FoodData Central creates unique opportunities for the future of our nation's health and agricultural systems and for food processors, as information on ingredients across brands and regions can be valuable knowledge.

Consider that the iron content in pinto beans can vary by 226% depending on what type of bean and where it is grown. If you're relying on beans as an iron source and happen to get the low-iron variety, you could be consuming 37% less iron than you think. For someone with iron deficiency — particularly pregnant women, children or those with limited food access — this isn't just an academic curiosity, it's a real health impact.

The variability in iron levels noted above isn't unique to pinto beans. It exists across our entire food supply, yet without FDC we had no way of knowing. For more than a century, we've been making nutrition recommendations and dietary guidelines based on average values that mask enormous variation in nutrient profiles. It's like navigating with a compass that sort of points north but still swings wildly.

FoodData Central is USDA’s response to the challenge of providing reliable, web-based, transparent and easily accessible information about the nutrients and other food components and ingredients that meet diverse needs. This includes food processors, public health professionals, agricultural and environmental researchers, policy makers, nutrition professionals, food company managers, health care providers, product developers and the public.

What makes FDC valuable

The FDC contains five different types of data, from Foundation Foods that track commodity and minimally processed samples to Experimental Foods that explore how alternative management systems affect nutritional profiles.

The Global Branded Food Products Database portion of FDC includes data from nearly 500,000 branded products and links directly to the dietary intake data used in national health surveys. This rich resource of ingredients and exposures is available to support important food processing and health decisions.

FDC stands alone as America's authoritative source for food composition data. While commercial databases exist, most draw from what’s in the FDC database. For those that are more independent, the commercial databases often rely on proprietary and/or incomplete datasets from crowd sourcing approaches.

No other freely available database matches FDC's scientific rigor, validation protocols or comprehensive scope. This isn't just another nutrition website; FDC is among the most valuable tools that diverse professionals worldwide can depend on for credible food composition data.

The data is completely free and available to all. The database enables innovation, key research and tools to shape the future of nutrition science, such as precision and personalized nutrition.

With support from stakeholders in the food and agriculture ecosystem, FDC can continue to stay ahead of these changes and help America lead the global movement toward better health and nutrition.

Food companies can drive innovation by contributing data voluntarily, recognizing that transparency about nutritional content builds consumer trust and creates competitive advantages for genuinely healthier products.

Technology companies can further democratize access by building applications that make FDC data more accessible to consumers. Picture meal planning apps that optimize for nutritional content or grocery shopping tools that help people discover the most nutritious versions of foods they love.

Educational institutions can prepare the next generation by incorporating FDC into nutrition and agricultural curricula, training professionals who understand how to use and leverage this broad-based knowledge effectively.

The nation’s food & beverage processors, health professionals, farmers, researchers and decision-makers across sectors are all positioned to benefit from this resource. It's time to give FoodData Central the recognition and support it deserves to unlock its full potential as a resource for well-informed, confident decisions about America's future.

Dr. Wendelyn Jones is the executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. IAFNS is a partner in the USDA Global Branded Food Products Database featured on FDC.