Summary
FoodData Central Historical Series is a USDA Agricultural Research Service database resource that consolidates historical food composition data for the United States, drawing on decades of nutrient analysis surveys. It serves as a reference infrastructure for researchers examining temporal trends in food nutrient density, supporting studies on dietary change, food system shifts, and potential nutrient decline. The dataset is widely cited in nutritional epidemiology and food systems research as a foundational secondary data source.
UK applicability
This resource is specific to the US food supply and USDA survey infrastructure; however, it is applicable to UK researchers as a comparator dataset when examining nutrient density trends, and methodological approaches may inform similar work using UK nutrient composition tables such as those published by Public Health England.
Key measures
Nutrient composition per 100g (macronutrients, vitamins, minerals); historical food composition records across multiple survey years
Outcomes reported
The dataset compiles historical nutrient composition values for a wide range of foods in the US food supply, enabling longitudinal comparisons of nutrient content over time. It provides standardised reference data on macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other food components across multiple decades.
Topic tags
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