to the published food composition tables can be obtained and arranged according to the type of food. Values which are significantly different from those in the preceding issue are marked automatically.
Food composition tables (constituent tables) can be provided which list all foods containing one or more particular nutrients or other constituents in a concentration within a range selected by the user. The concentrations of the constituents are given, and the output can be arranged in either decreasing or increasing order of the constituents specified.
Tables (method tables) can be produced specifying the methods used to determine the concentrations of nutrients and other constituents in foods listed in the food composition tables.
Tables (trend tables) can be produced which list changes in the concentration of one or more nutrients or other constituents in a given food item since a given year.
Tables can be provided which give the major changes in the concentration of all nutrients and other constituents in all foods.
Table extracts may be obtained, for example, for all the constituents and the amount of each in one particular food and for all foods which contain a particular constituent and the amount of that constituent, if necessary separated according to the analytical method.
Lists of all literature sources can be provided corresponding to a given food item: constituent, food and constituent, and analytical method. The lists are arranged according to year and author.
The values from the Souci/Fachmann/ Kraut tables up to the 4th Supplement have now been added to the LINDAS data bank. Together with a considerable number of additions and corrections these data from the basis of the second edition of the Souci/Fachmann/Kraut tables published in 1981 [1].
Since the end of 1981 new data have been added continuously and the tables updated. The data bank now contains about 650 food items. For the preparation of the third edition, research is being carried out in the following areas: the composition of carbohydrates, the content of vitamins and trace elements in each food item, and the composition of cooked foods and prepared dishes.
In response to the needs of those interested in food intake studies, a standard uniform code known as the Federal Food Code (Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel) has been developed. It is a hierarchically structured code designed to meet the needs of research workers and also for use in simple dietary assessment. The code contains 12 digits, but for many uses only 4 digits of the code need to be used. The data bank based on this code contains 5,000 food items, each with up to nine different methods of preparation, including approximately 500 basic foods, 1,300 industrially processed basic foods, 500 vegetarian and dietetic foods, and 2,700 industrially processed and prepared foods required only for more extensive consumption surveys. It also includes 1,000 coded recipes of meals from households, restaurants, and food services. The constituents given are: 3 macronutrients, 13 vitamines, 17 minerals, 32 fatty acids, 18 amino acids, 8 sugars, 5 dietary fibres, 18 organic acids, 5 steroids, 9 organic noxious subsstances, 6 inorganic substances, and 3 risk substances (cholesterol, purine N, and oxalic acid). Losses in nine selected cooking methods for each of the 140 nutrients and active ingredients have been determined. All missing analytical values have been calculated with a specially developed program.
In addition to the food composition tables/nutrient data banks discussed above, there is a large nutrient data bank for animal feeds at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart. This data bank contains information on about 800 nutrients and contaminants in about 18,000 feeds.
Reference
J.C. Favier, Z.L. Ostrowski
In France there are three national food composition tables compiled by Randoin et al. [1], Ostrowski and Josse [2], and Renaud et al. [3]. There are also complementary food tables for baby foods prepared by Ostrowski and Josse [4, 5].
Since the last revision of the Randoin tables in 1959, all food composition tables have been developed from published data. Most of these tables do not provide data on recent nutrients or on constituents which can now be assayed better, as, for example, amino acids, fatty acids, inorganic elements, and vitamins. However, it should be noted that the Renaud tables, designed for cardiovascular epidemiological surveys, contain information on fatty acid composition.
Since 1980, the French Nutrition Foundation under Dr. Favier and with financial aid from the Research and Industry Ministry has undertaken the preparation of a data bank on the composition of human foods produced and/or consumed in France. In co-operation with Prof. Martin from the Medical Information Laboratory and the MEDIMAT Statistics Laboratory, a system has been developed based on data collected with several food items, such as milk, cheese, and vegetable oils. It is now time to apply this system to a wider range of foods. This requires considerable financial means not only for collection of data from the literature, but also to carry out a large number of analyses on representative samples of food items.
While the French government is in favour of developing this data bank, at present it cannot provide the necessary finance. Thus, in order to assemble the considerable human and financial resources necessary, it has been decided to establish a non-profit organization to coordinate interested parties: government research laboratories, control laboratories, agricultural and food industries, consumer organizations, and government ministries.
The data bank is to be national in scope and designed to meet the needs of: (1) dietitians, physicians, nutritionists, epidemiologists, etc.; (2) those responsible for nutritional surveys; (3) administrators responsible for the control of food products; (4) researchers and teachers, and (5) consumers and consumer associations.
Because of the diversity of the users, the data bank will have to be developed in such a way that data can be presented at a number of levels. Results of individual analyses of nutrients are to be coded and recorded on magnetic tape. This will be the archive tape of collected data or the raw data tape. The recorded data will include: the definition of the individual food sample; its geographical origin; production date; treatments, designation of analysis laboratory; components assayed, assay methods, and the values obtained. After the statistical processing of data and comparison with the literature, certain values are retained, referred to as transformed data. These values appear in the transformed data base. The parameters used to describe data on each nutrient in each food are: (1) name of the nutrient; (2) unit of measure; (3) mean (or median); (4) number of samples; (5) dispersion index (standard deviation for a Gaussian distribution, 5% or 95% percentiles or extreme values according to the number of samples if the distribution is not Gaussian), and (6) quality or stability of the data.
More detailed information on each nutrient can be obtained including source of data, assay methods, variability as a function of various factors, data from other food composition tables, etc.
In 1978 an initiative was made to develop a common European food composition table by Dr. Z.L. Ostrowski of the European Association for Nutrition and Child Development (ADE). At a meeting of European nutritionists organized by ADE in 1979 it was agreed that there is a need for a joint, comprehensive European food composition table, covering all raw food items consumed in the Member States of the European Community. The most detailed possible breakdown should be provided for each food item. It was further agreed that the table should be easy to understand and suitable for computer processing. Widely used cooked food could also be included. A conversion method for other food items would need to be developed and appended to the table. All data would have to be checked and literature references given. The table could provide references to existing nutritional studies.
A new edition of the food table compiled by Ostrowski and Josse [2] is being prepared for publication late in 1985. At the present time it is available on floppy disc for use with an IBM PC microcomputer.
References
