Food composition tables and databases are a highly useful tool when assessing the nutritional status of a population.

From this perspective, the data available in these databases is of great use in designing nutritional policy, carrying out research into nutrition, studying total diet, designing new products and even providing information of interest to consumers, who are becoming increasingly concerned about the properties of the food they eat.

BEDCA – Spanish Food Composition Database

The Spanish food composition database, BEDCA, was created by a network of researchers (the BEDCA network) in accordance with the European standards of the EuroFir European network of excellence, with coordination and financing from AECOSAN.

Access BEDCA

Other food composition databases

EuroFIR

The objectives of the non-profit organisation EuroFIR are to develop, manage, publish and exploit food composition data and to promote international cooperation and harmonisation by improving data quality, search systems and standards.

It originated under the European Food Information Resource Network Project (2005–2010), comprising 48 organisations (academia, research and business) from 27 European countries.

Food composition databases from a number of different European countries are available through the EuroFIR Web Portal.

INFOODS

The International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) was established in 1984 under the auspices of the United Nations University. Its goal is to stimulate and coordinate efforts to improve the quality and availability of adequate and reliable food composition data.

INFOODS also compiles international databases and has a directory of tables and databases created in a number of countries and classified by region (Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania).

Non-European databases available online include:

• ArgentinaNational University of Luján
• Australia and New Zealand-NUTTAB
• CanadaHealth Canada
• United StatesUSDA
• Japan-MEXT