Background to the Composition of Foods and Review
Tuesday 23 October 2001
Data from analytical surveys are published in the UK food composition tables, McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods.
For some 60 years, McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods has been an authoritative and widely used source of information about the nutritional value of foods consumed in the UK. It is used, for example, by dietitians, nutritionists, food scientists, home economists, caterers, food manufacturers, advisory bodies, medical professionals, educational establishments, and students.
There are currently nine supplements on specific food groups, a supplement on fatty acids, and a summary 6th edition. Now that the series of supplements is complete, a comprehensive integrated dataset will be produced, comprising data from all supplements and the 6th edition, with one set of values only per food code. Work to compile this dataset commenced at the end of 2001.
In addition, the Agency has commissioned a review of the series that will help inform its future direction.
Review
In 2002, a review of the The Composition of Foods was commissioned. The objectives of the review were to:
- Investigate views of the key stakeholders on the future development of the series by conducting interviews and focus groups with a range of stakeholder groups/individuals.
- Assess the views of a range of users on its future development through the development and administration of a questionnaire including questions based upon the results of the in-depth discussions described above.
- Deliver a set of recommendations on the future content and format.
The report of the review, entitled An assessment of issues pertinent to the future development of The Composition of Foods, is available from the Food Standard Agency's library. It includes recommendations covering: importance and usage of The Composition of Foods series; format; food and nutrient coverage; presentation of data; data quality; timeliness; pricing; communications; and management.
The results and recommendations from this review will feed into a broader review of how the Food Standards Agency's analytical nutrient analysis programme, and the outputs from it, should be managed.
Publications in The Composition of Foods series
For information regarding availability or to order copies, contact: Sales and Customer Care Department, Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WF, tel: 01223 432360, fax: 01223 426017, email: sales@rsc.org; or online at: www.rsc.org/shop
1 Holland, B., Unwin, I.D., and Buss, D.H. (1988) Cereals and Cereal Products. Third supplement to McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
2 Holland, B., Unwin, I.D., and Buss, D.H. (1989) Milk Products and Eggs. Fourth supplement to McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
3 Holland, B., Unwin, I.D., and Buss, D.H. (1991) Vegetables, Herbs and Spices. Fifth supplement to McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
4 Holland, B., Welch, A.A., Unwin, I.D., Buss, D.H., Paul, A.A. and Southgate, D.A.T. (1991) McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 5th edition, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
5 Holland, B., Unwin, I.D., and Buss, D.H. (1992) Fruit and Nuts. First supplement to 5th edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
6 Holland, B., Welch, A.A., and Buss, D.H. (1992) Vegetable Dishes. Second supplement to 5th edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.
7 Holland, B., Brown, J., and Buss, D.H. (1993) Fish and Fish products. Third supplement to 5th edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge.