EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource Network) (www.eurofir.net) the world-leading European Network of Excellence on Food Composition Databank Systems, is a partnership between 48 universities, research institutes and small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from 25 European countries. EuroFIR will provide the first comprehensive pan-European food information resource, using state-of-the-art database linking, to allow effective management, updating, extending and comparability.

The project objectives of EuroFIR are:

• To strengthen scientific and technological excellence in food databank systems by integrating the critical mass of resources and expertise needed to provide European leadership in this field and establish itself as a world force in this area;
• To identify and provide new information for missing data for nutrients and biologically active compounds, and covering all food groups;
• To spread excellence and enhance impact in food composition databases and public health nutrition beyond the boundaries of the partnership through training, and sharing of methods and facilities;
• To communicate with, and enter into dialogue, with all user and stakeholder groups, in order to establish and deliver requirements to ensure that the food databank systems are durable and sustainable;
• To disseminate and exploit new scientific and technological knowledge in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the food industry, including SMEs, aiming to help the European food and nutrition industry to grow into knowledge?based industry, targeted at evidence based healthier food production.

EuroFIR provides an essential foundation for all food and health research in Europe and provides:

• The building blocks for health surveys, medical research and interventions, and health policies based on them;
• Information for public health government bodies and regulators to educate their populations about health and food heritage;
• Laboratory and data analysis best practices to ensure data quality, reliability and comparability;
• Data that enables food industry to produce healthier foods, and obtain a larger share of the international food market;
• Information to consumers ? via labels and via printed/electronic information, to enable them to play a more active role in protecting and enhancing their health.

EuroFIR will also identify and provide new information for missing data for nutrients and biologically active compounds with putative health effects, and all food groups including traditional and ethnic foods.

More detailed information on the EuroFIR project can be found on the EuroFIR website www.eurofir.net