Re: [Fsfe-uk] [OT-ish] Government food data

[Graham Seaman]

Graham Seaman wrote:

> Of course it may still be that when I get a reply from the HMSO it will
> read 'please feel free to distribute our dataset, or provide a pointer
> to this location where it may be freely downloaded'. Pigs may fly.
The actual reply from HMSO was:

"The Composition of Foods 6th Edition is available as follows:

a) in printed format - published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, 
price £45;
b) in electronic format - as an excel spreadsheet, price £75 -this 
version is held by HMSO. (The Nutrient Databank i.e. Composition of 
Foods 6th Edition + Supplements is £300 - see attached list)

To re-use the information from either of the above you require a licence 
and an annual royalty/fee would be charged. The charge would be 
dependant on the amount of information being re-used."

So even if I cough up the 300 quid, I can't redistribute, unless I pass 
on the charge.

Any idea of the next step? I guess I have to go and see my MP. But since 
this is general government policy with  'public'  data  (as with the 
whole  ordnance survey map saga) I really can't see I'm likely to get 
anywhere and the prospect does not fill me with enthusiasm.  An 
alternative would still seem to be to find where other european food 
data sets are held and put up pointers to them as publicly as possible 
in order to make the UK government policy appear silly and redundant, 
and try to push for change that way. Any other suggestions?

Cheers
Graham 






> In the meantime, I'd still like to know what the rest of Europe does.
> Anyone?
>
> Graham
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