SAARCFOODS Food Composition Course, Sri Lanka, 2-6th February 2026

The SAARCFOODS international training course on the Production, Management, and Use of Food Composition Data in Nutrition was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The course was attended by 34 participants from 20 countries. Funding from the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant allowed eight participants from the MRC Global Partnership Project to attend. 

This was a practical training course on the development and use of food composition databases, covering the full process from food sampling and nutrient analysis to database management, quality assurance, recipe calculations, food classification, and application of data in nutrition research and public health. The course also explored current challenges and future developments in food composition data.

Key learning areas:

• Building food composition databases
• Food sampling and nutrient analysis
• Data quality assurance and validation
• Database management and standardisation
• Food classification and nomenclature
• Recipe calculations
• Use of food composition data in research and policy
• Future challenges and innovations in food composition databases

In addition to the opportunity to network and meet potential new collaborators the course was also a chance early in the project, for members of the GPF team to meet in-person and helped us to achieve several of our project milestones for training and capacity building.

Last modified: Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:06:51 GMT