Abstract
<jats:p>Food composition data provide information about the nutritional composition of the edible part of foods that are commonly consumed within a population and are the cornerstone of our understanding of nutrition and health. Food composition databases (FCDBs) are used in a variety of settings, including clinical practice, research, public health, agri‐food industry and digital personalised nutrition applications. One of the most practical applications in nutrition and dietetics is the use of composition tables for dietary assessment in both nutritional studies and for planning therapeutic diets. This chapter focuses on national and international databases. To ensure conformity of FCDBs, datasets must demonstrate transparency in aggregation, validation and compilation based on standardised documentation and quality evaluation. FCDBs need to continue to evolve and expand alongside developments in nutrition and clinical research. The challenge will be to ensure rigorous data quality standards underpin any new information.</jats:p>