Food Composition Databases in Italy: Problems and Perspectives

An overview of the present Italian situation on food composition data is reported and the main current problems regarding sampling, analytical and cost problems are examined. The last edition of the Tables of Food Composition published by the National Institute of Nutrition (INN) in 1997 was considerably enriched in comparison with the previous one, with regard to both food and nutrients, following current guidelines for sampling and data quality control. Nationally based sampling plans have been developed with the collaboration of producer categories particularly with regard to some food groups (beef meat, processed meat, chicken, eggs, dairy products). Sampling protocols for poultry and processed meat are reported. New data onβ -carotene and folate determined in some Italian food by updated methodologies are compared to data reported in other tables. The differences show no complete reliability of bibliographical data. The necessity of original analytical data obtained according to both representative national sampling and well-defined analytical protocols is stressed. The main problem encountered in setting up a National Programme for Monitoring Food and Nutrients in order to create an Italian National Database for Food and Nutrients is the difficulty in obtaining financial support from public institutions.