Access to adequate food is a fundamental right of all people.  If any right can be called the most fundamental right, it is the right to life, and proper nutrition is essential in fulfilling this right.  Hence the long-term goals of the Government of Pakistan for Vision 2025 with support from international development agencies, including UNICEF have been developed with a view to fulfill this fundamental human right to food and nutrition in Pakistan, with the premises that:

ü      Food is a fundamental human right, and that;

ü     Everyone should have access to food, which is:

ü     Sufficient, balanced and safe to satisfy nutritional requirements:

ü     Culturally acceptable; and

ü     Accessible in a manner, which does not destroy one’s dignity as human.

 Unfortunately, despite increased recognition about the need to fulfil human right to nutrition and greater understanding of the role of nutrition especially o child and of women and children in Pakistan has remained at alarmingly poor levels.  Basic indices of prevalence of malnutrition have changed very little over the last 20 years or more.  The extent of the problems has further increased, as number of malnourished children in estimated at 8 million at the on set of the new century 2000.  One-third of pregnant women are malnourished, and on an average, one-fourth of newborns is Low Birth Weight (LBW).  Maternal malnutrition affects 34 percent of pregnant of lactating women have a caloric intake of less that 70 percent of the recommended level.  Vitamin A Deficiency is a significant public health problem affecting 30 percent children, according to a recent micronutrient survey done for NWFP.  Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) among children and women of reproductive age is another problem of serious public health significance. Recent data on Iodine Deficiency indicate that over 70 percent of the population in the Northern Areas suffer from Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) and as many as 40 million people in the country as a whole might be affected.

Malnutrition is an impediment to human development, and it represents a major constraint in the national development effort.  Attempts to overcome this serious problem have been in the last tow decades fragmented and low is profile, thus these efforts were not able to show any change in the nutritional status of the nation.  Malnutrition thus continues to be a major problem in Pakistan, with devastating impact on health and survival of women and children.  Inadequate food intake contributes substantially to childhood death and diseases, but generally goes unrecognized s such.  Intensive nutrition education campaign is, therefore, required targeting all the major stakeholders including general public and key actors across all sectors-including planning, Health, Population and Welfare, Agriculture, Education, and industry, the private sector and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in the field of health and nutrition.

The desirable dietary pattern according to FAO recommendations and for comparison, national dietary intake pattern, is shown in the table below. The recommendations do vary according to activity levels and physiological needs (e.g. during pregnancy and lactation, the requirements are higher).  But, in the overall, it is shown that dietary intake pattern for Pakistan is below the recommended level.  Increasing the overall national dietary pattern is highly beneficial as adequate dietary intake can ensure good health by strengthening the body defense mechanism against infections, and by contributing to mental and physical growth and development.  So this becomes critical for maintenance of economically vibrant and productive, as well as socially and physically active population.

1. FAO (1988) Report of the Regional Expert Consultation on the Asian Network for Food & Nutrition, Bangkok.
2. FBS (1990).  Household Integrated Survey.
3. Adopted for Pakistan. 

Three basic steps to developing a desirable consumption pattern or habit for the Pakistani population should involve:

• consideration of the recommended desirable consumption patterns,  taking these as a basis of requirement:
• Review of the prevailing consumption] pattern of the population, based on the market basket or consumption/nutrition surveys etc:and 
• Projection of demand at the individual and national level for the target year based on the food requirement and population growth\

on the basis of the above principles, a Pakistani food basket based on 2100 calories, shown below can help ensure good health and nutrition.

Weight (kg)

Energy
(kg)

Vitamin A
(RE)

As such, The updated food Composition Tables can play an important role as reference material for health and nutrition policy makers, researcher, programme planners and managers, meal palanners, dietary counselors, communicators as well as house holds. It includes analysis of about 200 food commodities food commodities. The nutrients analysed include all major micronutrients, such as iron, iodine, Vitamin -A, zinc, in addition to some key essentail nutrients icluding protein, energy, fat and fiber. Therefore this represents valueable informtion, which can be the basis for future food based nutrition planning and education activities. It is our hope that this document will be useful to all concern to make a positive impact on the health and well being of the Pakistani population.

Dr. Mushtaq A Khan
Member and Senior Chief
Health and Nutrition, Planning and Development Division, Islamabad

Dr. Saba Mebrahtu
Nutrition Project Officer, UNICEF, Islamabad

Dr. Thaneoke Kyaw-Myint
Chief, PHEC, UNICEF, Islamabad

The author would like to express his sincere thanks to the following persons, who initiated this study and for their help and continued interest during the course of this investigation.

Dr. Mushtaq A. Khan Senior Chief, Health and Nutrition, Planning and Development Division, Government of Pakistan for overall supervision.

Dr. Saba Mebrahatu, Nutrition Project officer, UNICEF, Islamabad for useful suggestions and monitoring of study.

Ms. Farzana Yasmeen and Mr. Javaid Iqbal, Lecturers, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar for analytical work and data analysis.

Mr. Anwar Ali Shad, Ms. Samina Ikram, Miss Momina Batool ands Miss Afsheen, graduate students, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar for their assistance in analytical work and collection of reference materials.

Financial assistance for this study received from UNICEF Islamabad is gratefully acknowledged.  

• Preface........................................................................................................
• Acknowledgement ......................................................................................
• Introduction ................................................................................................
• Sources of Data and Methodology...............................................................
• Proximate Composition Mineral and Vitamin Content of Food..................                                            

                 (a)   Cereal and Cereal Products

                 (b)   Legumes

                 (c)   Vegetables

                 (d)   Roots and Tubers

                 (e)   Spices and Condiments

                         (f)      Fruits

                         (g)     Nuts and Dry Fruits

                (h)   Dairy Products

                (i)    Meat and Meat Products

                (j)   Fish

                (k)  Eggs

                (l)   Fats and Oil

                (m) Sugar - Sweets and Beverages

• Bibliography      

Food is a major component of man's environment. Man has used food primarily to satisfy his hunger but satisfaction of hunger is not a safe criteria for sustaining a healthy and active life.  It is now established that for keeping a good health, an individual needs to eat a diet which is balanced in terms of quantity and quality. The quality of food refers to the nutrients presents in the food and data on what is actually in food has been important of keeping an individual healthy.  Since the composition of food has become immensely important to issues of human processing, health assessment, dietary counseling national and international trade in food and consumers number of countries have developed food Composition Tables containing the analytical data on the nutrients in foods consumed in those countries.  As various cultural and economic factors are involved in selection of foods, therefore food Composition Tables also vary from country to country.

Since independence different organizations of the country were using food Composition Tables of USA or FAO.  In 1985, we developed a food Composition Tables for Pakistan in which we presented the nutrient content of various food available in Pakistan.  The personals in health and agriculture, faculties and students in the academic institutions and dieticians in the country used this table.  Because of the high demand for this table, it was necessary to reprint it in 1991.  As many changes in food habit have occurred in the last fifteen years and latest analytical instruments have become available which has resulted in the production of more analytical data on foods, it was considered necessary to revise the food Composition Tables for Pakistan.  Because of the importance of micronutrients in the well being of  humans, a number of micronutrients  like zinc, iodine, vitamin-A, ß-carotene as well as cholesterol have been included in this food Composition Tables. 

The data on food composition has been compiled from the results of analysis carried out by various laboratories in Pakistan and elsewhere.  The variation of results obtained from different laboratories were checked.  Formulated weaning and supplementary food mixes and traditional dishes were analyzed at the laboratories of the NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar.  In addition to the previously reported nutrients (proximate composition, Ca, P, Fe Bi, B2, niacin ant ascorbic acid) the foods were also analyzed for zinc, iodine, b-carotene, vitamin-A and cholesterol content.

SAMPLING

Samples of each commodity were purchased from various markets.  They were mixed manually to prepare a composite sample.  Solid samples were powdered in dry mill and stored in airtight bottles with name and date of purchase written on it.  Liquid samples were homogenized and stored.  Weaning, supplementary food mixed and traditional dishes were prepared in the laboratories of the NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar.  Recipes for the dishes were adopted from the local methods used in majority of homes.  Prepared food samples were then mixed in a moulinex blender and  stored.  Perishable commodities were kept in a freezer and analyzed as early as possible.  The samples were analyzed by the standard methods of analysis of the AOAC (1994).

Energy 

The calorific value of the food sample was determined by an adiabatic bomb calorimeter

Moisture 

Moisture in food samples was determined by direct heating at 110°C in a precision oven

Protein

Protein content was estimated using kjeltec autoanalyser.  Nitrogen content obtained was multiplied by an appropriate conversion factor to get the value of crude protein

Crude Fat (ether extract)

Crude fat in the food samples was determined by labconco soxtec apparatus using petroleum ether (BP 40-60 °C).  Fat was extracted by repeated syphoning.

Crude Fiber

Crude fiber of the food sample was determined by a tecator fibertec system.

Ash

Samples were ignited at 550-600 °C in a thermoline 1500 furnace till white gray ash resulted.

Carbohydrate

Percent carbohydrates were determined by difference subtracting the sum of percentage of moisture, crude protein, fat, ash and crude fiber from 100.

Phosphorus

Food samples were first disgeted with acid and aliquots were used fro the determination of phosphorus with a spectronic-20 colorimeter.

Calcium, Iron and Zinc

These trace elements were analyzed by Perkin Elmer atomic absorption spectrophotometer after wet digestion with nitric and perchloric acid.  Calcium was determined at wavelength of 422.7, iron at248.3 and zinc at 274.5 nm.

Iodine

Iodine in the food samples was determined by spectrophotometric and ion selective electrode method.

Thiamin and Riboflavin

Thiamin was determined by measuring the fluorescence of thiochrome and riboflavin the fluorescence of lumichrome with a Turner 450 flourometer using the method of AOAC (1994)

Niacin

Niacin was extracted from food material by basic hydrolysis with calcium hydroxide.  It was then treated with cyanogens bromide to give pyridium compound.  The colour intensity  which was proportional to the amount of niacin, was measured by a Gallenkamp colorimeter at 470 nm

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin-C)

Vitamin-C in the food samples was determined by 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol dye method.

Vitamin-A and B-carotene

Standard vitamin-A (all trans rational) and B-carotene were obtained from sigma chemical company (St. Louis, Mo, USA). 

Vitamin-A and B-carotene were extracted from the food samples using ethanol. Potassium hydroxide, ascorbic acid, and then with petroleum ither.  Extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in a perkin Elmer HPLC system consisting of a 250 isocratic LC pump with a 20 ul injector model 7125-075 Rheodyne value (Perkin Elmer) equipped with a continuously variable wavelength model LC-290.  Computer integrator model PEL Nelson and a printer Epson 1050 was used for computing the results.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol content in food samples was determined by gas liquid chromatography at coloumn temperature of 220-250 °.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis of food Composition Tables for Pakistan 2001 and its comparison with that of 1985 is given in Appendix 18.

Name of Food

Protein  gms   

Carbohydrate gms

Fibre gms    

Ash gms      

Calcium mgs

Phosphorus mgs

Iron mgs     

Zn mgs        

Iodine ppm   

Thiamine mgs

Riboflavin mgs

Niacin mgs  

Vit.C mgs   

B-Carotene mcgs

Vit.A R.E     

Cholesterol mgs