Data sources and licensing

NutrientChart is built from public-domain U.S. government data. This page lists every dataset used, its release, and its license.

USDA FoodData Central

SR Legacy, April 2018 (final release). 7,793 foods, up to 150 nutrients each, with household portion weights. The historical USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
Foundation Foods, April 2026 release. 395 minimally processed foods with new analytical values and sample statistics. Used to update matching SR Legacy foods.

License: "USDA FoodData Central data are in the public domain and they are not copyrighted. They are published under CC0 1.0 Universal." USDA asks that FoodData Central be listed as the source. Suggested citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov. Each food page links to its USDA record. The bulk CSV files are available at fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets.

FDA Daily Values

Percent Daily Values use the FDA reference values for adults and children aged 4 and over (21 CFR 101.9(c)), as published on the FDA page Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.

Scoring references

The nutrient-density score follows Drewnowski's NRF9.3 index (2009) and the inflammatory profile score adapts the effect scores published with the Dietary Inflammatory Index (Shivappa et al., 2014). Both are peer-reviewed, public formulas; see the methodology page for exactly how they are applied.

What is not used

No proprietary nutrition databases, no manufacturer-supplied data outside USDA's records, no ORAC "antioxidant capacity" values (USDA withdrew that database in 2012), and no user-submitted data.

Reuse

The underlying USDA numbers are public domain. NutrientChart's derived tables (servings, rankings, scores) may be quoted with a link to the page they came from. For bulk reuse, email info@nutrientchart.com.

Nutrient values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, April 2018; Foundation Foods, April 2026) and shown per serving as described on each page. %DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. This is nutrition data for general information, not medical or dietary advice; talk to a clinician or registered dietitian about your own needs. How the numbers are calculated.