Call for data on food consumption summary statistics for chronic dietary exposure assessment

In 2012, FAO and WHO initiated the collection of individual food consumption data to support chronic dietary exposure assessment and created the FAO/WHO database CIFOCOss | Chronic individual food consumption database – Summary statistics. Since that date, 32 countries shared their national data which are available¹ for international risk assessment.

In 2018, FAO and WHO decided to launch a new call allowing Member States to provide newly generated data and to improve the accuracy of shared information based on lessons learned.

The main improvements of this second call are:

• Mapping of the Codex classification with the FoodEx2 Classification² as recommended by JECFA³
• Separated statistics requested for males and females
• Separated statistics requested for different age groups

In order to harmonize the approaches between various FAO/WHO scientific bodies, the individual food consumption data should be available for dietary exposure to all chemical hazards including veterinary drugs, pesticide residues, food additives and contaminants.

Preamble: Possible contribution to FAO/WHO GIFT | Global Individual Food consumption data Tool

FAO and WHO are working together to develop a publicly available multipurpose global database obtained through the collation and harmonization of existing data collected within individual quantitative food consumption surveys conducted at national or sub-national level. This tool contributes to increase the capacity of all stakeholders to monitor food consumption ( http://www.fao.org/gift-individual-food-consumption/en/).

FAO/WHO GIFT is disseminating microdata collected through 24h-recalls or records. Microdata is intended as data at the most disaggregated level of reporting, i.e. each ingredient consumed by each subject over the 24h period of recollection/record, associated with consumed quantities and estimated nutrients content.

Member States owning such individual quantitative food consumption data are encouraged to contribute to the development of FAO/WHO GIFT by sharing their microdata. These data will then directly be integrated from FAO/WHO GIFT to FAO/WHO database CIFOCOss | Chronic individual food consumption database - Summary statistics without any additional input required from the Member State.

If Member States do not own microdata or do not wish to contribute to FAO/WHO GIFT, the following guidance below should be followed to fill in the FAO/WHO CIFOCOss template attached with summary statistics.

Use of Data

FAO and WHO will use data:

• To serve the provision of scientific advice to FAO and WHO on food safety, in particular by experts and expert groups;
• To serve the discussions within the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standard programme and other relevant bodies; and
• To publish summary statistics of data submitted

Data status

Data sharing does not represent a transfer of intellectual property to FAO and WHO. The WHO policy on data sharing is detailed in annex 1.

Submission of data

Data submission should be done exclusively by filling the templates.

The guidance to fill the templates is detailed in annex 2.

General technical support: P. Verger, vergerp@who.int

FoodEx2 classification: A. Balcerzak, Agnieszka.Balcerzak@fao.org

After completion, the templates should be sent electronically to:
Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses
Attention: Dr Philippe Verger
World Health Organization
20, Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Tel. direct: + 41 22 791 30 53
E-mail: vergerp@who.int