USDA FoodData Central API

USDA FoodData Central API

USDA's FoodData Central publishes US food composition and nutrient data (Foundation Foods, SR Legacy, FNDDS survey foods and branded food products) via a REST search/lookup API and bulk downloads, with a free api.data.gov key (DEMO_KEY works for trials). The API guide says: "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)"

Coverage

Foundation Foods, SR Legacy, FNDDS survey foods and branded food products, searchable via the `/foods/search` endpoint and retrievable by FDC ID, plus CSV/JSON bulk downloads. History start and update frequency: Not stated.

Verdict

US food composition and nutrient data (Foundation Foods, SR Legacy, FNDDS survey foods and branded products) via a REST search/lookup API and bulk downloads, with a free api.data.gov key. Licensed CC0-1.0: "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)" Rate limits: "FoodData Central currently limits the number of API requests to a default rate of 1,000 requests per hour per IP address, as this is adequate for most applications. Exceeding this limit will cause the API key to be temporarily blocked for 1 hour." Use your own key; never put it in a shared URL. Signal Lab links only.