USDA FoodData Central Database

USDA FoodData Central (FDC) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's comprehensive food composition database. It provides nutrient profiles for over 300,000 food items and is the standard data source used by nutrition labeling software, research institutions, and food manufacturers.

ServingCalc searches across multiple FDC data types: SR Legacy contains standard reference foods analyzed by USDA labs — the most reliable nutrient data for common ingredients like flour, butter, sugar, and fresh produce. Foundation foods provide enhanced analytical data with additional detail on nutrients, food components, and sample handling. Branded Foods include nutrition information from commercial food product labels.

The USDA database uses formal food descriptions that may differ from how you name ingredients in your recipe. ServingCalc includes smart matching that maps common recipe terms to their USDA equivalents. Type flour and see Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached as the top result.

When multiple entries match, look at the nutrient preview (calories per 100g) to distinguish similar items. Salted butter (717 kcal, 643mg sodium per 100g) and unsalted butter (717 kcal, 11mg sodium per 100g) have dramatically different sodium content — choosing the wrong one will produce an incorrect label.

Each matched ingredient displays its FDC ID and a link to the USDA detail page so you can verify the nutrient data yourself.

Some ingredients — proprietary blends, imported specialties, artisanal products — may not have an exact match in the USDA database. When you cannot find your ingredient, you have several options.

Search for a similar ingredient. If you use a specific brand of almond flour, the generic USDA entry for Almond flour may be close enough. Check the nutrient profile and compare against your supplier's spec sheet if available.

Use the Branded Foods data type. FDC includes nutrition information from commercial food product labels. Your specific ingredient brand may be listed.

Custom ingredient entry (coming soon) will allow you to manually enter nutrient values from your supplier's specification sheet or certificate of analysis.