Global Initiative Reveals Huge Gaps in Nutrition Knowledge

In a revolutionary stride towards understanding the complexities of the human diet, a pioneering paper published in ‘Nature Food’ by the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) has uncovered a significant void in the scientific comprehension of food.

The initiative, led by the American Heart Association in collaboration with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, has shed light on a meticulously curated catalogue of 1,650 nutritionally and culturally diverse foods for in-depth biochemical analysis.

According to the study, over 1,000 of these foods are absent from globally recognized food composition databases, which are instrumental in formulating dietary guidelines and agricultural policies.

Periodic Table of Food Initiative is building a global ecosystem & providing tools, data & training to catalog biomolecular composition of the world’s food supply. We seek to enable data-driven solutions to improve human and planetary health: https://t.co/bv6X2wnrOb @foodtank pic.twitter.com/WspNUxY5nV

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The Global Director of PTFI at the American Heart Association, Selena Ahmed, emphasised the groundbreaking nature of the study, stating, “A substantial portion of what humanity consumes remains a scientific mystery.”

She pointed out that despite our assumptions about the foods we consume, an estimated 95% of the biomolecules in food have evaded analysis and do not appear on food labels, underscoring our limited understanding of the nutritional landscape.

‘Narrow human diets’

The significance of the 1,650-food list is magnified against the backdrop of today’s predominantly narrow human diets, with wheat, maize, and rice accounting for nearly half of the global calorie intake and predominantly grown as monocultures.

Compiled through a collaborative effort involving 40 experts from various regions worldwide, the list encompasses a diverse array of foods selected for their nutritional contribution, cultural significance, diversity, and potential for innovation in the face of climate change.

Relationship between food, health, and the environment

The Managing Director of Africa at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, Maya Rajasekharan, highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive metrics that acknowledge the intricate relationship between food, health, and the environment.

She emphasised the initiative’s departure from the traditional reductionist approach to food analysis, advocating for a more holistic understanding.

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“For decades, food has been viewed through a reductionist lens, often simplified to calories and essential nutrients. PTFI promises to fundamentally change this approach for the better,” she said.

The Director of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation and a co-author of the study, Dr. John de la Parra, underscored the initiative’s ambition to map the intricate composition of all foods in a standardized and accessible format, aiming to benefit both human and planetary health.

“PTFI was born from a visionary and ambitious idea to create an enabling platform built around food composition. Rather than only focusing on the few commonly analyzed components of a handful of foods,” he said.

The analysis, employing advanced technologies such as high-resolution mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence, seeks to unravel the “dark matter” of food—the myriad biochemicals whose roles in food quality and health remain largely unknown.

What sets PTFI apart from existing food databases is its consideration of extensive data on environmental and agricultural practices shaping food composition. By elucidating these connections, PTFI aims to foster a sustainable food system that encompasses everything from cultivation to consumption.

“The PTFI’s findings represent a clarion call for further research across the food system — from farmers to policymakers, from nutritionists to chefs, from scientists to consumers — to make informed decisions that promote diversity, sustainability, and resilience in food production and consumption,” Ahmed said.

Biomolecular composition of foods

The unveiling of a core set of foundational resources by PTFI on April 23-24 in New York City promises to provide researchers worldwide with the tools to delve into the biomolecular composition of foods and conduct comprehensive studies using standardized methods.

The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and facilitated by the American Heart Association, the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, represents a landmark effort to unravel the complexities of the human diet and pave the way for a healthier, more sustainable future.

PR/Zainab Sa’id