Introduction:

The URUGUAYFOODS National Chapter, belonging to the Latin American Food Composition Network (LATINFOODS, INFOODS, FAO), recently carried out an investigation to identify which food composition tables and databases (TCA and BDCA) are used by national professionals, as well as the perception of their limitations, in order to be taken into account in the creation of the new national BDCA.

Objective:

Characterize the use of TCAs and BDCAs for food composition and describe their characteristics and limitations through the analysis of the survey carried out among professionals in the area of health, nutrition, and food in Uruguay in 2022.

Materials and methods:

It was a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. The information was obtained through a voluntary participation survey. The sample consisted of 94 national professionals. The variable use and frequency of these tools were analyzed with respect to the age and specific populations with which the surveyed professional works.

Results:

The preference for use was the USDA and CENEXA databases rather than the TCAU, resulting in a significant weakness in all areas where these data are used since they do not reflect the habits and customs of the population.

Conclusions:

Potential users of the new national BDCA want it to be easily and freely accessible, in Spanish, in digital format, with up-to-date information, and with the possibility of choosing data in portions or every 100 grams.