FoodData Central

About FoodData Central

FoodData Central is a food composition database maintained by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, hosted by the National Agricultural Library. It aggregates multiple distinct data types: Foundation Foods (analytical data on commodity and minimally processed samples, updated twice yearly), SR Legacy (historical data from analyses, calculations, and published literature, last updated 2018), Survey Foods/FNDDS (data applied to foods and beverages reported in What We Eat in America/NHANES, updated every two years), Experimental Foods (data from peer-reviewed research collaborations, updated twice yearly when available), and Branded Foods (label data from commercial food brands via a public-private partnership, updated monthly). It also hosts the FNA Child Nutrition Database (CNDB).

The system provides food search, component search, and browsing by data type, along with bulk data downloads and an API with an API key requirement for programmatic access. It is intended for researchers, developers, and organizations needing nutrient and food composition data for analysis, product development, or dietary studies.

FoodData Central data are in the public domain, published under a CC0 1.0 Universal license, requiring no permission for use though attribution to FoodData Central is requested.

Key features

• Browse and download nutrient data for commodity and minimally processed food samples
• Access historical food analysis data derived from calculations and published literature
• Search Branded Foods label data collected via public-private partnership, updated monthly
• Component search and API access with an API key
• Hosts the FNA Child Nutrition Database (CNDB)

Frequently asked questions