[Nutrient intake: concepts and international recommendations (first part)].

OBJECTIVE: This revision on nutrient intakes pretends to analyse, compare and evaluate the various concepts and data used by different national and international bodies and authorities, reflecting their turn into legal norms and their evolution in recent years. At the same time it facilitates bibliographic references and Internet websites to those sources and it offers a glossary of used terms and their acronyms. SCOPE: Four geographical territories have been considered, being split in 2 parts. First part: European Union. Second part: Spain, United States of America/Canada and FAO/WHO. Due to the extensive text of this revision there has been necessary to divide it in 2 parts which are being published in consecutive numbers of the journal Nutrici6n Hospitalaria. CONCLUSIONS OF THE 1ST PART: At the European level there should be pointed out the long time interval existing between the publication of recommendations and their legislative implementation. One can observe the resistance of some Member States of the European Community to harmonize the recommendations and the legislation within the Community frame.