50th Resource Investigation Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

At the 50th meeting of the Resource Investigation Subcommittee of the Council for Science, Technology and Academic Affairs, explanations and an exchange of views were held on the draft matters for consideration by the 13th-term Resource Investigation Subcommittee. The Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan are positioned as an important matter concerning the comprehensive utilization of resources.

The matters for consideration are updating existing data, responding to newly listed foods, publishing and utilizing data, and understanding food composition data and trends in Japan and abroad.

The Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan are used for nutritional management in school and hospital meals, nutrition guidance in education, research, and medical care, and nutritional labeling of food products.

The food composition database receives about 30 million accesses annually and attracts strong interest from the public.

For updating and enhancing listed contents, food composition will be reanalyzed with a focus on old data and component items with blank entries. Priorities will be assigned with reference to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, and foods requiring new listings will also be covered.

For data utilization, the committee will consider systematization from data creation through publication, measures to encourage diverse uses, and the creation and provision of an English version. Systematization will proceed from fiscal year Reiwa 5 through fiscal year Reiwa 7, and a budget request is being prepared for the construction of the official version and cloud operation expenses in the fiscal year Reiwa 8 budget.

For surveys of domestic and international trends, the committee will consider accepting external data and utilizing overseas analytical data. The Resource Office will continue to handle communication and liaison with international organizations such as FAO and INFOODS, while working with relevant parties to understand trends and issue necessary communications. The Food Composition Committee will conduct investigations and deliberations, compile the next proposed publication by the end of 2025, and present it for deliberation by this subcommittee.