OCEANIAFOODS: national, regional and international activities

All participating agencies and individuals agree that OCEANIAFOODS is successful and effective in its operation as a regional data centre. At the first OCEANIAFOODS Conference in 1987 it was acknowledged that there was a great need to improve data quantity and quality in the three basic areas of a food composition programme: data generation, data compilation and data dissemination. Australia and New Zealand with their existing infrastructures made significant and steady progress, and now have substantial bodies of data available to users as printed tables, data files and software applications packages. The South Pacific Commission accepted the responsibility for food composition work in the 22 island countries it represents, and New Zealand and Australia agreed to assist wherever possible. The Pacific Islands have new food composition tables, a software applications package and analytical laboratories with secure funding for generating more data. Australia and New Zealand have achieved their progress as part of their governmentsʹ science and health programmes, while the Pacific Islands have achieved their progress with assistance from their partners in OCEANIAFOODS, from INFOODS directly, and from several donor agencies. Intra-regional and international co-operation and collaboration have contributed to successes in the region.