FoodData Central

fdc.nal.usda.gov ↗

Food composition data with documented data types

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SI Score: 80/100
Pricing: Not confirmed
Free plan: Not confirmed
Sign-up required: Not confirmed

Open Data united-states

Ask SI about FoodData Central

Answers use saved listing facts and recorded sources.

What it does

FoodData Central provides food-composition information, data-type documentation and download resources.

Choose the data type and release before downloading CSV or JSON. Foundation, branded, survey and SR Legacy data have different sources and schedules. The download page includes field definitions and historical archives; SR Legacy is final and will not be updated, and Access format has been discontinued since October 2021.

Strengths

CSV and JSON downloads with release history and field definitions

Best for

Choosing food-composition datasets by data type and release

Sources

USDA FoodData Central (Oct 26, 2026)
Downloadable Data | USDA FoodData Central (Oct 26, 2026)

SI Score

80/100

#1 in Open Data

Based on published information. No hands-on task test.

Method 2.0 · Published source review Assessed Oct 26, 2026Score ceiling for this evidence: 84/100.

Product usefulness 80

Evidence

The official download page connects food-data type and release selection to CSV/JSON archives, field definitions and explicit legacy-format and final-release boundaries. This supports80 for a complete source-documented workflow.

Limits: AI review of saved source passages. No hands-on test, human approval or automatic-provider checker receipt.

Source links and check dates are in Sources and checks below.

Separate website checks

These checks do not add points to the SI Score. They inspect the website's HTML, not the product in use.

Basic website checksunknown

No check recorded.

HTML accessibility checksunknown

No check recorded.

Homepage HTML responseunknown

No check recorded.

Trackers in homepage HTMLunknown

No check recorded.

Page date hintsunknown

No check recorded.

Policy links do not verify a company's conduct. An HTML response time is not application speed. Tracker and accessibility checks miss behavior after page load. Copyright dates do not prove product upkeep.

How the SI Score works →

Unconfirmed details may be unassessed, absent from the pages checked or temporarily unreadable. A missing price does not mean the service is free.

Sources and checks

Supporting pages for product usefulness, site facts, prices and separate website checks. Each record keeps its own date. Reading a page does not establish how well the product performs in use.

fdc.nal.usda.gov/
- Product usefulness evidenceChecked Oct 26, 2026
fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets/
- Product usefulness evidenceChecked Oct 26, 2026

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