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Analytical data/metadata on commodity and minimally processed food samples.

Source: USDA

Updates: Twice annually - April & October

Historical data derived from analyses, calculations, and published literature.

Source: USDA

Updates: Final update was in 2018

Data applied to analyze foods/beverages reported in What We Eat in America, NHANES.

Source: USDA Foundation Foods & SR Legacy

Updates: Every 2 years

Data from foods published in peer-reviewed journals in collaboration with USDA.

Source: Researchers

Updates: Twice annually (if available)

Label data collected through a public-private partnership. 

Source: Commercial food brands

Updates: Monthly

At this time, only a basic view of search results is available for viewing on mobile devices. Advanced filter features, such as searching by data type, are not yet mobile-enabled and are available only in desktop view. Users are encouraged to use a desktop computer to conduct food item searches.

New for April 2024:

Before you get started, view the About Us page for essential information about FoodData Central data types and how to use this system.

FoodData Central is managed by the Agricultural Research Service's Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and hosted by the National Agricultural Library.

Licensing

USDA FoodData Central data are in the public domain and they are not copyrighted. They are published under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)

No permission is needed for their use, but we request that users list FoodData Central as the source of the data, and when possible, notify us of the product that uses the data so we may better track how FDC is being used in the public domain. The suggested citation is:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. FoodData Central. [Internet]. [cited (enter date)]. Available from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/.