German food composition database for dietary evaluations in children and adolescents

Dietary assessment and evaluation in infancy and childhood is of nutritional importance, of specific interest in the prevention of chronic diseases in later life, and Food Composition Databases (FCDB) are an important prerequisite, in particular FCDB that include a large variety of commercial, composite food products. We therefore developed a FCDB known as LEBTAB, which contains foods consumed by infants, children and adolescents in Germany. LEBTAB is divided into 23 basic food groups and currently contains a total of about 6000 items: 936 basic food items and more than 5000 commercial brands/composite foods, of which 27% are infant foods. Commercial food products have a total of 47,500 data entries for various ingredients. In contrast to many other FCDB, the nutrient content (38 nutrients) of commercial food products is calculated by way of a recipe simulation process using listed ingredients, and includes information on fortified nutrients. Children in Germany today consume predominantly commercial food products; knowledge of the ingredients, fortification or nutrient content of these foods is of particular interest. Unfortunately, only limited information on the composition of commercial food products is available. Therefore, the recipe simulation procedure based on information from food labels or manufacturers helps to overcome these shortcomings. In addition, in order to analyse changes in nutrient intake over time, the tracking of modifications made to food items is a necessary special feature of those FCDB which aim to keep up with the rapidly changing food market.