Food Composition Data. Second Edition.

Food Composition Data. Second Edition

Greenfield H, Southgate DAT, FAO, Rome, 2003, 288 pages, $59.50, ISBN 92-5-104949-1

Food Composition Data--Production Management and Use is designed for individuals or organisations concerned with compiling food composition databases. The purpose is to provide a systematic approach in ensuring that data are comprehensive and accurate, yet compatible with systems that have already been developed worldwide.

The initial impetus for the book came from the International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS), which was established in 1984 to help improve the quality and availability of food analysis data worldwide; it now coordinates more than 20 data centres. The first edition of the book, published in 1992, was designed to complement the INFOODS effort and was used extensively during training courses for food composition analysts and compilers in developed and developing regions. This second edition arose from feedback in these courses; it includes changes to update the text and figures, incorporate improved methods of analysis and make the book more user-friendly on an international basis.

The guidelines presented in the book are based on the wisdom and experiences of two international experts in the field of food composition. Dr Heather Greenfield initiated work on the composition of Australian foods and was involved in the national food composition program, and Dr David Southgate collaborated in compiling the third and fourth editions of the UK food tables; both authors have been involved in the INFOODS training programs in many countries. The information has been meticulously compiled, with extensive peer review of relevant sections and careful consultation with original sources where possible.

The structure follows stages in an idealised programme for preparing a comprehensive food composition database. There are 12 chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 discuss overall guidelines for the design of a database. Chapters 3-9 provide specific guidelines on different aspects of this process, including selection of foods and nutrients (or other bioactive constituents), sampling procedures, selection of analytical methods, quality control and modes of data expression. Chapters 10-12 address the final compilation of the database, limitations of databases that constrain their use, and future needs in the area of food composition.

The guidelines in the book are not prescriptive and do not set out detailed sampling or analytical protocols. Instead, the authors discuss the basic principles and provide examples of approaches that have been used successfully, based on their own experiences in preparing databases over many years and in different countries. The bibliography is comprehensive with more than 800 listed references dating from the 1940s to the present; there is also a shortened list of 'essential' references cited in an appendix. The book is readable and well organised, with the main text divided by headings and subheadings for easy reference, and interspersed with useful summary tables and figures. The reviewer noted a small typographical error on the contents page where chapters 10 and 11 are listed in the reverse order and therefore page numbers in the contents do not correspond to those in the text; however, the index at the end of the book appears to be correctly referenced to subject matter in the main text.

Data on composition of foods are essential for a diversity of purposes. Although designed as a guide for food composition analysts and compilers, the book has broader applications in that it provides the key to understanding the derivation, consistency and limitations of current food composition data. In this regard, the book would be an invaluable guide for professionals in health research, epidemiology and clinical practice, food regulation and product, development, and other fields where food composition data provide a fundamental yet challenging resource.

Dr Philippa Lyons-Wall

Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics 

School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane

[c] 2006 The Author

Journal compilation [c] 2006 Dietitians Association of Australia