FAO/INFOODS Guidelines for Checking Food Composition Data Prior to the Publication of a User Table/Database, Version 1.0

Authors: CHARRONDIERE, U - Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO); STADLMAYR, BARBARA - Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO); Haytowitz, David; OSEREDCZUK, MARINE - French Food And Safety Agency(AFSSA); IRELAND, JAYNE - French Food And Safety Agency(AFSSA); WOLMARANS, PETRO - South African Medical Research Council; RITTENSCHOBER, DORIS - Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO); SELLEY, BARBARA - Food Intelligence; PUWASTIEN, PRAPASRI - Mahidol University; REYKDAL, OLAFUR - Agricultural Research Institute-Iceland; BLANCO, ADRIANA - Costa Rican Institute For Research And Education On Nutrition And Health(INCIENSA); AGUINALDO, AIDA - Food & Nutrition Research Institute; ENE-OBONG, HENRIETTA - University Of Nigeria; Pehrsson, Pamela; KOUEBOU, CHRISTIANT - Institute Of Agricultural Research For Development (IRAD); LONGVAH, T - Indian Council Of Agricultural Research (ICAR); GUILLAUME, KAMDA - French Food And Safety Agency(AFSSA); CHAMPAGNE, CATHERINE - Pennington Biomedical Research Center; NOWAK, VERENA - Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO); WIJESENA-BETTONI, RAMANI - Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Submitted to: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Technical Workshop Report
Publication Type: Research Technical Update
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/5/2012
Publication Date: 11/5/2012
Citation: Charrondiere, U.R., Stadlmayr, B., Haytowitz, D.B., Oseredczuk, M., Ireland, J., Wolmarans, P., Rittenschober, D., Selley, B., Puwastien, P., Reykdal, O., Blanco, A., Aguinaldo, A., Ene-Obong, H., Pehrsson, P.R., Kouebou, C.P., Longvah, T., Guillaume, K.S., Champagne, C., Nowak, V., Wijesena-Bettoni, R. 2012. FAO/INFOODS Guidelines for Checking Food Composition Data Prior to the Publication of a User Table/Database, Version 1.0. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Technical Workshop Report. http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/ap810e/ap810e.pdf.

Interpretive Summary: Food composition data play an essential role in many sectors, including nutrition, health, agriculture, environment, food labeling and trade. Over the last 25 years, International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) has developed many international standards, guidelines and tools to obtain harmonized food composition data. The information includes criteria for analytical data and guidelines on component identifiers, data compilation, food nomenclature, exchange of data and quality evaluation. They were supplemented by guidelines from other food composition compilers such as European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR). However, as there are no guidelines on the validation/verification of data prior to publishing them in a user table/database (DB), INFOODS, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) worked together to develop guidelines through the INFOODS network. The objective of this document was to comprehensively outline internal quality checks to be carried out on the food composition data and documentation prior to their publication in the user table/DB. Some compilers are not familiar with the all the issues concerning the compilation and publication procedures for food composition data tables/DB. Therefore, a section on general issues is included to give a brief overview of key points, which enable a better understanding of the checks and guidelines. The proposed checks are based on the available literature and the experience of various international compilers. These checks should, at a minimum, be carried out at the end of the compilation process (i.e., prior to publishing in user table/DB). Ideally, quality checks should be performed at all compilation steps (e.g., data entry, reference DB). This is a dynamic document which will be progressively updated and expanded as new information becomes available.

Technical Abstract: Food composition data play an essential role in many sectors, including nutrition, health, agriculture, environment, food labeling and trade. Over the last 25 years, International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) has developed many international standards, guidelines and tools to obtain harmonized food composition data. The information includes criteria for analytical data and guidelines on component identifiers, data compilation, food nomenclature, exchange of data and quality evaluation. They were supplemented by guidelines from other food composition compilers such as European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR). However, as there are no guidelines on the validation/verification of data prior to publishing them in a user table/database (DB), INFOODS, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) worked together to develop guidelines through the INFOODS network. The objective of this document was to comprehensively outline internal quality checks to be carried out on the food composition data and documentation prior to their publication in the user table/DB. Some compilers are not familiar with the all the issues concerning the compilation and publication procedures for food composition data tables/DB. Therefore, a section on general issues is included to give a brief overview of key points, which enable a better understanding of the checks and guidelines. The proposed checks are based on the available literature and the experience of various international compilers. These checks should, at a minimum, be carried out at the end of the compilation process (i.e., prior to publishing in user table/DB). Ideally, quality checks should be performed at all compilation steps (e.g., data entry, reference DB). This is a dynamic document which will be progressively updated and expanded as new information becomes available.