Establishing a food composition database for Turkey based on European standards

Summary An up-to-date food composition database with detailed information on the energy and nutrient content of nationally consumed foods and drinks is an invaluable tool for determining the nutritional and health status of a population and for developing national nutrition policies. Until recently, Turkey lacked such a database and has had to rely on data extracted from databases developed for use in other countries. However, with support and encouragement from the European Union (EU) funded Network of Excellence, the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR), the Food Institute (FI) of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Marmara Research Centre (TUBITAK MRC), has strengthened its technical knowledge on food composition data management and, as a related result in December 2008, TUBITAK MRC FI launched the project titled ‘Determination of National Food Composition and Formation of a Widely Available and Sustainable System’. The aim has been to analyse systematically and to compile the nutrient composition of approximately 520 foods, including traditional Turkish foods, using methods that are in line with international quality criteria for producing, using and managing food composition data. The nutrients analysed were prioritised according to the nutritional profile of each food and were selected from a potential list of around 100 nutrients. Analytical quality-control systems have been put in place, addressing method validation and variation, including proficiency tests. Once completed, it is hoped that the systematic, traceable and user-friendly nature of the free-to-access database will appeal to food experts and health professionals who need up-to-date information on the energy and nutrient composition of foods eaten in Turkey.