Thirty years of progress in harmonizing and compiling food data as a result of the establishment of INFOODS

•The 30-year history of INFOODS.•The accomplishments of INFOODS in improving food composition data.•The role of INFOODS in the future of food composition data.

The International Network of Foods Data Systems (INFOODS) has provided leadership on the development and use of food composition data for over 30 years. The mission of INFOODS is the promotion of international participation, cooperation and harmonization in the generation, compilation and dissemination of adequate and reliable data on the composition of foods, beverages, and their ingredients in forms appropriate to meet the needs of various users. Achievements include the development of guidelines and standards, increased capacity development in generating and compiling food composition data, a food composition database management system, improvements in laboratory quality assurance, and development of several food composition databases and tables. Recently, INFOODS has led efforts to define and document food biodiversity. As new foods and food components come into prominence, and as analytical methods evolve, the activities of INFOODS will continue to advance the quality and quantity of food composition data globally into the future.