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 Classification 2 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/giftindividual-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 available
on: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/chemical-risks/gems-food/en/
The guidance to fill the templates is detailed in annex 2.
General technical support: R. Delagrave, delagraver@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
In this connection, and without prejudice to information sharing and
publication pursuant to legally binding instruments, by providing data to WHO,
the [Institution of Country]:
Confirms that all data to be supplied to WHO hereunder have been collected
in accordance with applicable national laws, including data protection laws
aimed at protecting the confidentiality of identifiable persons;
Agrees that WHO shall be entitled, subject always to measures to ensure the
ethical and secure use of the data, and subject always to an appropriate
acknowledgement of [Institution of Country]:
- to publish the data, stripped of any personal identifiers (such data
without personal identifiers being hereinafter referred to as “the Data”)
and make the Data available to any interested party on request (to the
extent they have not, or not yet, been published by WHO) on terms that
allow non-commercial, not-for-profit use of the Data for public health
purposes (provided always that publication of the Data shall remain
under the control of WHO);
- to use, compile, aggregate, evaluate and analyse the Data and publish
and disseminate the results thereof in conjunction with WHO’s work
and in accordance with the Organization’s policies and practices.
Except where data sharing and publication is required under legally binding
instruments (IHR, WHO Nomenclature Regulations 1967, etc.), the [Institution
of Country] may in respect of certain data opt out of (any part of) the above,
by notifying WHO thereof in writing at the following address, provided that any
such notification shall clearly identify the data in question and clearly indicate
the scope of the opt-out (in reference to the above), and provided that
specific reasons shall be given for the opt out.
Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses
Attention: Dr Philippe Verger
World Health Organization
20, Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
The classification is based on 3 hierarchical levels. The level 1 is the most
aggregated ("Fruits and fruits products"), the level 2 is intermediate (Berries and
other small fruits) and the level 3 the most precise, designating the items by a name
("Blueberries") and a code. Level 1 is not appropriate for reporting.
FAO/WHO GIFT and FAO/WHO CIFOCOss make use of a food
categorization and description system called FoodEx2. FoodEx2 is a systematic way
of describing and categorizing foods which facilitates harmonization between
datasets, in particular between food consumption and food composition data. This
system was originally developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to
serve as a harmonization tool for EU Member States. Together with EFSA, FAO and
WHO worked at scaling up FoodEx2 at global level. FAO/WHO GIFT and FAO/WHO
CIFOCOss use it as an harmonization tool for all datasets collected worldwide.
A correspondence has been established between the Codex classification
and the FoodEx2 classification as FAO and WHO recommend using the FoodEx2
classification for data reporting.
General guidance for filling the templates
The workbook contains 10 worksheets and should be used to report results
for a single survey. The first worksheet is entitled “Presentation”. Here have to be
declared all the information about the survey. If several surveys are available (e.g.
among several age groups), all have to be precisely presented with their
characteristics in separated workbooks.
A very important piece of information that should always be included is the
name and affiliation of a contact person to which FAO/WHO can turn in case of
further questions. FAO/WHO reserves the right to exclude data from the database
that do not comply with the general guidance.
The following eight worksheets have to be filled with data, and are classified
by age group (Whole population, Infants 0-35 months, Young children 3-5 years,
Children 6-14 years, Adults 15-49 years, Young old 50-74 years, Elderly >75 years,
All adults >15 years).
The last one contains a food classification and establishes a correspondence
between the FoodEx2 classification and the Codex classification.
1. Processed vs unprocessed food items
The foods are basically separated into “Unprocessed (incl. home-cooking)4”
and “Processed”. The term “processed” includes freezing and canning. As soon as a
food undergoes further processing than home-cooking, it goes under those items.
Some very common processing are explicitly listed in the template (e.g. “Bread”).
2. Disaggregation of recipes:
Recipes must be disaggregated. Disaggregating dishes comprises three
steps:
• Developing a list of ingredients (recipe) for the composite dish
• Determine the proportion of the cooked ingredients in the cooked composite
dish using yield factors (given in the references below):
1. Determine the weight of each individual ingredient consumed :
Yield factors tables:
1. Bognár (2002) Tables on weight yield of food and retention factors of food
constituents for the calculation of nutrient composition of cooked foods
(dishes).
Available at http://www.fao.org/uploads/media/bognar_bfe-r-02-03.pdf
2. Bergstrom (1994) Nutrient Losses and Gains in the Preparation of Foods.
Available at http://www.fao.org/uploads/media/Bergstroem_1994_32_Livsmedelsverket_n
utrient_losses_and_gains.pdf
3. USDA (2014) Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry. Available at
https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-humannutrition-
research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/yield-and-retention/
3. Reporting food items (worksheet)
It is unlikely that the level of disaggregation in the National survey is aligned with the
classification used for the templates. Two cases may occur:
1. Less food items: When national survey results are less disaggregated than
the classification proposed by the templates, in other words when the
information for the more detailed category is not available for a reported food,
it is possible to report the food in the closest generic item including the
term ”nes”.
Example: A consumed crustacean without a precise name
reported from the survey can be reported as "Crustacean, nes"
within the worksheet.
2. More food items: On the contrary, it’s possible to insert food items missing in
the template with a FoodEx2 code. The additional food items should be
inserted at the end of the template under category “other food” with the name,
description and proposed FoodEx2 code, found in the FoodEx2 classification
(https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/data/data-standardisation).
4. Food consumptions and other parameters (Columns)
For each age group (each worksheet), consumption for all individuals should
be reported together (Females and Males) and separately: Females, Males.
Separated columns are dedicated for food consumptions of the whole population and
of consumers only.
The three first columns (Portion reported, State of Food reported, Industrial
Food preservation) have to be filled for every line of data reported. They are scrolldown
lists, the data provider have to choose:
• If the values reported include the inedible portions of the food (peel…)
• If the values reported correspond to weight after cooking
The other columns contain consumption values:
The unit of the values for consumption should be grams/kg body
weight/day.
For results based on at least 2 days of survey, consumption values collected
over x days should be averaged for reporting. This average should include zero
values for days when the food under consideration was not consumed.
Consumption values collected on a single day are considered not to be
appropriate for chronic exposure because they are likely to lead to great
overestimates.
Example: On a survey conducted over 3 days, if rice was consumed at
250, 0 and 20 grams respectively on days 1, 2 and 3. The consumption level for
long term risk should be 270 : 3 = 90 grams/day.
The percentile indicates the percentage of subjects who consume below
that percentile. The percentile of food consumption of the “whole group” indicates the
percentage of subjects who consume below that percentile within the whole
population of study. The percentile of food consumption of the “consumers only”
group indicates the percentage of consumers who consume below that percentile
1https://extranet.who.int/sree/Reports?op=vs&path=/WHO_HQ_Reports/G7/PROD/EXT/CIFOCOSS_Co
untry&userid=G7_ro&password=inetsoft123
2 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/supporting/pub/1291e
3 http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/259895/1/9789241210171-eng.pdf
4 Unprocessed by default if not specified
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 Classification 2 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/giftindividual-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 available
on: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/chemical-risks/gems-food/en/
The guidance to fill the templates is detailed in annex 2.
General technical support: R. Delagrave, delagraver@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
Annex 1: Policy on use and sharing of data collected in Member States by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Data are the basis for all sound public health actions and the benefits of data sharing are widely recognized, including scientific and public health benefits. Whenever possible, WHO wishes to promote the sharing of health data,
including but not restricted to surveillance and epidemiological data.In this connection, and without prejudice to information sharing and
publication pursuant to legally binding instruments, by providing data to WHO,
the [Institution of Country]:
Confirms that all data to be supplied to WHO hereunder have been collected
in accordance with applicable national laws, including data protection laws
aimed at protecting the confidentiality of identifiable persons;
Agrees that WHO shall be entitled, subject always to measures to ensure the
ethical and secure use of the data, and subject always to an appropriate
acknowledgement of [Institution of Country]:
- to publish the data, stripped of any personal identifiers (such data
without personal identifiers being hereinafter referred to as “the Data”)
and make the Data available to any interested party on request (to the
extent they have not, or not yet, been published by WHO) on terms that
allow non-commercial, not-for-profit use of the Data for public health
purposes (provided always that publication of the Data shall remain
under the control of WHO);
- to use, compile, aggregate, evaluate and analyse the Data and publish
and disseminate the results thereof in conjunction with WHO’s work
and in accordance with the Organization’s policies and practices.
Except where data sharing and publication is required under legally binding
instruments (IHR, WHO Nomenclature Regulations 1967, etc.), the [Institution
of Country] may in respect of certain data opt out of (any part of) the above,
by notifying WHO thereof in writing at the following address, provided that any
such notification shall clearly identify the data in question and clearly indicate
the scope of the opt-out (in reference to the above), and provided that
specific reasons shall be given for the opt out.
Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses
Attention: Dr Philippe Verger
World Health Organization
20, Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Annex 2: Guidance for filling the templates
Principles of the tiered classificationThe classification is based on 3 hierarchical levels. The level 1 is the most
aggregated ("Fruits and fruits products"), the level 2 is intermediate (Berries and
other small fruits) and the level 3 the most precise, designating the items by a name
("Blueberries") and a code. Level 1 is not appropriate for reporting.
FAO/WHO GIFT and FAO/WHO CIFOCOss make use of a food
categorization and description system called FoodEx2. FoodEx2 is a systematic way
of describing and categorizing foods which facilitates harmonization between
datasets, in particular between food consumption and food composition data. This
system was originally developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to
serve as a harmonization tool for EU Member States. Together with EFSA, FAO and
WHO worked at scaling up FoodEx2 at global level. FAO/WHO GIFT and FAO/WHO
CIFOCOss use it as an harmonization tool for all datasets collected worldwide.
A correspondence has been established between the Codex classification
and the FoodEx2 classification as FAO and WHO recommend using the FoodEx2
classification for data reporting.
General guidance for filling the templates
The workbook contains 10 worksheets and should be used to report results
for a single survey. The first worksheet is entitled “Presentation”. Here have to be
declared all the information about the survey. If several surveys are available (e.g.
among several age groups), all have to be precisely presented with their
characteristics in separated workbooks.
A very important piece of information that should always be included is the
name and affiliation of a contact person to which FAO/WHO can turn in case of
further questions. FAO/WHO reserves the right to exclude data from the database
that do not comply with the general guidance.
The following eight worksheets have to be filled with data, and are classified
by age group (Whole population, Infants 0-35 months, Young children 3-5 years,
Children 6-14 years, Adults 15-49 years, Young old 50-74 years, Elderly >75 years,
All adults >15 years).
The last one contains a food classification and establishes a correspondence
between the FoodEx2 classification and the Codex classification.
1. Processed vs unprocessed food items
The foods are basically separated into “Unprocessed (incl. home-cooking)4”
and “Processed”. The term “processed” includes freezing and canning. As soon as a
food undergoes further processing than home-cooking, it goes under those items.
Some very common processing are explicitly listed in the template (e.g. “Bread”).
2. Disaggregation of recipes:
Recipes must be disaggregated. Disaggregating dishes comprises three
steps:
• Developing a list of ingredients (recipe) for the composite dish
• Determine the proportion of the cooked ingredients in the cooked composite
dish using yield factors (given in the references below):
1. Determine the weight of each individual ingredient consumed :
Yield factors tables:
1. Bognár (2002) Tables on weight yield of food and retention factors of food
constituents for the calculation of nutrient composition of cooked foods
(dishes).
Available at http://www.fao.org/uploads/media/bognar_bfe-r-02-03.pdf
2. Bergstrom (1994) Nutrient Losses and Gains in the Preparation of Foods.
Available at http://www.fao.org/uploads/media/Bergstroem_1994_32_Livsmedelsverket_n
utrient_losses_and_gains.pdf
3. USDA (2014) Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry. Available at
https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-humannutrition-
research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/yield-and-retention/
3. Reporting food items (worksheet)
It is unlikely that the level of disaggregation in the National survey is aligned with the
classification used for the templates. Two cases may occur:
1. Less food items: When national survey results are less disaggregated than
the classification proposed by the templates, in other words when the
information for the more detailed category is not available for a reported food,
it is possible to report the food in the closest generic item including the
term ”nes”.
Example: A consumed crustacean without a precise name
reported from the survey can be reported as "Crustacean, nes"
within the worksheet.
2. More food items: On the contrary, it’s possible to insert food items missing in
the template with a FoodEx2 code. The additional food items should be
inserted at the end of the template under category “other food” with the name,
description and proposed FoodEx2 code, found in the FoodEx2 classification
(https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/data/data-standardisation).
4. Food consumptions and other parameters (Columns)
For each age group (each worksheet), consumption for all individuals should
be reported together (Females and Males) and separately: Females, Males.
Separated columns are dedicated for food consumptions of the whole population and
of consumers only.
The three first columns (Portion reported, State of Food reported, Industrial
Food preservation) have to be filled for every line of data reported. They are scrolldown
lists, the data provider have to choose:
• If the values reported include the inedible portions of the food (peel…)
• If the values reported correspond to weight after cooking
The other columns contain consumption values:
The unit of the values for consumption should be grams/kg body
weight/day.
For results based on at least 2 days of survey, consumption values collected
over x days should be averaged for reporting. This average should include zero
values for days when the food under consideration was not consumed.
Consumption values collected on a single day are considered not to be
appropriate for chronic exposure because they are likely to lead to great
overestimates.
Example: On a survey conducted over 3 days, if rice was consumed at
250, 0 and 20 grams respectively on days 1, 2 and 3. The consumption level for
long term risk should be 270 : 3 = 90 grams/day.
The percentile indicates the percentage of subjects who consume below
that percentile. The percentile of food consumption of the “whole group” indicates the
percentage of subjects who consume below that percentile within the whole
population of study. The percentile of food consumption of the “consumers only”
group indicates the percentage of consumers who consume below that percentile
1https://extranet.who.int/sree/Reports?op=vs&path=/WHO_HQ_Reports/G7/PROD/EXT/CIFOCOSS_Co
untry&userid=G7_ro&password=inetsoft123
2 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/supporting/pub/1291e
3 http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/259895/1/9789241210171-eng.pdf
4 Unprocessed by default if not specified