Fields.md

Field Definitions

These are massaged out of the Field Descriptions tab in the "Download & API Field Descriptions-2019-04-02-14-48.xlsx" file.

Reproducing them here so you don't need to read the public domain Excel file.

Global Column Definitions

These fields appear in multiple files, and their definition is typically the same unless noted below.

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	Unique permanent identifier of a food in the food table
id	Unique permanent identifier of other kinds of data (e.g. nutrients, lab methods, etc.) in their related table

agricultural_acquisition

Non-processed foods obtained directly from the location where they are produced.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table	FDC Source ID
acquisition_date	The date this food was obtained
market_class	The name of the specific kind of this food (eg. Pinto for pinto beans)
treatment	Any special condition relevant to the production of this food - typically drought or control
state	The state in which this food was produced

acquisition_sample

Acquisitions may be blended with other acquisitions to create a sample food, and an acquisition can be used to created more than one sample food. This file stores which acquisitions and sample foods are related to each other.

API Location: N/A Download only

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id_of_sample_food	ID of the sample food that uses the acquisitioned food
fdc_id_of_acquisition_food	ID of the acquisitioned food used in the sample food

branded_food

Foods whose nutrient values are typically obtained from food label data provided by food brand owners.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table
brand_owner	Brand owner for the food
gtin_upc	GTIN or UPC code identifying the food	GTIN/UPC	gtinUpc
ingredients	The list of ingredients (as it appears on the product label)
serving_size	The amount of the serving size when expressed as gram or ml
serving_size_unit	The unit used to express the serving size (gram or ml)
household_serving_fulltext	amount and unit of serving size when expressed in household units
branded_food_category	The category of the branded food, assigned by GDSN or Label Insight
data_source	The source of the data for this food. GDSN (for GS1) or LI (for Label Insight).
modified_date	This date reflects when the product data was last modified by the data provider, i.e., the manufacturer
available_date	This is the date when the product record was available for inclusion in the database.

food

Any substance consumed by humans for nutrition, taste and/or aroma.

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	Unique permanent identifier of the food	FDC Source ID (used for acquisition foods)
foodClass	For internal use only
data_type	Type of food data (see Files tab for possible values).
description	Description of the food
food_category_id	Id of the food category the food belongs to		foodGroup
publication_date	Date when the food was published to FoodData Central	Published, Published Date

food_attribute

A constituent part of a food (e.g. bone is a component of meat).

API Location: food->foodAttributes (food_more_information)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
fdc_id	ID of the food this food attribute pertains to		N/A
seq_num	The order the attribute will be displayed on the released food.		sequenceNumber
food_attribute_type_id	ID of the type of food attribute to which this value is associated for a specific food		foodAttributeType
name	Name of food attribute
value	The actual value of the attribute

food_attribute_type

The list of supported attributes associated with a food.

API Location: food->foodAttributes->foodAttributeType

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
name	Name of the attribute associated with the food - should be displayable to users
description	Description of the attribute

food_calorie_conversion_factor

The multiplication factors to be used when calculating energy from macronutrients for a specific food.

API Location: food->nutrientConversionFactors

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
food_nutrient_conversion_factor_id	ID of the related row in the nutrient_conversion_factor table		id
protein_value	The multiplication factor for protein
fat_value	The multiplication factor for fat
carbohydrate_value	The multiplication factor for carbohydrates

food_category

Foods of defined similarity.

API Location: food->foodCategory

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
code	Food group code
description	Description of the food group

food_component

A constituent part of a food (e.g. bone is a component of meat).

API Location: food->foodComponents

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
fdc_id	ID of the food this food component pertains to		N/A
name	The kind of component, e.g. bone
pct_weight	The weight of the component as a percentage of the total weight of the food	Weight (%)	percentWeight
is_refuse	Whether the component is refuse, i.e. not edible	Refuse
gram_weight	The weight of the component in grams	Weight (g)
data_points	The number of observations on which the measure is based	n
min_year_acquired	Minimum purchase year of all acquisitions used to derive the component value	Year Acquired

food_fat_conversion_factor

Factor to calculate total lipid fat (204).

API Location: food->nutrientConversionFactors

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
food_nutrient_conversion_factor_id	Id of the related row in the nutrient_conversion_factor table		id
fat_nlea_value	The multiplication factor to convert from fat NLEA (298) to total fat (204)

food_nutrient

A nutrient value for a food.

API Location: Add nutrientAnalysisDetails

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
fdc_id	ID of the food this food nutrient pertains to		N/A
nutrient_id	ID of the nutrient to which the food nutrient pertains		nutrient
amount	Amount of the nutrient per 100g of food. Specified in unit defined in the nutrient table.
data_points	Number of observations on which the value is based	n
derivation_id	ID of the food nutrient derivation technique used to derive the value		foodNutrientDerivation
standard_error	Standard error
min	The minimum amount
max	The maximum amount
median	The median amount
footnote	Comments on any unusual aspects of the food nutrient. Examples might include why a nutrient value is different than typically expected.
min_year_acquired	Minimum purchase year of all acquisitions used to derive the nutrient value	Year Acquired

food_nutrient_conversion_factor

Top level type for all types of nutrient conversion factors. A separate row is stored for each of these 3 types of conversion factor.

API Location: N/A - abstract class

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
fdc_id	ID of the food that this food nutrient conversion factor pertains to		N/A

food_nutrient_derivation

Procedure indicating how a food nutrient value was obtained.

API Location: food->foodNutrients->foodNutrientDerivation

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
code	Code used for the derivation (e.g. A means analytical)
description	Description of the derivation	Deriv. By
source_id	ID of the nutrient source associated with the derivation		foodNutrientSource

food_nutrient_source

An information source from which we can obtain food nutrient values.

API Location: food->foodNutrients->foodNutrientDerviation->foodNutrientSource

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
code	Code used for the source (e.g. 4 means calculated or imputed)
description	Description of the source

food_portion

Discrete amount of food.

API Location: food->foodPortions

Field	Definition	Measures/Portions	API Location
id
fdc_id	ID of the food this food portion pertains to		N/A
seq_num	The order the measure will be displayed on the released food.		sequenceNumber
amount	The number of measure units that comprise the measure (e.g. if measure is 3 tsp, the amount is 3). Not defined for survey (FNDDS) foods (amount is instead embedded in portion description).
measure_unit_id	The unit used for the measure (e.g. if measure is 3 tsp, the unit is tsp). For food types that do not use measure SR legacy foods and survey (FNDDS) foods), a value of '9999' is assigned to this field.	Unit	measureUnit
portion_description	Foundation foods: Comments that provide more specificity on the measure. For example, for a pizza measure the dissemination text might be 1 slice is 1/8th of a 14 inch pizza. Survey (FNDDS) foods: The household description of the portion.	Measure Description
modifier	Foundation foods: Qualifier of the measure (e.g. related to food shape or form) (e.g. melted, crushed, diced). Survey (FNDDS) foods: The portion code. SR legacy foods: description of measures, including the unit of measure and the measure modifier (e.g. waffle round (4" dia)).
gram_weight	The weight of the measure in grams	Weight (g)
data_points	The number of observations on which the measure is based	n
footnote	Comments on any unusual aspects of the measure. These are released to the public. Examples might include caveats on the usage of a measure, or reasons why a measure gram weight is an unexpected value.
min_year_acquired	Minimum purchase year of all acquisitions used to derive the measure value	Year Acquired

food_protein_conversion_factor

API Location: food->nutrientConversionFactors

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
food_nutrient_conversion_factor_id	Id of the related row in the nutrient_conversion_factor table		id
value	The multiplication factor used to calculate protein from nitrogen

foundation_food

Foods whose nutrient and food component values are derived primarily by chemical analysis. Foundation data also include extensive underlying metadata, such as the number of samples, the location and dates on which samples were obtained, analytical approaches used, and if appropriate, cultivar, genotype, and production practices.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table
NDB_number	Unique number assigned for the food, different from fdc_id, assigned in SR		ndbNumber
footnote	Comments on any unusual aspects. These are released to the public. Examples might include unusual aspects of the food overall.

input_food

A food that is an ingredient (for survey (FNDDS) foods) or a source food (for foundation foods or their source foods) to another food.

API Location: food->inputFoods

Field	Definition	Sources/Ingredients	API Location
id
fdc_id	fdc_id of the food that contains the input food		N/A
fdc_id_of_input_food	fdc_id of the food that is the input food		inputFood
seq_num	The order in which to display the input food		sequenceNumber
amount	The amount of the input food included within this food given in terms of unit
sr_code	The SR (aka NDB) code of the SR food that is the ingredient food (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)
sr_description	The description of the SR food that is the ingredient food (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)
unit	The unit of measure for the amount of the input food that is included within this food (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)	Measure
portion_code	Code that identifies the portion description used to measure the amount of the ingredient (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)
portion_description	The description of the portion used to measure the amount of the ingredient (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)	Portion
gram_weight	The weight in grams of the input food	Weight (g)
retention_code	A numeric code identifying processing on the input food that may have impacted food nutrient content (used for Survey (FNDDS) foods only)		retentionFactor
survey_flag	2 = SR description does not match SR code, other values = internal processing codes for FSRG use only	Flag

lab_method

A chemical procedure used to measure the amount of one or more nutrients in a food.

API Location: For reference only

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
description	Description of the lab method
technique	General chemical analysis approach used by the lab method

lab_method_code

A short, sometimes lab-specific, sequence of characters used to identify a lab method.

API Location: For reference only

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
lab_method_id	ID of the lab method the code refers to
code	Value of the method code

lab_method_nutrient

A nutrient whose amount can be measured by a lab method.

API Location: For reference only

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
lab_method_id	ID of the lab method the nutrient is measured by
nutrient_id	ID of the nutrient that can be measured by the lab method

market_acquisition

A food obtained for chemical analysis.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table	FDC Source ID
brand_description	Brand name description of the food
expiration_date	Date the food will expire
label_weight	The weight of the food per the product label
location	The region in which the food was purchased, e.g. CA1
acquisition_date	Date the food was purchased
sales_type	The type of establishment in which the food was acquired (e.g. Retail Store, restaurant, farm, etc.)
sample_lot_nbr	The lot number of the food	Sample Lot Number	sampleLotNumber
sell_by_date	Date the food should be sold by
store_city	The city where the food was acquired
store_name	The name of the store the food is purchased from
store_state	The state where the food was acquired
upc_code	UPC code for the food. Only applicable for retail products.

measure_unit

units for measuring quantities of foods.

API Location: food->foodMeasures->measureUnit

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
name	name of the unit
abbreviation	abbreviated name of the unit

nutrient

The chemical constituent of a food (e.g. calcium, vitamin E) officially recognized as essential to human health.

API Location: food->foodNutrients->nutrient

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
name	Name of the nutrient
unit_name	The standard unit of measure for the nutrient (per 100g of food)	Unit
nutrient_nbr	A unique code identifying a nutrient or food constituent		number

nutrient_analysis_details

Info for the nutrient source info shown on the nutrient source popdown window.

API Location: food->nutrientAnalysisDetails

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
amount	Amount of the nutrient
unit	Unit used to express nutrient amount
method	Lab method used to analyze the nutrient
city	City where the food was acquired
state	State where the food was acquired
acquisition_date	Date when the food was acquired
details	Acquisition food FDC ID

nutrient_incoming_name

A nutrient name used to identify a nutrient in incoming nutrient data.

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
id
name	The name used for the incoming nutrient (e.g. if nutrient is Protein, name might be Prot)
nutrient_id	The id of the nutrient (in the nutrient file) related to the incoming name. Optional (see is_ignored for more info).

retention_factor

Definitions are available from.

API Location: food->inputFoods->retentionFactor

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location

sample_food

A food that is acquired as a representative sample of the food supply. It may be created from a single acquired food, or from a composite of multiple acquired foods.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table		N/A

sr_legacy_food

Foods from the April 2018 release of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Nutrient and food component values are derived from chemical analysis and calculation.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table
NDB_number	Unique number assigned for final food, starts from the minimum number of 100,000		ndbNumber

sub_sample_food

A portion of a sample food used for the purpose of specific chemical analysis.

API Location: N/A - download only

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table
fdc_id_of_sample_food	ID of the sample food from which the sub sample originated

sub_sample_result

The result of chemical analysis of a lab on a particular sub sample for a particular nutrient.

API Location: food->foodNutrients (is a type of food nutrient)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
food_nutrient_id	Unique ID for row, same as the food_nutrient ID		id
adjusted_amount	Amount after adjusting for unit
lab_method_id	ID of the lab method used to measure the nutrient
nutrient_name	The name of the nutrient as supplied by the lab

survey_fndds_food

Foods whose consumption is measured by the What We Eat In America dietary survey component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey nutrient values are usually calculated from Branded and SR Legacy data.

API Location: food (is a type of food)

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
fdc_id	ID of the food in the food table
food_code	A unique ID identifying the food within FNDDS
wweia_category_code	Unique Identification code for WWEIA food category to which this food is assigned	Food Category	wweiaFoodCategory
start_date	Start date indicates time period corresponding to WWEIA data
end_date	End date indicates time period corresponding to WWEIA data

wweia_food_category

Food categories for fndds.

API Location: food->wweiaFoodCategory

Field	Definition	Synonyms	API Location
wweia_food_category_code	Unique identification code
wweia_food_category_description	Description for a WWEIA Category