FNS Child Nutrition Database
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Child Nutrition Database (CNDB) is a required part of the nutrient analysis software approved by USDA's FNS for use in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
Current CNDB version is available to download in the table below.
The CNDB includes food product data collected for the following 19 nutrients and components: calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, iron, ash, total sugars, added sugars, and moisture.
The CNDB includes nutrient data from: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference - Legacy Release (SR – Legacy), USDA Standardized Recipes, and the Global Branded Food Products Database (manufactured products produced for K-12 school food service, including USDA Foods).
The manufacturers' data in the CNDB will be updated monthly on the same cycle as the Global Branded Food Products Database. Updates of the other data sources will occur twice annually, typically in April and October, as needed.
Structure and File Formats of the Child Nutrition Database
The CNDB consists of 6 tables:
- Food Description Table (FDES)
- Food Category Name Table (CTGNME)
- GPC Category Name Table (GPCNME)
- Weights Table (WGHT)
- Nutrient Values Table (NUTVAL)
- Nutrient Description Table (NUTDES)
The CNDB is available in Comma-Separated Values (CSV), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), MySQL, and Extensible Markup Language (XML) formats.
For MySQL, the zipped file contains one file for the entire CNDB. For the CSV, XML, and JSON file formats, there is one zipped file which includes six files, one for each table in the CNDB.
Please download the Release Notes, which includes the most recent updates and changes, and the Child Nutrition Database Documentation which explains the structure and fields in this database.
Food manufacturers interested in publishing their food/beverage product data to the Child Nutrition Database, please refer to the following resources for guidance:
- Industry Guide to Publishing K-12 Product Information to USDA Databases
- Guide to Successful Publication to the USDA Child Nutrition Database (CNDB) through Branded Foods via GS1 GDSN
- FAQs for Suppliers/Manufacturers Publishing Data for the Child Nutrition Database (CNDB) through GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network
Please contact cnpntab@usda.gov for additional information about the CNDB.
CNDB Downloads
* Listed measurements are actual byte sizes and may vary after download and extraction depending on your local operating system and disk format.
Historical Downloads
| Description | Date | Download | Zipped* | Unzipped* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN2025.03 | 3/20/2025 |  CSV FormatJSONSQLXML | 1.15 MB 1.48 MB 1.24 MB 1.61 MB | 9.53 MB 37.23 MB 17.58 MB 62.36 MB |
| CN2025.03 Release Notes | 3/20/2025 | PDF | N/A | 80.79 KB |
| CN2025.01 | 1/23/2025 | CSV FormatJSONSQLXML | 1.2 MB 1.54 MB 1.30 MB 1.68 MB | 9.99 MB 39.0 MB 18.4 MB 65.35 MB |
| CN2025.01 Release Notes | 1/23/2025 | PDF | N/A | 74.89 KB |
| CN2024.12 | 12/19/2024 | CSV FormatJSONSQLXML | 1.14 MB 1.47 MB 1.23 MB 1.6 MB | 9.51 MB 37.16 MB 17.56 MB 62.23 MB |
| CN2024.12 Release Notes | 12/19/2024 | PDF | N/A | 116.94 KB |
| Child Nutrition Database Documentation | 12/19/2024 | PDF | N/A | 220.6 KB |
| CN27 | 3/26/2024 | CSV FormatMicrosoft Excel | 1.18 MB 6.76 MB | 9.8 MB 7.0 MB |
| Child Nutrition Database Archive Release Notes | 3/26/2024 | PDF | N/A | 310.26 KB |
* Listed measurements are actual byte sizes and may vary after download and extraction depending on your local operating system and disk format.