EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource Network), the world –leading European Network of Excellence on Food Composition Databank systems, is a partnership between 47 universities, research institutes and small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from 25 European countries. EuroFIR will provide the first comprehensive pan-European food information resource, using state-of-the-art database linking, to allow effective management, updating, extending and comparability. This is an essential underpinning component of all food and health research in Europe and provides:

• the building blocks for health surveys, medical research and interventions, and health policies based on them;
• information for public health government bodies and regulators to educate their populations about health and food heritage;
• laboratory and data analysis best practices to ensure data quality, reliability and comparability;
• data that enables food industry to produce healthier foods, and obtain a larger share of the international food market;
• information to consumers – via labels and via printed/electronic information – to enable them to play a more active role in protecting and enhancing their health.

It will also identify and provide new information for missing data for nutrients and biologically active compounds with putative health effects, and all food groups including traditional and ethnic foods. EuroFIR is seeking views with all user and stakeholder groups, in order to establish and deliver their requirements for sustainable and durable food databank systems beyond the 5-year period of the Network of Excellence. 

EuroFIR will continue to develop over the remaining three years with the help of the European Commission Grant for Integration and additional new funding from national and other sources.  To date EuroFIR has shown excellent progress towards establishing a sustainable and durable “Association of European National Food Database Compilers.”  Key results and successes for the year are available in the attachment below.

EuroFIR is funded by the European Commission’s Research Directorate General under the “Food Quality and Safety Priority” (http://www.cordis.lu/food/home.html) of the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/home.cfm). The project started on 1st January 2005 and will be funded until December 2009, but expects to be self-funding after this date.  The project is coordinated by the Institute of Food Research (http://www.ifr.ac.uk) in the UK.