Where do the nutrient values come from?
There are several ways to obtain nutrient data. The nutrient data in the Norwegian Food Composition Table come from several sources.
All nutrient values have a reference, which states whether the value comes from analysis, is calculated or is borrowed from other sources.
Food analyses
Food analyses are considered the gold standard for nutrient values in food composition tables. Each year, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority conducts one or more analytical projects to obtain values for relevant food groups.
Borrowing data from other food tables
Some of the foods have borrowed nutrient values from other food composition tables, including:
- The Norwegian Seafood Database (Institute of Marine Research)
- Livsmedelsdatabasen, Sweden (livsmedelsverket.se)
- Fineli, Finland (fineli.fi)
- Frida, Denmark (fooddata.dk)
- Ciqual, France (anses.fr)
- Food Databanks/Mc Cance & Widdowson, the United Kingdom (quadram.ac.uk)
- NEVO, the Netherlands (rivm.nl)
- Swiss Food Composition Database, Switzerland (naehrwertdaten.ch)
- Food Data Central, US (fdc.nal.usda.gov)
Borrowing data from the food industry
The food industry can provide nutrient data. Please see our guidelines. HVOR skal det lenkes
Foods calculated from recipe
Some foods, such as dinner dishes or cakes, are often calculated from recipes. That is, we have prepared a representative recipe for the food, and then calculated the nutrient values based on the ingredients in the recipe.
The Norwegian Food Composition Table use a recipe calculation protocol, developed by the Swedish Food Agency, the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Other calculations
Some nutrients are calculated via formulas, such as vitamin A and salt (NaCl).
Water is calculated by difference: Water = 100 – (carbohydrate + dietary fibre + fat + protein + alcohol + ash).