At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Data are obtained from pooled analyses, industry sources, standard calculations, and scientific literature.
- Data are updated regularly to reflect actual changes in the food supply and changes in analytic methods.
- This national resource is the most authoritative source of food composition data in the U.S.; virtually all other sources of food composition data are derived from this source.
Website
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964
Purpose
To provide authoritative food composition data for foods available in the United States (U.S.).
Target Population
Basic foods—commodities and commonly prepared foods—available for consumption in the U.S.
Conducted
Updated approximately every year.
Sponsor
Nutrient Data Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Sampling
Sample Design
Database, not a survey. Database contain data on food composition compiled from published and unpublished sources.
Sample Size
Database contains data on 8,789 food items and up to 150 food components.
Key Variables
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Alpha-carotene | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Beta-carotene | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Beta-cryptoxanthin | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Calcium | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Carbohydrate (by difference) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Cholesterol | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Choline, total | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Copper | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Dietary Folate Equivalents | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Energy (Calories) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Fat | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Individual fatty acids | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Iron | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Lutein+zeaxanthin | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Lycopene | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Magnesium | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Manganese | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Niacin | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Pantothenic acid | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Phosphorus | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Potassium | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Protein | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Riboflavin | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Selenium | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Sodium | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Thiamin | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total dietary fiber | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total fat | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total monounsaturated fatty acids | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total polyunsaturated fatty acids | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total saturated fatty acids | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Total sugar | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin A (IU) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin B12 | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin B6 | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin C | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin D, IU | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin D, mcg | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
| Zinc | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
Other
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Moisture | De novo chemical analyses, or reports of analyses from industry or literature |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Download data.
Cost
Available free of charge.
Special Note(s)
Search data online.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
None noted.
Existing Linkages
None noted.
Selected Publications
General
Bhagwat SA, Patterson KK, Holden JM. Validation study of the USDA's data quality evaluation system. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 2009;22(5):366-372.
Haytowitz DB, Lemar LE, Pehrsson PR. USDA's Nutrient Databank System: A tool for handling data from diverse sources. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 2009;22(5):433-441.
Haytowitz DB, Pehrsson PR, Holden JM. The National Food and Analysis Program: A decade of progress. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 2008;21(Suppl 1):S94-S102.
Resources
Data Query System
Search data online.
Documentation/Codebook(s)
Reports of all the foods in the database
Reports of selected nutrients sorted either alphabetically by food name or by content per household measure
