 |    |
Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel
European Food Information Resource Network
The European Food Information Resource Network (EuroFIR) is a five-year ‘Network of Excellence’ funded by the European Commission through the EU Sixth Framework Programme and was launched in January 2005. The main aim of the EuroFIR project is to develop and disseminate a comprehensive, coherent and validated databank or food information resource which will provide a single, authoritative source of food composition data in Europe for nutrients and newly emerging bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. EuroFIR is a partnership between 40 core partner organisations from 21 European countries, including the centres responsible for the compilation and management of national nutrient databases in 17 EU countries. The following are its strategic objectives:
1. To Integrate European expertise and resources in Food Composition databank systems.
2. To identify and provide new information for missing data for nutrients and bioactive compounds covering all food groups.
3. To spread and enhance the impact of the network in food composition databanks and public health nutrition beyond the boundaries of the partnership.
4. To establish and deliver user and stakeholder requirements for sustainable food databank systems.
5. To disseminate and exploit new scientific and technological knowledge.
EuroFIR is grouped under 15 Work packages and divided into four horizontal platforms. The BfEL is involved in 8 work packages, which are included in the integration (WP 1.4, 1.5, 1.6), research (WP 2.1, 2.2, 2.3.1, 2.4) and spreading of excellence (WP 3.4) platforms.
Within the Integration Activities Platform, and according to the WP 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 milestones, the German Nutrient Database has been launched on-line, thus facilitating the networking with other partners and national food composition compilers. Furthermore, the BLS was assigned the task to produce a report with an inventory of the currently used nutrient loss and gain (NLG) factors, and prepared a proposal for the establishment of a calculation program of the NLG factors. In addition, Langual indexing for the food items listed in the German Nutrient Database have been initiated and partly implemented.
In the frame of the Joint Research Activities Platform, the BLS started to plan collaboration with the industry at a national level, based on the experiences of other European compilers and the case studies they presented in a WP meeting. On the other hand, the BLS was assigned the task on German Traditional Foods Description and Traditional Foods Prioritisation aiming at selecting and documenting the 5 most representative traditional food items per country to be included in the EuroFIR database. Additionally, within the bioactive compounds work package (WP 2.4), the BfEL was assigned to the Composition Evaluator’s Group. Within this group we are in charge of inputting information on carotenoids and anthocyanins using the on-line BASIS input form, after reviewing and evaluating relevant papers from the international literature.
Finally, within the Spreading of Excellence Platform, the BfEL helped to prepare and conducted a Gender Audit.
In the coming next six months, the BLS Online-Database aims to be accessible and compatible with the EuroFIR Data Interface. To achieve this, our databank structure will be harmonised with the standards set by EuroFIR, including recipe calculation and the indexing of 500 food items by March 2006 using the Langual Food Indexing System. Furthermore, coordination for data transfer from the German Industry to the BLS is in planning, aiming at a collaboration model that could be extrapolated to our EuroFIR partners. In addition, the implementation of a pilot study involving the collection and preparation of selected traditional food recipes is planned. For this, a common methodology for the systematic investigation of traditional foods will be discussed and applied. Finally, the evaluation of 60 papers for the compositional evaluator’s group in terms of anthocyanins and carotenoids will continue.
For further information regarding EuroFIR please contact:
Dr. rer. nat. Ana LucÃa Vásquez-Caicedo
E-Mail: ana.vasquez@bfel.de
Telefon: +49 (0)721-6625-271
Telefax: +49 (0)721-6625-275