Regional food composition activities: update on CARICOMFOODS (2000–2002)

CARICOMFOODS was established in 1995 as the Regional Data Center for food composition activities in the English-speaking Caribbean. The geographical area represented by CARICOMFOODS covers 18 separate territories dispersed throughout the Caribbean basin with a total population of approximately six million. This report highlights three major activities undertaken during the period 2000–2002, as part of a planned 5-year development program aimed at creating an up-to-date nutrient database of foods commonly consumed in the region. An Organizational Structure for CARICOMFOODS has been developed and put into operation. Six peripheral country contact points, operating as national committees, feed information into the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) which acts as the Administrative arm of the Data Center. In an effort to improve skills in the generation and compilation of analytical data, a 3-week graduate training course on the Production and Use of Food Composition Data in Nutrition was conducted in Jamaica in 2001. In collaboration with FAO, CARICOMFOODS has initiated the development of a Foods Glossary, beginning with the fruit and vegetable category. The Glossary is aimed at improving food identification and will provide an image of the food along with country-specific names, scientific names, common uses and, ultimately, nutrient content.