29/07/2010

Food Composition Tables are a very useful tool in assessing the long-term nutritional state of a population, in times of health as well as sickness.

From this perspective, data supplied from these tables are useful in designing nutritional Policies, research into Nutrition, carrying out Total Diet studies, designing new products and even in providing information of interest to consumers, who are more and more keen to know the characteristics of the food they are eating.

The Spanish Food Composition Database (BEDCA) is part of the European “EuroFIR” project for the creation of a European platform of food composition databases.

Before the creation of the European database, the participating countries must create a harmonised database of their own data; in Spain the “BEDCA network” (red BEDCA) was set up, which gathers data already published by the Ministry for Health and Social Policy and by different National Research Centres, as well as that provided by the industry, and this will be added to as new data is generated. The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition signed an agreement with the BEDCA network to support its creation, and it has organised over 14 meetings for members of this Spanish network. The Centres involved are:

• Centro de Enseñanza Superior de Nutrición y Dietética (Higher Education Centre for Nutrition and Dietetics). Attached to the University of Barcelona. Dr Rosaura Farré and Dr Raimón Milá
• University of Murcia. Dept. of Food Science. Dr Gaspar Ros Berruelo and Dr M. Jesús Periago
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Dept. of Nutrition. Dr Ana Requejo Marcos, Dr Rosa Ortega Anta and Dr Olga Moreiras
• University of Granada. Dr Emilio Martinez de Victoria and Dr Mariano Mañas 
• Instituto del Frío (Institute of Refrigeration). Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Madrid. Dr Begoña Olmedilla
• Instituto de la Grasa (Institute of Fat). Seville. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Dr Antonio Garrido Fernández and Dr Antonio López López
• University of Barcelona. Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science. Dr Rafael Codony
• University of Córdoba. Dept. of Food Science and Technology. Dr Rafael Moreno Rojas and Dr Manuel Amaro López
• Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). Dr Ana María Troncoso González and Jesús Campos Amado
• The Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB) and the Triptolemos Foundation also took part.

BEDCA is the result of work carried out by these institutions over several years, and without their contributions and commitment this food composition Database would not have been possible. I would also like to mention Professor José Mataix Verdú (†), Dr Pilar Cervera and Dr Andreu Ferrán, as well as the many anonymous experts who have contributed, and to all of them, in the name of AESAN and for myself, I offer my sincere thanks. You all helped to make this database a reality.

www.bedca.net