Challenges in the Process of Development and Maintenance of a Modern Bulgarian Food Composition Database: FAO’s Project – Real Achievements

High-quality food composition data should be representative of national food habits and consumption patterns. They should be generated according to established standard international guidelines so that they are comparable and reliable. Well-designed tables and databases should include a good selection of food components and majority of commonly consumed foods. However, this is often not the case as many tables only include raw foods and a small number of nutrients while processed and fortified foods are lacking.

The aim of this review is to focus on the importance of national food composition databases; to show the current status of the problem in Bulgaria; and priorities in the development of a new modern database; in order to attract the attention of stakeholders (government institutions, universities, research institutes, manufacturers and independent specialized laboratories).