Summary
USDA FoodData Central's 'Analytical data & SR legacy' component consolidates laboratory-derived nutrient composition data with values carried forward from the long-standing USDA Standard Reference (SR) database, which was formally retired in 2019. This resource serves as a foundational reference for dietary assessment, food labelling, nutritional epidemiology, and comparative studies of nutrient density across food systems. It is maintained and updated by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and is freely accessible as a public-use dataset.
UK applicability
As a US-focused database, direct applicability to UK conditions is limited; however, it is widely used internationally as a comparative reference and methodological benchmark, complementing UK-specific resources such as McCance and Widdowson's 'The Composition of Foods' maintained by Public Health England and the MRC.
Key measures
Nutrient concentrations per 100 g food (macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids); food description and portion data
Outcomes reported
The resource reports nutrient composition values — including macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other food components — derived from laboratory analysis and the legacy USDA Standard Reference database, covering a wide range of foods available in the US food supply.
Topic tags
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