FoodData Central

Foundation Foods

Documentation and User Guide

April 2023

U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service

Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center
BARC-EAST, Center Road, Bldg 307C Room 111 Beltsville, MD 20705.
Suggested Citation
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Foundation
Foods. Version Current: April 2023. Internet: fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Disclaimers
Reference to any product, service, process, or method by trade name, trademark, service mark,
and manufacturer or otherwise is for ease of identification only and does not imply
recommendation, endorsement, or approval by, or an association with, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin,
age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual
orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's
income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-
6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Issued April 2023

2
Contents
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5

1.1 About Foundation Foods Found in FoodData Central .................................................................... 5

1.2 Foundation Foods Highlights ........................................................................................................... 5

1.2.1 Updated Nutrient Profiles ................................................................................................... 5
1.2.2 Expanded Information on Foods......................................................................................... 5

2 Details on Information in Foundation Foods ............................................................................................. 6

2.1 Food Descriptions ............................................................................................................................ 6

2.2 Nutrient Data................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2.1 Proximates .......................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.2 Energy ................................................................................................................................. 8
2.2.3 Minerals .............................................................................................................................. 8
2.2.4 Vitamins .............................................................................................................................. 9
2.2.5 Lipid Components ............................................................................................................. 10

2.3 Weights.......................................................................................................................................... 14

2.4 Limits of Quantification ................................................................................................................. 15

3 Reports and Data Files ............................................................................................................................. 15

3.1 Foundation Food Search Results ................................................................................................... 15

3.2 Overview of Data Tables ............................................................................................................... 15

References .................................................................................................................................................... 16

3
Preface
The food supply, and the scientific understanding of relationships between dietary intakes and health,
have evolved over the years. USDA’s food composition data resources also have evolved to meet the
needs of diverse users, including researchers, policymakers, academicians and educators, nutrition
professionals, product developers, and others. In recent years, the rapidly escalating pace of change in
the food supply and the growing variety of uses for food data have greatly enhanced the need for
transparent and easily accessible information about the nutrients and other components of foods and
food products. This need required a new approach to analyzing, compiling, and presenting food profile
information in a scientifically rigorous way. FoodData Central is USDA’s response to this need.
This integrated data system contains—in one place—five distinct types of food and nutrient composition
data, each with a unique purpose. Three of these data types are well-established and familiar to many
users: The National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (Legacy), the Food and Nutrient
Database for Dietary Studies, and the USDA Global Branded Food Products Database. The other two
data types—Foundation Foods and Experimental Foods—provide data that have never previously been
available.
• Foundation Foods includes values for nutrients and other food components on a diverse
range of foods and ingredients as well as extensive underlying metadata. These metadata
include the number of samples, sampling location, date of collection, analytical approaches
used, and if appropriate, agricultural information such as genotype and production practices.
The enhanced depth and transparency of Foundation Foods data can provide valuable insights
into the many factors that influence variability in nutrient and food component profiles. The
goal of Foundation Foods will be to, over time, expand the number of basic foods and
ingredients and their underlying data. Foundation Foods will be a primary focus of efforts as
FoodData central expands and develops in coming years.
• Experimental Foods contains foods produced, acquired or studied under unique conditions,
such as alternative management systems, experimental genotypes, or research/analytical
protocols. The foods in this data type may not be commercially available to the general public
or the data may expand information about the specific food. Experimental Foods are for
research purposes and may not be appropriate as a reference for the consumer or for diet
planning Experimental Foods data are currently available through links to relevant agricultural
research data sources, such as the AgCROS, and will include data from multiple sources. The
data in Experimental Foods include (or link to) variables such as genetics, environmental
inputs and outputs, supply chains, economic considerations and nutrition research. These data
will allow users to examine a range of factors used that may affect the nutritional profiles of
foods and resulting dietary intakes as well as the sustainability of agricultural and dietary food
systems.

4
1. Introduction
1.1 About Foundation Foods Found in FoodData Central
Foundation Foods is a new food composition data type in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
FoodData Central system. Foundation Foods contains expanded nutrient and food component profiles
and metadata on a range of foods and ingredients. The data include the individual data points behind
the mean values and metadata that include the number of samples, location, dates on which samples
were obtained, analytical methods used, and, if appropriate, agricultural information such as cultivar
and production practices. The enhanced clarity and transparency of these data allow users to see the
variability in the nutrient and food component values provided as well as the potential effects of the
production site, procedures, season, climate, post-harvest processing, analytical methods, and other
factors. Some of the data have been acquired through the historical National Food and Nutrient
Analysis Program (NFNAP) (Haytowitz and Pehrsson, 2017). Other data will be from market and/or
agriculturally acquired foods. The goal of Foundation Foods will be to, over time, expand the number
of basic foods and ingredients and their underlying data.
1.2 Foundation Foods Highlights
1.2.1 Updated Nutrient Profiles
Macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) are the energy sources in the human diet. The inaugural
version of Foundation Foods included 73 foods that appear in the final release of the National Nutrient
Database for Standard Reference (SR Legacy). Since then, new acquisitions are added to Foundation
Foods on a regular basis. Nutrient profiles will now be focused on variability of individual samples and
not weighted by market share. All individual sample analysis is available in FoodData Central.
1.2.2 Expanded Information on Foods
A key feature of Foundation Foods is the ability to see the specific values associated with each
independent sample and hence the variability of the analyzed values for each component. For samples
obtained at retail locations, Foundation Foods contains metadata on sample acquisition, including city
and state of purchase or manufacture, purchase date, expiration date (if applicable), product lot
number, and UPC code (when available). For samples obtained from agricultural locations, metadata
include information such as location (GPS coordinates), cultivar, weather, agricultural practices (e.g.,
conventional or organic farming), and analytical methodology.
For SRLegacy, aliquots from composited samples were sent to USDA qualified laboratories and
collaborators for analysis. Although this approach generated useable mean values, sample-to-sample
variability was lost.
Therefore, the generated statistical parameters reflected the variability of the analytical samples, not
the individual samples composited for analysis. Historically, the goal of the analyses was to generate a
reliable mean across up to 150 nutrients for highly consumed foods (per the NHANES What We Eat in
America surveys) that reflected the composition the consumer was statistically likely to encounter and
were re. Moving forward, newer data as well as future data will be reported for independent samples
analyzed from a single acquisition. In some cases, multiple sales units from the same location may be
needed to supply sufficient material for analysis. These will be treated as a single independent sample.
5
2 Details on Information in Foundation Foods
The data for Foundation Foods are organized into three major categories: Food Descriptions, Nutrient
Data, and Weights. These reflect the earlier approach to providing nutrient profile data but may change
as Foundation Foods evolves. In addition, support files are included that contain supplemental
information related to these categories. File formats and related information are contained in the
Download Field Descriptions, available on the FoodData Central website. Abbreviations used in
describing Foundation Foods are listed in Appendix B.
Data for agricultural products may be presented in forms not typically consumed but still representative
of foods in the U.S. food supply. For example, data for common dry beans of different cultivars, growing
locations, and climate conditions are presented on a 0% moisture basis rather than as sold.
2.1 Food Descriptions
The Food Descriptions category provides a full description of each food, including the name of the food,
the brand name (if applicable), as well as the food’s characteristics (e.g., raw or cooked, enriched or not,
and color). Other fields in the Food Description file include:
• Scientific name.
• Common name, including alternative names for the product (e.g., dried beans), Uniform
Retail Meat Identity Standard identification numbers, and USDA commodity codes as
appropriate.
• Identification of food groups (see the Download Field Descriptions for more details) based
on assignments in SR Legacy. These groupings are currently maintained to provide historical
reference and continuity. It is anticipated that a current investigation in the area of ontology
will result in changes in the food grouping systems.
• Amounts and physical descriptions, where appropriate, of refuse (inedible materials, such as
seeds, bone, and skin). Refuse amounts are expressed as a percentage of the total weight of
the item as acquired and are used to compute the weight of the edible portion. Most of the
refuse data are obtained from measurements made for NFNAP samples.
• Factor used to calculate protein content from nitrogen content.
• Factors used to calculate number of kilocalories (kcal) from protein, fat, and carbohydrate, by
difference.
Footnotes are provided for a few items where information about food description could not be
accommodated in existing fields.
For details on the format of the Food Description file, see Download Field Descriptions.
2.2 Nutrient Data
All nutrient values in Foundation Foods are based on analyses conducted by USDA under NFNAP or
provided by other USDA units or external organizations. New Foundation Foods, as opposed to those
pulled from SR, will not have all nutrients but will be targeting important nutrients in that food. A
6
 unique code or FDC_ID number identifies individual samples for each food contained in each of the data
types. Currently, an FDC_ID number is assigned randomly when new or updated versions of foods are
published in FoodData Central. However, when market and agricultural acquisition foods are presented
through a Foundation Food, their FDC_IDs are labeled as FDC Source ID to better distinguish them as
sources for the current Foundation Food. The structure of this information is described in Download
Field Descriptions. Details on each of these analyses can be accessed through the documentation
available with each dataset’s download or through the “drill-down” capabilities (i.e., the ability to move
from general information about a food to more detailed information) on the FoodData Central web site.
In some cases, foods analyzed for or before SR Legacy may also appear in Foundation Foods. For
connectivity with SR Legacy foods, static NDB numbers will also appear as appropriate.
The raw analytical data are stored internally, as received. Before publishing to the public, they are
rounded to scientifically appropriate significant figures, allowing ease in downloading, API, and data
display.
The source values, including protein, fat, and carbohydrates for energy, nitrogen for protein, and
individual carotenoids and retinol for vitamin A, are stored in the data files to allow calculation of
other nutrients and may have more significant digits than are presented in the reports and data files. A
similar situation occurs when kilojoules (kJ) are calculated from kcal. Therefore, small rounding errors
may occur.
Foundation Foods does not provide data on all nutrients. This is because of the uniqueness of the
data:
• Some nutrients are not found in certain foods (e.g., cholesterol in plant foods, protein in oils).
• Some nutrients in a food have not yet been analyzed. Data analyses are continually conducted
and as data on nutrients are obtained, values will be added to food profiles.
2.2.1 Proximates
“Proximate component” refers to the following macronutrients: water (moisture), protein, total lipid
(fat), total carbohydrate, and ash. Except for a few food items, nutrient profiles contain values for the
proximate components and at least one other nutrient.
The values for protein are calculated from the amount of total nitrogen in the food using the nitrogen-
to-protein conversion factors recommended by Jones (1941) for most food items. The factor applied to
each food item is provided in the NFactor field in the Food Description table. If a specific factor is not
available, the default value of 6.25 is used for the nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor. Protein values
in Foundation Foods are now listed as “calculated.” This differs from the approach taken in SR Legacy,
which denotes protein as “analytical.”
Total lipid values used on food labels represent the amount of triglyceride that would produce the
amount of lipid fatty acids determined using gas chromatography, as required by the Nutrition Labeling
and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). The term “NLEA fat” is commonly used to refer to total fatty acids
expressed as triglycerides.
Carbohydrate content, referred to as “carbohydrate by difference” in the tables, is expressed as the
7
 difference between 100 and the sum of the percentages of water, protein, total lipid (fat), ash, and
alcohol (when present). Values for carbohydrate by difference include total dietary fiber content.
“Sugars, total NLEA” refers to the sum of the values for individual monosaccharides (galactose, glucose,
and fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, and maltose), which are those sugars analyzed for
nutrition labelling. Because the analyses of total dietary fiber, total sugars, and starch content are
conducted separately and reflect the analytical variability inherent in the measurement process, the
sum of these carbohydrate fractions may not equal the carbohydrate-by-difference value or may even
exceed it.
2.2.2 Energy
Food energy is expressed in kcal and is no longer expressed in kJ as of October 2020. The data
represent physiologically available energy, which is the value remaining after digestive and urinary
losses are deducted from gross energy (Merrill and Watt, 1973). Energy values are calculated when fat
and protein values are available for a food. Carbohydrate content, referred to as “carbohydrate by
difference” in the tables, is expressed as the difference between 100 and the sum of the percentages
of water, protein, total lipid (fat), ash, and alcohol (when present). Energy values on food labels may or
may not include fiber in the carbohydrate and energy calculations because manufacturers have that
option when reporting on labels. However, for Foundation Foods, fiber is often included in
carbohydrate and energy distinctions when carbohydrate by difference is calculated.
Most energy values are calculated using the Atwater general factors of 4, 9, and 4 for protein, fat, and
carbohydrates, respectively. These general calculations are represented in FoodData Central as
“Metabolizable Energy (Atwater General Factor)” and is identified in download files and API with
nutrient ID: 2047.
Other energy values are calculated using Atwater specific factors per food as outlined in the USDA
Handbook 74. These specific calculations are represented in FoodData Central as “Metabolizable
Energy (Atwater Specific Factor)” and is identified in download and API with nutrient ID: 2048.
In October 2020, energy values represented by “Energy”, represented in the download and API with
ID:1008, will no longer display in FoodData Central’s Foundation Foods, but will continue to display for
the other food data types. In the database, this representation will continue to exist for previous API
applications that require the field to function. API developers should work to implement the new
Energy specifications.
2.2.3 Minerals
Individual values for mineral data are reported in the database and include boron, calcium, cobalt,
copper, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, selenium,
sodium, sulfur, and zinc. In other cases, such as the values for fluoride, selenium, and other minerals in
NFNAP, samples for drinking water, select beverages, and grain-based products, respectively, regional
and national averages are presented and should be used as such, as concentrations in local foods and
beverages may vary widely.

8
2.2.4 Vitamins
Vitamins reported in the database include ascorbic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid,
vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, choline, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. Many of the values
were obtained in small sample sizes, often of composited samples.

Folate
Foundation Foods currently provides folate values in micrograms (μg) of dietary folate equivalents
(DFEs), and, in some cases, total folate. Future FoodData Central updates may present different forms
of folate, including folic acid, food folate, and total folate, for some foods. Foundation Foods’ DFEs are
provided in accordance with the Institute of Medicine (IOM’s) Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for
Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline report
(IOM, 1998). DFE concentrations differ from total folate concentrations only for foods containing
synthetic folic acid added for enrichment or fortification. The calculation of DFEs reflects the greater
bioavailability of synthetic folic acid than of naturally occurring food folate. To calculate DFEs for any
single food, separate values are needed for naturally occurring food folate and added synthetic folic
acid. The calculation is as follows:

μg DFE = μg food folate + (1.7 x μg folic acid)

Choline
Total choline, free choline (Cho), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), phosphocholine (PCho),
phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), and sphingomyelin (SM) from releases 1 and 2 of the USDA Database for
the Choline Content of Common Foods (USDA, 2008) as well as newer values determined since the
publication of those tables have been incorporated into Foundation Foods. Because metabolic pathways
exist for the interconversion of Cho, GPC, PCho, PtdCho, and SM, total choline content is defined as the
sum of the contents of these choline-contributing metabolites. Betaine values are not included in the
calculation of total choline because the conversion of choline to betaine is irreversible (Zeisel et al.,
2003).

Vitamin A
Values for vitamin A in μg of retinolic acid equivalents (RAEs) and μg of retinol are reported. One μg
RAE is equivalent to 1 μg all- trans-retinol, 12 μg all-trans-β-carotene, or 24 μg other provitamin A
carotenoids. Vitamin A activity values in RAE are calculated from the content of retinol and individual
carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) using well-established factors (IOM,
2001). Content of individual carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and
lutein plus zeaxanthin) is reported in Foundation Foods.

9
 Vitamin D
Vitamin D values in Foundation Foods are provided in micrograms. The biological activity of vitamin D is
40 international units per microgram (IU/μg). Where available, values for specific isomers of vitamin D
are reported, but only in μg. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3,) is the form that is naturally present in animal
products and most commonly added to fortified foods. Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) is the form found in
plants and is added to some fortified foods, such as soy milk. In Foundation Foods, vitamin D content is
the sum of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 concentrations. Vitamin D may also be present as 25-
hydroxycholecalciferol in some foods, such as fish, meat, and poultry, and this value is reported when
analytical data is available. The biological activity of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol has not been definitively
determined, so it is not included in calculations of total vitamin D activity.

Vitamin E
The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids report (IOM,
2000) defines vitamin E as the naturally occurring form (RRR-α-tocopherol) and three synthetic forms of
α-tocopherol. Foundation Foods provides vitamin E values in mg of α-tocopherol (nutrient 323) in
accordance with this DRI report. Although β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol do not contribute to vitamin E
activity, they are included in -Foundation Foods when analytical data are available.

Vitamin K
Data on vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), dihydrophylloquinone, and menaquinone-4 are presented
individually in Foundation Foods. Dihydrophylloquinone is a form of vitamin K that is created during the
commercial hydrogenation of plant oils. Menaquinone-4 is formed from vitamin K1 and/or the synthetic
form of vitamin K in animal feed and is found primarily in meats and meat products.

2.2.5 Lipid Components

Fatty acid values are expressed in g per 100 g of food. Logically, the sum of the fatty acids may not add
up to the value for total lipid. Total lipid values used on food labels represent the amount of triglyceride
that would produce the amount of lipid fatty acids determined using gas chromatography, as required
by the NLEA.

The basic format for describing individual fatty acids is that the number before the colon indicates the
number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain, and the number after the colon indicates the number of
double bonds. For unsaturated fatty acids, additional nutrient numbers have been added to
accommodate the reporting of many specific positional and geometric isomers. Of the specific isomers,
two basic classifications are considered: omega double bond position and cis/trans configuration of
double bonds.

10
Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) isomers are denoted in shorthand nomenclature as n-3 and n-6. The
n- number indicates the position of the first double bond from the methyl end of the carbon chain. The
letter c indicates a cis bond, and the letter t indicates a trans bond. For polyunsaturated fatty acids, cis
and trans configurations at successive double bonds may be indicated. For example, linoleic acid is an
18-carbon omega-6 fatty acid with two double bonds, both in cis configuration. When data are isomer
specific, linoleic acid is described as 18:2 n-6 c,c. Other isomers of 18:2, for which nutrient numbers have
now been assigned, include 18:2 c,t, 18:2 t,c, 18:2 t,t, 18:2 t not further defined, and 18:2 i. 18:2 i is not
a single isomer but includes isomers other than 18:2 n-6 c,c with peaks that cannot be easily
differentiated in the particular food item. Systematic and common names for fatty acids are provided in
Table 1.

11
Table 1. Systematic and Common Names for Fatty Acids

Fatty acid Systematic name Common name of most

frequent isomer
Saturated fatty acids
4:0 butanoic acid butyric acid
6:0 hexanoic acid caproic acid
8:0 octanoic acid caprylic acid
10:0 decanoic acid capric acid
12:0 dodecanoic acid lauric acid
13:0 tridecanoic acid
14:0 tetradecanoic acid myristic acid
15:0 pentadecanoic acid
16:0 hexadecenoic acid palmitic acid
17:0 heptadecanoic acid margaric acid
18:0 octadecanoic acid stearic acid
20:0 eicosanoic acid arachidic acid
22:0 docosanoic acid behenic acid
24:0 tetracosanoic acid lignoceric acid
Monounsaturated fatty acids
14:1 9Z-tetradecenoic acid myristoleic acid
15:1 pentadecanoic acid
16:1 undifferentiated hexadecenoic acid
16:1 cis* 9Z-hexadecenoic acid palmitoleic acid
17:1 heptadecenoic acid
18:1 undifferentiated octadecenoic acid
18:1 cis* 9Z-octadecenoic acid oleic acid
20:1 11Z-eicosenoic acid gondoic acid
22:1 undifferentiated docosenoic acid
22:1 cis* 13Z-docosenoic acid erucic acid
24:1 cis 15Z-tetracosenoic acid nervonic acid

12
 Fatty acid Systematic name Common name of most
frequent isomer
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
18:2 undifferentiated octadecadienoic acid
18:2 i (mixed isomers) octadecadienoic acid
18:2 n-6 cis, cis* 9Z,12Z- linoleic acid
18:2 conjugated linoleic acid d di i acid
octadecadienoic id

18:3 undifferentiated octadecatrienoic acid

18:3 n-3 cis, cis, cis* 9Z,12Z,15Z- α-linolenic acid
18:3 n-6 cis, cis, cis d
6Z,9Z,12Z- i i id γ-linolenic acid
18:3 i (mixed isomers) d i i acid
octadecatrienoic id

18:4 6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z- stearidonic acid

20:2 n-6 cis, cis d
eicosadienoic acidi
20:3 undifferentiated eicosatrienoic acid
20:3 n-3 eicosatrienoic acid
20:3 n-6 eicosatrienoic acid
20:4 undifferentiated eicosatetraenoic acid
20:4 n-6* 5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z- arachidonic acid
20:5 n-3 i i
5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z- id eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
21:5 i i id

22:4 7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z- adrenic acid

22:5 n-3 d i id docosapentaenoic acid
22:6 n-3 4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
-docosahexaenoic acid
Trans fatty acids
Fatty acids, total trans-monoenoic
16:1 trans 9E-hexadecenoic acid palmitelaidic acid
18:1 trans 9E-octadecenoic acid elaidic acid
22:1 trans 13E-docosenoic acid brassidic acid
Fatty acids, total trans-polyenoic
18:2 trans not further defined octadecadienoic acid
18:2 trans, trans 9E,12E- linoelaidic acid
octadecadienoic acid
* Indicates major isomer characterized by AOAC method
** Indicates two or more isomers known, but not differentiated by AOAC method.
13
It is not possible to include every possible geometric and positional isomer in the database. Where specific isomers
exist for a fatty acid, the common name of the most frequent isomer is listed for the undifferentiated fatty acid
and an asterisk (*) designates the isomer to which that name applies. For example, the most frequent isomer for
18:1 is oleic acid. Therefore, undifferentiated 18:1 is designated in Table 1 as oleic acid, and the asterisk indicates
that the common name for 18:1, oleic acid, only applies to this isomer.

Because cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin, cholesterol values are provided only for
foods of animal origin and foods containing at least one ingredient of animal origin.

2.3 Weights
Portions are provided in grams for edible material without refuse (i.e., the edible portion of
the food), such as an apple without the core or stem or a chicken leg without the bone. All
reported values are based on a 100-gram or percent basis of the edible portion. Also provided
for some foods is information on portion sizes (e.g., 1 cup, 1 tablespoon, 1 fruit, or 1 leg).
Although FoodData Central does not contain a way to automatically modify portion sizes and
thus nutrient values, this functionality is available in the What’s in the Foods You Eat search
tool, located on the Food Surveys Research Group website. The Measurement Conversion
Tables located on the Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory website
provide a listing of measurements and their equivalents commonly used for food and
beverages. The weights are determined from samples acquired as part of NFNAP. It should be
noted that portions and weight are unique to each data type in FoodData Central—Foundation
Foods, Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), SR Legacy, and USDA Global
Branded Food Products Database. In some cases, there may be many more determinations of
portion sizes than there are of the nutrient analyses. Portions for specific foods are displayed
in the measure tab on the FoodData Central website or in the food portion file in the
download files; the format of this file is described in the Download Field Descriptions.

The gram weights in the food portion file can be used to calculate nutrient values for food portions from
the values provided per 100 g of food. The following formula is used to calculate the nutrient content
per portion:

N = (V*W)/100;

where:
N = nutrient value per portion size,
V = nutrient value per 100 g (Nutr_Val in the Nutrient Data file), and
W = weight (in g) of portion (Gm_Wgt in the Weight file).

14
2.4 Limits of Quantification
Limit of Quantification (LOQ) is the lowest amount of measure in a sample that can be quantitatively
determined with acceptable precision and accuracy. In FoodData Central, LOQ values are represented
with less than (<) values. LOQ values may not be available for component values in older Foundation
Foods. Calculations performed such as component totals and statistical averages use zero to calculate
results. In addition, unavailable LOQ values may be reported as zeros.
In the download files and API, a new field has been added for LOQ values. LOQ values are stored as
numbers and component values are stored as 0. For example: an LOQ of <0.03 is stored in the LOQ field
as 0.03 and in the component value field as 0.

3 Reports and Data Files

3.1 Foundation Food Search Results
Using the FoodData Central search program (fdc.nal.usda.gov), users can look up the nutrient content of
any food in Foundation Foods as well as those in SR Legacy, FNDDS, and the USDA Global Branded Food
Products Database. Foods may be selected by key terms, such as nutrient name, food name, NDB# (in SR
Legacy), FDC_ID number, or brand (in USDA Global Branded Foods Database). Searches can be made
more precise by using search operators. For more information see the FoodData Central’s Help Page.

An application program interface (API) is also available for developers to use to access the database with
their own applications. They can be assured that they are linking to the most up-to-date version of the
database. Details on using the API are provided on the FoodData Central web site (fdc.nal.usda.gov).

3.2 Overview of Data Tables

The data files for Foundation Foods are available from the FoodData Central web site
(fdc.nal.usda.gov) in ASCII (ISO/IEC 8859-1), and Microsoft Access 2016 formats.

Descriptions of each field in these tables and the relationships between them are contained in the
Download Field Descriptions.

15
References

Haytowitz DB and Pehrsson PR. USDA’s National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP)
produces high-quality data for USDA food composition databases: Two decades of
collaboration. Food Chemistry 2018;238:134-138. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.082. Accessed November 8, 2019.

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6,
Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press; 1998.

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and
Carotenoids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2000.

Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron,
Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum. Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.

Merrill AL, Watt BK. Energy value of foods: basis and derivation, revised. Agriculture Handbook
74. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1973.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods.
Release 2; 2008. Available at: www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-bhnrc/beltsville-
human-nutrition-research-center/nutrient-data-laboratory/docs/usda-database-for-the-choline-
content-of-common-foods-release-2-2008. Accessed January 4, 2019.

Zeisel SH, Mar MH, Howe JC, Holden JM. Concentrations of choline-containing compounds and
betaine in common foods. Journal of Nutrition. 2003;133(5):1302-1307.

16