Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 What does NUTTAB 06 stand for?
A. NUTTAB 2006 is an abbreviation for Nutrient Tables for use in Australia, 2006. Where possible, the data contained in the publication were updated up until the end of 2006.
Q.2 I noticed there are three different formats of NUTTAB 2006. What are these and how are they different from each other?
A. NUTTAB 2006 is offered in 3 formats in order to cater for most user needs.
1. The NUTTAB 2006 Food Composition Tablesconsist of approximately 1750 common foods and includes data for up to 29 nutrients. This version is available in PDF format from the FSANZ website and is useful to those wanting summary nutrient data for commonly consumed foods. They are suitable for printing but please be aware that they are 339 pages long in total (Include link HERE).
2. The NUTTAB 2006 Online Version consists of approximately 2500 foods (including those foods published in the Food Composition Tables) and includes nutrient values for up to approximately 160 nutrients, including nutrient descriptions, food descriptions, references, sampling information, a search function for easy food finding, as well as useful links and files. This version is available to all users from the FSANZ website (Include link HERE).
3. The NUTTAB 2006 Electronic Versionconsists of the same nutrients and foods as those in the Online Version, as well as all ancillary information (i.e. sampling details, food and nutrient descriptions etc), provided in comma delimited (CSV) format. This version is targeted at those who want to be able to put the data into their own software and manipulate it for specific purposes. The Electronic Version is available to users upon emailed request directly to FSANZ ( npc@foodstandards.gov.au ).
If you wish to reproduce the data in any other programs and provide these data to a third party, you will first need to obtain and sign a Copyright Reproduction Licence Agreement before the Electronic Release will be issued. This is free of charge. (Insert link to Copyright Reproduction Licence Agreement here)
Q.3 Are the data contained in NUTTAB 2006 up to date?
A. The data in NUTTAB 2006 derives primarily from analytical programs from the 1980s onwards but also includes a considerable amount of updated data from recent analyses. FSANZ is continually updating nutrient data based on nutrient information analysed from a range of projects throughout the agency. In particular, there have been a considerable number of changes to sodium and folate values.
Q.4 Where do the nutrient data in NUTTAB 2006 come from?
A. Nutrient data have been obtained from a range of sources. Although most of the data have been derived by direct analysis of foods by FSANZ, some have been borrowed from overseas tables or published literature, supplied by the food industry, taken from food labels, imputed from like foods, or calculated using a recipe approach.
Q.5 Are new products that reflect market availability included in NUTTAB 2006?
A. Where possible, nutrient data for products that have recently come onto the market have been included, however, where no new nutrient data for such products are available, the older data remains. It is not possible to include data for every food that is available in Australia.
Q.6 I have been using NUTTAB 95 and other publications to obtain my food composition data. Is NUTTAB 2006 intended to replace these older publications?
A. Yes, NUTTAB 2006 is intended to replace NUTTAB 1995, its 1997 Supplement, Nutritional Values of Australian Foods (1992), as well as Food for Health (1991). The NUTTAB 2006 data incorporates a wider range of foods and nutrients than in previous publications as well as updated nutrient values that more closely reflect the composition of foods currently available in Australia. NUTTAB 2006 is not intended to replace AUSNUT (1999), a database developed specifically for the 1995 National Nutrition Survey.
Q.7 I want to compare nutrient data for a product in the NUTTAB 95 publication to a product in NUTTAB 2006, but I am not sure if it is the same product because the Food ID codes are not the same between the publications. Can you help me?
A. A file has been created that cross links foods in NUTTAB 95 with those in NUTTAB 2006. This file is available from the ‘Files for Download’ page of the Online Version (Insert link here). Unfortunately the Food ID code assigned to a food in the NUTTAB 95 version cannot be carried over to NUTTAB 2006. This occurs in the updating process for a NUTTAB 95 food record because the record first needs to be copied before any food and nutrient data updates can be made, to ensure that the older data is not destroyed. This process automatically produces a new Food ID code to distinguish the updated record from the older record. Not all foods in NUTTAB 95 will exist in NUTTAB 2006 due to discontinued product lines.
Q.8 What is the difference between AUSNUT and NUTTAB 2006 data? Do you have a file that cross links these foods?
A. AUSNUT (1999) was designed specifically for the last National Nutrition Survey in 1995. It contains data for around 4500 foods that were consumed in the survey and, for those foods not included in NUTTAB95, nutrient values were either calculated, borrowed or imputed. As there were roughly 1800 foods in the NUTTAB 95 database, most of the data in AUSNUT is not based on analysis. A file cross linking AUSNUT (1999) and NUTTAB 2006 foods is expected to be available from the ‘Files for Upload’ page of the Online Version at a later date.
Q.9 How did you choose the nutrients that are displayed in the Food Composition Tables?
A. The nutrients chosen for the Food Composition Tables were based on those nutrients that are of strong public interest and relevance. They were chosen following consultation with stakeholders in 2005 and 2006. Obviously there is limited room in the tables, so some nutrients had to take precedence over others based on popular opinion. If the nutrient you are looking for is not contained in the Tables, you may find it in the NUTTAB Online Version.
Q.10 Why doesn’t NUTTAB include nutrient information on nutrients such as trans fatty acids?
A. Unfortunately, FSANZ does not have a great deal of analytical information for all nutrients, including trans-fatty acids. We therefore decided that nutrients like these should not be included in the publication. We hope to be able to expand the range of nutrients in future editions of NUTTAB.
Q.11 Why don’t the individual fatty acids or the fatty acid classes add up to the total fat?
The measured total fat content in foods is not 100% fatty acids. Foods contain small amounts of other types of fats such as sterols, waxes and phospholipids. Therefore, when you add together the individual fatty acids or classes of fatty acids, the total is slightly less than the reported fat content. For some unusual foods, such as brain, almost half the fat present is not fatty acids.
Q.12 I was comparing the nutrient data of a specific branded product I have to a similar product in the NUTTAB 2006 publication. Although the food descriptions are the same, why don’t the nutrient data match?
A. Nutrient values reported under a specific food name in NUTTAB 2006 are not necessary derived from the analysis of a single product. In some cases, composite samples have been analysed, which means that a number of very similar products that are not necessarily the same brand, have been blended together to form a single sample, and then a portion of this sample has been analysed. Nutrient levels in foods can also vary substantially over time and between brands and varieties due to factors such as season, origin, formulation changes and natural variation. If you have any questions about the nutrients in a specific product you should check with the manufacturer.
Q.13 I noticed there are a number of blank fields or ‘NA’ descriptors for nutrient fields. What do these actually mean? Why don’t you just include label data for products to fill in the blanks with?
A. ‘NA’ fields represent nutrients that have not been analysed, or nutrients that have been removed from the food line due to inconsistencies in the data identified during the food updating process undertaken for the NUTTAB 2006 publication. In some instances, label or borrowed data has been included in these fields, but this is not always possible.
Q.14 I am a bit confused by some of the nutrient names in NUTTAB 2006. Do you have a list of nutrient definitions as well as any equations that show me how these have been calculated?
The Online Version does offer users a list of definitions for nutrient names. It also includes equations that show how specific nutrient contents have been calculated. This information can be found by clicking on the individual nutrients listed under the ‘Browse Nutrient List’ page of the website (Insert link here).
Q.15 What are specific gravities and how am I supposed to use this information?
A. The specific gravity refers to the density of a product. It is calculated from the ratio of the mass of 1mL of a food or beverage to that of 1 mL of water.
i.e. specific gravity (g/mL) = weight (g) of 100 mL of food or beverage/100
You can use this information to estimate nutrient levels in 100 mL of a beverage or other liquid food. In the near future FSANZ hopes to provide a separate table of nutrient values per 100 mL for liquid foods on the website.
Q.16 Do you have any information on common food measures for food and beverage products?
A. At this stage all nutrient information available in all three versions of NUTTAB 2006 are based on a 100g basis of the edible portion of the food or beverage. A food measures file is available in the ‘Files for Upload’ page of the Online Version that allows users to view common measures for a particular food or beverage (Insert link here). Please be aware that this file does not contain a measure for every food in NUTTAB 2006.
Q.17 Do the data from NUTTAB 2006 feed into the Nutrition Panel Calculator (NPC)?
A. At present, the NPC uses data from a subset of AUSNUT (called AUSNUT Special Edition 3). We are aiming to integrate the data from the NUTTAB 2006 Online Version into the Nutrition Panel Calculator (NPC) in the near future. However please be aware that the values for energy and available carbohydrate in NUTTAB 2006 are not exactly as required for nutrition labelling purposes. Therefore, if you need nutrient data to label your food, you should continue to use the data provided with the NPC.
Q.18 How do I get a copy of NUTTAB 2006?
A. You can obtain a copy of theNUTTAB 2006 Food Composition Tables by printing the PDF from the FSANZ website. The NUTTAB 2006 Electronic Version can be obtained by emailing FSANZ at npc@foodstandards.gov.au and submitting a Copyright Reproduction Licence Agreement to FSANZ if necessary. The Electronic Version will then be emailed out to you. This is free of charge. FSANZ will keep a record of those who have requested the Electronic Version so that we can let you know about future updates. The Online Version is a website service only.
Q.19 Am I able to reproduce the nutrient data contained in NUTTAB 2006?
A. The food composition data in NUTTAB 2006 is copyright. Anyone wishing to reproduce data or information contained in NUTTAB 2006 must first sign a Copyright Reproduction Licence Agreement and send this back to FSANZ before any reproduction rights are granted. The Agreement is available from the FSANZ website (Insert link here) or upon request to npc@foodstandards.gov.au
Q.20 Will there be another edition of NUTTAB released in the near future?
A. Yes, FSANZ hopes to continue gathering nutrient information from analyses conducted throughout the agency for presentation in upcoming NUTTAB publications. It is expected that a new edition of NUTTAB will be released in 2008 to incorporate new analytical data from analytical projects occurring in 2007, subject to resource considerations. Additional NUTTAB releases are expected to be released every two years thereafter. However it is not possible to guarantee the timing of future updates to NUTTAB.
Q.21 I think there might be a mistake in some of the data you have presented. How does this happen?
A. While FSANZ has taken a lot of effort to try to ensure the accuracy of the data in NUTTAB 2006, we cannot guarantee that it is completely correct. You should be aware that FSANZ makes no warranty that the information contained in its food composition publications will be free from error, or if used will ensure compliance with the relevant requirements of the Food Standards Code. Before relying on the information presented in these publications, you should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of them for your purposes, and should consider the need to obtain appropriate expert advice relevant to your particular circumstances. FSANZ alerts you to the inherent limitations of food composition data. Food composition tables contain nutrient data that are an average of nutrients in a particular sample of foods and ingredients, determined at a particular time. The nutrient composition of foods and ingredients can vary substantially over different batches, and between brands because of a number of factors including changes in season, processing practices and ingredient source.
Q.22 If I have a question that has not been answered here, who should I contact?
A. There is a general email address that deals with a range of food composition queries that you can email: npc@foodstandards.gov.au .