Tajikistan plans to create an electronic database containing information on the nutritional value of food products, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The data will be used to develop healthy eating guidelines, school menus and public health programs, FAO reports.
A seminar on establishing the database was held in Dushanbe on October 15, bringing together representatives of government agencies, research institutions, universities and laboratories.
The database will contain information on the protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamin, mineral and other nutrient content of various food products. Researchers plan to compile data from laboratory analyses and existing scientific studies.
Specialists from the Agricultural University of Athens assessed the information on food composition already available in Tajikistan and identified gaps. They also discussed the next steps and resources needed to develop the database with seminar participants.
FAO Representative in Tajikistan Aghasi Harutyunyan said the information would help develop healthy eating recommendations and support evidence-based public health decisions.
Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population Abdukholiq Amirzoda said the database would enable more accurate assessments of food products’ nutritional value and support further research.
Similar databases are used in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, India and other countries. The US FoodData Central provides information on food composition, while the UK’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) is used to study the nutritional composition of foods.
Tajikistan’s database is expected to follow international INFOODS standards, which provide a framework for collecting and organizing food composition data.
FAO has not yet announced when the database will become operational, which products it will cover or how much its development will cost.
The initiative is part of FAO projects aimed at improving nutrition in Tajikistan, funded by the organization’s Flexible Voluntary Contributions Fund and the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund, according to the communications service of FAO’s representation in Tajikistan.