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FoodData Central Download Data

Download FoodData Central Data

On October 2021, the formatting of this page has changed. Files are now separated by type and a new filetype, JSON, has been introduced.

Data contained in FoodData Central can be downloaded. The download files are available both as an Excel-compatible CSV delimited ASCII file and in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)

  • Data Type Documentation provides links to documentation for each of FoodData Central’s data types.
  • View Download Field Descriptions (PDF - 300K) for definitions of all the terms and labels used in the download files of FoodData Central. This guide is also included in each downloaded file.

Downloads - JSON Format

Documentation for the JSON format can be found through our API guide at https://app.swaggerhub.com/apis/fdcnal/food-data_central_api/1.0.1

Downloads - CSV Format

Downloads - Access Format

The Access format has been discontinued as of October 2021. It is recommended to use the new file format, JSON, or to import CSV files from "Full Download of All Data Types" above to replace the tables within the Access format.

Notes on Downloads

  • The October 2022 files contain the most recent data. These files were fixed to include some missing fields and were re-released on 12/8/2020.
  • The branded food and full download CSV archives from April 2020 to April 2022 have been re-released with corrections to the Nutrient ID column.
  • The Access download files have been discontinued in October 2021.
  • SR Legacy is the final release of the Standard Reference data type. These data will not be updated. Earlier versions of Standard Reference (i.e., SR 17 through 28) are available on the Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory (MAFCL) website.
  • The Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is updated every two years, in conjunction with the two-year cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The October 15, 2020 date represents the date on which FNDDS 2017-2018 was published and made available for download in FoodData Central. Earlier releases can be found on the Food Surveys Research Group website.
  • The Full Download file contains files for all of the FoodData Central data types. Therefore, whenever a download for an individual data type is updated, the Full Download file also will be updated to include those new data. The Access file only contains the most recent version of products in the Branded Foods dataset. We recommend you use the API to access previous versions of Branded Food products.
  • April 2020* Version 2 includes corrections made on May 1, 2020 to branded foods data.

For more information about FoodData Central, go to the FAQ page.