D2. Belgian Extension on Nutrition Education and Data Input, Control, Training, Exchange (BENEDICTE)

The aims of the project "Belgian Extension on Nutrition Education and Data Input, Control, Training, Exchange" of the Impulse programme "Health risks and food" are the following:

• Extension of the food database using high quality analytical results obtained by means of analyses of foods for which nutritio-nal data where missing up to now;
• Extension of the soft and hardware products (also applica-ble for other European countries) which was needed for the enlarge-ment of the food composition table;
• Development of made to measure application software programmes and/or publications for potential users;
• The organisation of training workshops to familiarise users with the developped application programmes.

This project allows to conclude that a further cooperation is desirable between government, research and business (food industry and distribution), in order to further develop the database on nutrients in food in a scientific manner.

This project signified a true boost to collect and process the obtained data in a structured and scientific way. The legal regulation on nutrient labeling of prepacked foods (royal decree of 8 January 1992) is an important reference.

Within the legal context business can furnish an important contribution by supplying their own validated data for input in the NUBEL database.

Analytical results produced by accredited laboratories and validated by the Scientific Council have to be available and recognizable for business.

Indeed, let's not forget that the data are destined for the consumer. By means of the label, he will be informed about the composition of his food

The project offered the opportunity for NUBEL to, by means of the obtained analytical results, provide objective and scientific relevant information to:

• potential users, in casu food industry and distribution, who asked for certain data
• education, with the aim to teach the way to eat healthy.

So it is clear that a well elaborated database on nutrients is an important tool for a coherent food policy.

The National Food Council in Belgium just finished its recommen-dations on nutrient intake.

The Benedict-project of the Impulse-programme "Health risks and food" is connected perfectly to bring insight in food composition to allow an optimal choice to obtain an equilibrated diet.

A well structured cooperation between the different policy makers is in all this a must. When a true nutrient policy is to be reached, the responsable services on regional and federal level have to cooperate. Thanks to the significant efforts of NUBEL, the food composition table and its application programme "Diet Planner" is respected by regional authorities. The cooperation certainly can be called very well. Although NUBEL is a federal service, it's also active in regional initiatives.

Thanks to the FLAIR-project EUROFOODS-ENFANT, Belgium has caught up a big arrears on a European level. Moreover, the BENEDICTE-project was also part of the reason for this success.

The management system NIMS, that was followed on a European level via EURONIMS, was made possible by this project.

The fruitful exchange between both projects has learned Belgium, and especially NUBEL, a lot and made it pay its dues less.

However, we should not become too self-satisfied, there's still a long way to go.

So we strongly recommend that Belgium wouldn't miss this European link to the future.

NUBEL will also in the future try to keep the international connection.

To summarize, thanks to this project, NUBEL has got the unique opportunity to obtain a real breakthrough.