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Background/Objectives: The glycaemic index (GI) is used to describe the blood glucose-raising potential of carbohydrate-containing foods. Only a few descriptions of the addition of GI values to national food composition databases (FCDBs) exist. We tested whether the value documentation framework established within the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) Network could be used for GI values when adding them to the Finnish FCDB. Methods: The list of foods requiring GI values was based on the National FINDIET 2007 Survey data and extended with foods encoded in a food-frequency questionnaire used in other nationally representative studies. The minimum quality of GI measurements was verified when gathering values from various sources, using earlier defined criteria. If a measured GI value for a food was directly available, or could be imputed or estimated, the value was added to the Finnish FCDB and documented using core standard vocabularies of EuroFIR. The GI values of composite foods were calculated using recipe calculation software. Results: A total of 2210 foods required a GI value. GI values for 1322 foods were available and added to the FCDB. The remaining 888 foods were composite foods and received a GI value through recipe calculation. The standard vocabularies describing the origin of the GI values, the methods used in their derivation and their qualitative characteristics were suitable for GI values. Conclusions: GI values can be added to FCDBs and documented using terms similar to those used for traditional food composition data. Standardised value documentation may provide transparency for GI database compilation processes. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, S68-S72; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.214 Keywords: glycaemic index; food composition database; value documentation; EuroFIR, Introduction The concept of the glycaemic index (GI) was developed in Canada in the beginning of the 1980s to rank available carbohydrate (CHO)-containing foods according to their postprandial blood glucose [...]

Background/Objectives: The main aim of the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) project is to develop and disseminate a comprehensive, coherent and validated data bank for the distribution of food composition data (FCD). This can only be accomplished by harmonising food description and data documentation and by the use of standardised thesauri. Subjects/Methods: The data bank is implemented through a network of local FCD storages (usually national) under the control and responsibility of the local (national) EuroFIR partner. Results: The implementation of the system based on the EuroFIR specifications is under development. The data interchange happens through the EuroFIR Web Services interface, allowing the partners to implement their system using methods and software suitable for the local computer environment. The implementation uses common international standards, such as Simple Object Access Protocol, Web Service Description Language and Extensible Markup Language (XML). A specifically constructed EuroFIR search facility (eSearch) was designed for end users. The EuroFIR eSearch facility compiles queries using a specifically designed Food Data Query Language and sends a request to those network nodes linked to the EuroFIR Web Services that will most likely have the requested information. The retrieved FCD are compiled into a specifically designed data interchange format (the EuroFIR Food Data Transport Package) in XML, which is sent back to the EuroFIR eSearch facility as the query response. The same request-response operation happens in all the nodes that have been selected in the EuroFIR eSearch facility for a certain task. Finally, the FCD are combined by the EuroFIR eSearch facility and delivered to the food compiler. Conclusions: The implementation of FCD interchange using decentralised computer systems instead of traditional data- centre models has several advantages. First of all, the local partners have more control over their FCD, which will increase commitment and improve quality. Second, a multicentred solution is more economically viable than the creation of a centralised data bank, because of the lack of national political support for multinational systems. European journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, S58-S63; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.212 Keywords: distributed databases; food composition; EuroFIR; web service; information systems, Introduction The digital interchange of food composition data (FCD) has been common for approximately two decades. However, computational or large-scale data interchange has been rather limited, in contrast to many [...]

Food composition data (FCD) comprises the description and identification of foods, as well as their nutrient content, other constituents, and food properties. FCD are required for a range of purposes including food labeling, supporting health claims, nutritional and clinical management, consumer information, and research. There have been differences within and beyond Europe in the way FCD are expressed with respect to food description, definition of nutrients and other food properties, and the methods used to generate data. One of the major goals of the EuroFIR NoE project (2005 - 10) was to provide tools to overcome existing differences among member states and parties with respect to documentation and interchange of FCD. The establishment of the CEN’s (European Committee for Standardisation) TC 387 project committee on Food Composition Data, led by the Swedish Standards Institute, and the preparation of the draft Food Data Standard, has addressed these deficiencies by enabling unambiguous identification and description of FCD and their quality, for dissemination and data interchange. Another major achievement of the EuroFIR NoE project was the development and dissemination of a single, authoritative source of FCD in Europe enabling the interchange and update of data between countries, and also giving access to users of FCD.

This study presents data on the contribution of eating occasions to the daily intakes of energy and nutrients. The 48-h dietary data of Finnish adults were gathered from two independent, population-based health surveys undertaken in 2002 and 2007. Snack-dominated and main-meal dominated eating patterns were defined as the habit of obtaining the majority of daily energy from snacks or from main meals. The snack-dominated eating pattern increased in adults from 2002 to 2007, significantly in men. Mostly, similar changes in daily nutrient intakes were observed between study years within eating patterns. Higher alcohol intake in men and higher sucrose intake and lower fibre intake in women were associated with the snack-dominated eating pattern. Due to instability in the snack-dominated eating pattern we conclude that main meals and snacks seem to be parallel ways of composing daily diet with only a few dietary differences., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)