Nutritional Analysis of Foods

Nutritional analysis of foods establishes the nutritional content of foods, food and drink products, raw materials and ingredients. This process can be performed through a variety of certified methods and is generally carried out for regulatory food nutritional and food labelling purposes. Tests can be performed by scientists in laboratories. For food producers and/ or the public, software or online pre-populated databases are available as an alternative, which offer nutritional data on certified ingredients. Turn-key nutrition analysis services are also available, where users enter details of recipes, cooking methods and serving sizes; and the food nutrition is calculated from a proprietary database. These solutions give information on Group 1 nutritional information (energy, levels of protein, carbohydrates and fat); and Group 2 nutritional content (fats, carbohydrates, proteins and sugars; meat content and added water; carbohydrates; trans and Omega 3 fatty acids; cholesterol; rancidity; vitamins; major minerals and trace elements; caffeine, sweeteners, preservatives and other additives; and allergens). Food manufacturers and suppliers are required by food labelling regulations law to publish nutritional information on packaged retail foods. Restaurants and other food establishments selling foods are also increasingly using these services to comply with menu-labelling laws and in part due to customer demand.