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Food Composition

Chickpea production and use in Lebanon

The International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) was officially established in 1984 based on the recommendations from an international group of 30 nutrition experts convened in Bellagio, Italy in 1983. At the meeting, a detailed assessment was done on users’ needs, database content, sources of data, database organization and operation, and the general implementation and management structure of INFOODS. On each topic, recommendations were provided to assist the future implementation.

INFOODS was established under the auspices of the United Nations University (UNU) with the active engagement of the International Nutrition Foundation (INF). Since 1993, FAO has taken an active role in supporting INFOODS efforts, and since 1999 has served as the global coordinator. INFOODS is also one of the Affiliated Bodies of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS).

 

STRUCTURE AND ROLES OF INFOODS COORDINATORS

INFOODS is a network of mainly volunteer members composed of:

  • Global Coordinator, who is responsible for the coordination of INFOODS activities at global level providing leadership to achieve the aims of the network;
  • Vice-Coordinator, who provides support to the roles and responsibilities of the Global coordinator;
  • Regional Data Centre Coordinators and National Coordinators, whose role is to promote and support activities to advance food composition science and databases at regional and national levels. For some regions, there are also Sub-regional Data Centre Coordinators and Vice-Coordinators.

INFOODS Global and Regional Coordinators as well as selected food composition experts meet online to exchange information and guide planning of INFOODS activities. In-person meetings are organized every second year at the International Food Data Conference (IFDC), where feasible.


Scroll down for more information on the responsibilities attached to each role, and on the selection and rotation of coordinators. 

Here you will find examples of INFOODS coordinators and partners' activities and responsibilities.

The Global Coordinator ensures the proper functioning of the network and information exchange, and works in combination with the food composition team members of FAO.

S/he is responsible for the management of daily operations and business, including organization of meetings, preparation and circulation of meeting minutes, and circulation of updates through the INFOODS community. S/he is also responsible for the realization of the overall network's objectives through serving as a focal point for requests and proposals at global level, as well as through overseeing and providing support to activities in various regions.

Where relevant, the Global Coordinator liaises with FAO decentralized offices to ensure transparent processes. The Global Coordinator ensures that suggestions and proposals related to the realization of the overall network's objectives are discussed among the coordinators, learning to common agreement; decisions related to the organizational structure of INFOODS may be directed by FAO as the guiding institutional body.

The Regional Coordinators manage activities at the regional level and stimulate activities at the national level. They act therefore as the interface between relevant national members and partners, and the Global Coordinator.

Overall responsibilities include sharing regular updated with the global coordinators, building a strong regional network of experts, and fostering collaborations among stakeholders and partners for regional activities. The Regional Coordinators shall act as focal points for country-specific activities if national representatives cannot be identified.

The National Coordinators act as focal points for the generation, access and dissemination of food composition data at country-level and catalyze related activities, working closely with their respective Regional Coordinator. Further examples of responsibilities and activities for the respective coordinators and partners can be found here.

Since all coordinators serve on a voluntary basis, the responsibilities and activities are optional and depend on the capacity and resources available.

  • The INFOODS Global Coordinator and vice-coordinator are selected by the guiding bodies, currently FAO.
  • The Regional Coordinators (also called president in some regions) are elected by the country representatives of the respective regional data centre. It is suggested that coordinators at regional level are appointed for 3 years and that, at the end of this period, the vice-coordinator automatically takes over the role as a new coordinator for the next period. However, the regional data centres may follow different election systems and decide on different durations, if in agreement with country representatives and the Global Coordinator. Generally, the election takes place during a regional INFOODS meeting, but other election mechanisms (e.g. online voting system) are acceptable.
  • The National Coordinators are selected by the country representatives and the regional coordinator of the regional data centre.