The importance of food composition data (FCD) has been recognized as far back as the 1940’s where UK based scientists McCance and Widdowson stated that “a knowledge of the chemical composition of food is the first essential in dietary treatment of disease, or in any quantitative study of human nutrition”. This statement remains highly relevant in the present, and particularly in many African countries where the response to complex problems of food insecurity, undernutrition, overweight/obesity and related non-communicable disease sequalae cannot be achieved without reliable FCD. Moreover, the rich biodiversity of the African content, diversity in food and food systems necessitates country specific FCDs. Yet, less than half of African countries have reliable up-to date food composition tables (FCT).
Please join us in this webinar to learn more on the collaborative effort between the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, the Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources (LUANAR) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to develop Malawi’s first food composition table/database. The FCT was developed through an extensive process of data gathering and compilation following methodology endorsed by the FAO/INFOODS international network of food data systems. The Malawian FCT describes the nutritive value of 316 commonly consumed foods and 42 nutrient components that were largely derived from existing data in the country. In this webinar, we will also feature the application of the FCT from the perspective of the Malawi government and nutrition science researchers.
Moderator:
Sanele Nkomani - Supervising Dietitian for Malawi’s first Dietetics training program, based at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and supported by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition through USAID funding.
Main speakers:
Averalda van Graan - Research Manager of the South African Food Data System, also known as SAFOODS at the South African Medical Research Council.
Stevier Kaiyatsa - Economist at Ministry of Economic Planning and Development in Malawi.
William A. Masters - Investigator for the Innovation Lab for Nutrition and a Professor at Tufts University in the Friedman School of Nutrition with a secondary appointment in the Department of Economics.
Kate Schneider - PhD Candidate in Food Policy and Applied nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Panelist:
Felix P. Phiri - Director of Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS, Ministry of Health, Malawi.