Evaluation of the Korean National Food Composition Tables

This review was conducted to evaluate the 'Korean Food Composition Table' and establish it as an internationally accepted database by examining its contents and evolution over time. The food composition table has been published by National Rural Living Science Institute, every 5 years, listing the nutrient content for each food, as both the raw agricultural product and processed foods, since the 1$^{st}$ edition in 1979 by RDA (Rural Development Administration). This is the basic data applied to the evaluation of the nutritional value of foods in Korea. The data is used as a useful tool in many fields, not only for the establishment of the National Food Supply Plan but also for nutritional research, the draft of National Food Policy, and in clinical and epidemiological research. The database is also utilized by food service providers and food processors, etc. Consumers and the international society have been interested in the quality and safety of foods and raw agricultural products. As these data expand in volume, the type of foods included in the composition table is expanded to cover new additions for the convenience of users of the 'Nutrient Data Base' as judged by the publishers. The form of these reports varies, according to the current information, from a simple booklet to CD-ROM and to the Web service. We expect to continue to make improvements in the National Standard Table for food composition through expanding both the quantity and quality of data in an orderly manner. This effort can help food composition data to be comprehensively developed systematically and gradually at the national level.l.