[Note: Integrated as part of FoodData Central, April 2019.] The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) is the major source of food composition data in the United States and provides the foundation for most food composition databases in the public and private sectors. This is the last release of the database in its current format. SR-Legacy will continue its preeminent role as a stand-alone food composition resource and will be available in the new modernized system currently under development. SR-Legacy contains data on 7,793 food items and up to 150 food components that were reported in SR28 (2015), with selected corrections and updates. This release supersedes all previous releases. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy Release. File Name: SR-Leg_DB.zipResource Description: Locally stored copy - The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference as a relational database using AcessResource Title: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy Release. File Name: SR-Leg_ASC.zipResource Description: ASCII files containing the data of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy Release.Resource Title: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy Release. File Name: SR-Leg_ASC.zipResource Description: Locally stored copy - ASCII files containing the data of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Legacy Release.

Several USDA food composition databases, including the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), Standard Reference (SR) Legacy, and the USDA Branded Food Products Database, have transitioned to FoodData Central, a new and harmonized USDA food and nutrient data system. FoodData Central also includes expanded nutrient content information as well as links to diverse data sources that offer related agricultural, environmental, food, health, dietary supplement, and other information. The new system is designed to strengthen the capacity for rigorous research and policy applications through its search capabilities, downloadable datasets, and detailed documentation. Application developers can incorporate the information into their applications and web sites through the application programming interface (API) REST access. The constantly changing and expanding food supply is a challenge to those who are interested in using food and nutrient data. Including diverse types of data in one data system gives researchers, policymakers, and other audiences a key resource for addressing vital nutrition and health issues. FoodData Central: Includes five distinct types of data containing information on food and nutrient profiles, each with a unique purpose: Foundation Foods; Experimental Foods; Standard Reference; Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies; USDA Global Branded Food Products Database. Provides a broad snapshot in time of the nutrients and other components found in a wide variety of foods and food products. Presents data that come from a variety of sources and are updated as new information becomes available. Includes values that are derived through a variety of analytic and computational approaches, using state-of-the-art methodologies and transparent presentation. FoodData Central is managed by the Agricultural Research Service and hosted by the National Agricultural Library. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer for FoodData Central. File Name: Web Page, url: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html Includes Search, Download data, API Guide, Data Type Documentation, and Help pages.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL), in collaboration with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Pork Board, American Lamb Board, and meat scientists at selected universities, has conducted several research studies designed to update and expand nutrient data on retail meat cuts in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). These studies have provided current and accurate estimates of data to update SR, and the study results have been incorporated into data sets that can be used for nutrient labeling. NDL has developed these data sets, presented in an easy-to-use table format. Each data set provides retailers with easier access to the most accurate nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling and for nutrition claims. These data sets focus on the cuts identified by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed labeling regulations for fresh, single-ingredient meats. The FSIS, an agency of the USDA, is the public health agency responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: The USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Beef Cuts, Release 3.0. File Name: Retail_Beef_Cuts03.pdfResource Description: Each data set provides retailers with easier access to the most accurate nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling and for nutrition claims. These data sets focus on the cuts identified by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed labeling regulations for fresh, single-ingredient meats. The online version of this document can be found at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Retail_Beef_Cuts03.pdfResource Title: The USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Beef Cuts, Release 3.0 (MS Excel download). File Name: Beef_Labelling_Table03.xlsxResource Description: The tables in "The USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Beef Cuts" imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The online version of this spreadsheet can be found at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Beef_Labelling_Table03.xlsxResource Title: USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Pork Cuts, Release 2. File Name: Pork09.pdfResource Description: Each data set provides retailers with easier access to the most accurate nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling and for nutrition claims. These data sets focus on the cuts identified by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed labeling regulations for fresh, single-ingredient meats. Find the online version of this document at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Pork09.pdfResource Title: USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Pork Cuts, Release 2 (MS Excel download). File Name: Pork09_Tbl.xlsResource Description: The tables in "The Revised USDA Nutrient Data Set for Fresh Pork" imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Find the online version of this spreadsheet at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Pork09_Tbl.xlsResource Title: Raw Ground Pork (MS Excel download). File Name: EstNutrRawGrndPork4_28.xlsResource Description: These tables provide nutrient profiles for raw ground pork from 4-28% fat, in increments of 1% fat, as determined by regression equations. Find the online version of this spreadsheet at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/EstNutrRawGrndPork4_28.xlsResource Title: USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Veal Cuts. File Name: Retail_Veal_Cuts.pdfResource Description: Each data set provides retailers with easier access to the most accurate nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling and for nutrition claims. These data sets focus on the cuts identified by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed labeling regulations for fresh, single-ingredient meats. Find the online version of this document at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Retail_Veal_Cuts.pdfResource Title: Veal Labeling Table (MS Excel download). File Name: Veal_Labeling_Table.xlsxResource Description: The tables in "The USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Veal Cuts" imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Find the online version of this spreadsheet at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Veal_Labeling_Table.xlsxResource Title: USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Lamb Cuts. File Name: Lamb_Labeling_Doc.pdfResource Description: Each data set provides retailers with easier access to the most accurate nutrient data for the purpose of on-pack nutrition labeling and for nutrition claims. These data sets focus on the cuts identified by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed labeling regulations for fresh, single-ingredient meats. Find the online version of this document at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Lamb_Labeling_Doc.pdfResource Title: Lamb Labeling Table (MS Excel download). File Name: Lamb_Labeling_Table.xlsxResource Description: The tables in "The USDA Nutrient Data Set for Retail Lamb Cuts" imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Find the online version of this spreadsheet at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Meat/Lamb_Labeling_Table.xlsx

The USDA Branded Food Database was integrated as part of FoodData Central on April 2019. For more information on FoodData Central and the USDA Branded Food Database: Website: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ Ag Data Commons link: https://data.nal.usda.gov/dataset/fooddata-central

[Note: Integrated as part of FoodData Central, April 2019.] The database consists of several sets of data: food descriptions, nutrients, weights and measures, footnotes, and sources of data. The Nutrient Data file contains mean nutrient values per 100 g of the edible portion of food, along with fields to further describe the mean value. Information is provided on household measures for food items. Weights are given for edible material without refuse. Footnotes are provided for a few items where information about food description, weights and measures, or nutrient values could not be accommodated in existing fields. Data have been compiled from published and unpublished sources. Published data sources include the scientific literature. Unpublished data include those obtained from the food industry, other government agencies, and research conducted under contracts initiated by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Updated data have been published electronically on the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) web site since 1992. Standard Reference (SR) 28 includes composition data for all the food groups and nutrients published in the 21 volumes of "Agriculture Handbook 8" (US Department of Agriculture 1976-92), and its four supplements (US Department of Agriculture 1990-93), which superseded the 1963 edition (Watt and Merrill, 1963). SR28 supersedes all previous releases, including the printed versions, in the event of any differences. Attribution for photos: Photo 1: k7246-9 Copyright free, public domain photo by Scott Bauer Photo 2: k8234-2 Copyright free, public domain photo by Scott Bauer Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: READ ME - Documentation and User Guide - Composition of Foods Raw, Processed, Prepared - USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28. File Name: sr28_doc.pdfResource Software Recommended: Adobe Acrobat Reader,url: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html Resource Title: ASCII (6.0Mb; ISO/IEC 8859-1). File Name: sr28asc.zipResource Description: Delimited file suitable for importing into many programs. The tables are organized in a relational format, and can be used with a relational database management system (RDBMS), which will allow you to form your own queries and generate custom reports.Resource Title: ACCESS (25.2Mb). File Name: sr28db.zipResource Description: This file contains the SR28 data imported into a Microsoft Access (2007 or later) database. It includes relationships between files and a few sample queries and reports.Resource Title: ASCII (Abbreviated; 1.1Mb; ISO/IEC 8859-1). File Name: sr28abbr.zipResource Description: Delimited file suitable for importing into many programs. This file contains data for all food items in SR28, but not all nutrient values--starch, fluoride, betaine, vitamin D2 and D3, added vitamin E, added vitamin B12, alcohol, caffeine, theobromine, phytosterols, individual amino acids, individual fatty acids, or individual sugars are not included. These data are presented per 100 grams, edible portion. Up to two household measures are also provided, allowing the user to calculate the values per household measure, if desired.Resource Title: Excel (Abbreviated; 2.9Mb). File Name: sr28abxl.zipResource Description: For use with Microsoft Excel (2007 or later), but can also be used by many other spreadsheet programs. This file contains data for all food items in SR28, but not all nutrient values--starch, fluoride, betaine, vitamin D2 and D3, added vitamin E, added vitamin B12, alcohol, caffeine, theobromine, phytosterols, individual amino acids, individual fatty acids, or individual sugars are not included. These data are presented per 100 grams, edible portion. Up to two household measures are also provided, allowing the user to calculate the values per household measure, if desired.Resource Software Recommended: Microsoft Excel,url: https://www.microsoft.com/ Resource Title: ASCII (Update Files; 1.1Mb; ISO/IEC 8859-1). File Name: sr28upd.zipResource Description: Update Files - Contains updates for those users who have loaded Release 27 into their own programs and wish to do their own updates. These files contain the updates between SR27 and SR28. Delimited file suitable for import into many programs.

Context

I needed to record our grocery intake using a standard nomenclature that supports access and tabulation of nutrients consumed. That is, a nomenclature that spans retail grocery using UPC to the identifiers used to access nutrition labels. I wanted to know if our household's intake of nutrients complied with the bounds set forth in the 2015-2020 USDA Dietary Guidelines. And if not, what foods will most efficiently remedy dietary deficiencies/excesses. Professionally, I have been devising countermeasures to fight chronic disease and see food more so than medication as the key.

Content

Downloaded from the USDA FoodData Central database: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets.html, this constellation of tables is centered on the food table. That table identifies foods broadly classed as Standard like what you might find in the periphery of the store, or Branded which typically occupies the center aisles. Each Standard Reference food identifier points to exactly one food label, where each label (in the set of all labels) is a set of entity attribute value (EAV) triples comprised of FoodId NutrientId and Quantity per hectogram (i.e., 100g). Standard Reference and Branded Reference foods each occupy their own tables. Since categories for Standard Reference foods are coded, a table providing their descriptions are also provided. Note that categories for Branded Reference foods are in verbose text.

Layouts

For field definitions and table layouts see: Download_&_API_Field_Descriptions_April_2021.pdf in this distribution.

Derived tables

Syntax for tables derived from USDA FoodData Central: - Filenames are prefixed by user initials 'JCS_' - The remaining portion of the filename is a hyphenated list of its domain names. - FoodId in derived files were zero-left padded for proper collation and joining.

Domains for derived tables from which individual column values are drawn: - SRCat: Standard Reference food category, zero-left padded to two places. - Applicable: A Boolean {YES,NO} indicating whether a standard reference food category applies to the current study. - CatDesc: The description of that food category. - FoodId: A unique and unchanging food identifier, zero-left padded to seven places. - Description: Text describing each Standard Reference food item. - FoodName: Text describing each Branded Reference food item. - BRCat: Branded Reference category expressed as verbose text. - UPC: Uniform Product Code that identifies a branded food item regardless of revision date. - BrandOwner: Corporate entity that owns that brand of foods. - SvgSizeHgs: Serving size of a branded food item in hectograms. - DateAvail: Revision date for a UPC's metadata or nutrition label. - VerCnt: Number of revisions that a food identified by its UPC code underwent. - NutrientId: Uniquely identifies a nutrient as a 4-digit number with cross-references stored in nutrient.csv - Per100g: Quantity of a nutrient per hectogram as a float but stored as plain text.

Acknowledgements

To my Chair, Prof. Taghi M. Khoshgoftaar, PhD.

Inspiration

Given a list of foods and when and how much of each were consumed: - aggregate quantities of each nutrient consumed, - norming the quantities of nutrients consumed to average daily calorie burn, and - comparing each nutrient consumed to the target range for that nutrient.

Nutrient-wise deficiencies and excesses relative to target ranges are fed to a recommender that identifies: - what foods most efficiently by weight remedies these deficiencies and excesses - while being foods most likely to be consumed.

Rankings presented by the recommender during one period are evaluated by foods consumed in the following period. What ranking is the most 'compact'? That is, what ranking has the most of its foods consumed among its top k foods?

[Note: Integrated as part of FoodData Central, April 2019.] USDA's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is a database that is used to convert food and beverages consumed in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) into gram amounts and to determine their nutrient values. Because FNDDS is used to generate the nutrient intake data files for WWEIA, NHANES, it is not required to estimate nutrient intakes from the survey. FNDDS is made available for researchers using WWEIA, NHANES to review the nutrient profiles for specific foods and beverages as well as their associated portions and recipes. Such detailed information makes it possible for researchers to conduct enhanced analysis of dietary intakes. FNDDS can also be used in other dietary studies to code foods/beverages and amounts eaten and to calculate the amounts of nutrients/food components in those items. FNDDS is released every two-years in conjunction with the WWEIA, NHANES dietary data release. The FNDDS is available for free download from the FSRG website. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer to Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-bhnrc/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/food-surveys-research-group/docs/fndds/ USDA's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is a database that is used to convert food and beverages consumed in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) into gram amounts and to determine their nutrient values.

The USDA Branded Food Products Database is the result of a Public-Private Partnership, whose goal is to enhance public health and the sharing of open data by complementing USDA Food Composition Databases with nutrient composition of branded foods and private label data provided by the food industry. Members of the Public-Private Partnership include:

• Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA (www.ars.usda.gov)
• International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America (www.ilsi.na.org)
• GS1 US (www.gs1us.org/)
• 1WorldSync (www.1worldsync.com)
• Label Insight (www.labelinsight.com)
• University of Maryland, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (jifsan.umd.edu)

The BFPDB includes:

• product name and generic descriptor,
• serving size in grams or milliliters,
• nutrients on the Nutrition Facts Panel per serving size and 100 gram-basis, 100 ml-basis, or fluid oz-basis,
• ingredient list, (never before captured by USDA), and
• date stamp associated with most current product formulation.

All data will be archived, allowing for dietary trends tracking. The BFPDB allows: dietitians to provide specific dietary guidance; researchers to better link dietary intakes to disease measures; and policy makers to develop guidance which promotes public health.

New in this August 2018 release are downloadable database files (ASCII .csv and MS Access), Application Programming Interface (API), and Documentation and Download User Guide.

This dataset contains Supplemental Data at the state level from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Environment Atlas website, including program participation data across states for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).

Data was last updated on the USDA website in September 2020.

Any data elements with numerical values reflect figures at the state-level. See column descriptions for details. For more information on all metrics in this dataset, see the Food Environment Atlas Data Access and Documentation Downloads website.

The Food Access Research Atlas: Presents an overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility; Provides food access data for populations within census tracts; and Offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.

What can you do with the Atlas? Create maps showing food access indicators by census tract using different measures and indicators of supermarket accessibility; Compare food access measures based on 2019 data with the previous 2015 measures; View indicators of food access for selected subpopulations; and Download census-tract-level data on food access measures.

This dataset contains Supplemental Data at the county level from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Environment Atlas website. ERS (Economic Research Service, USDA) researchers and others who analyze conditions in "rural" America most often study conditions in nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) areas, defined on the basis of counties. Counties are the standard building block for collecting economic data and for conducting research to track and explain regional population and economic trends.

Data was last updated on the USDA website in September 2020.

Any data elements with numerical values reflect figures at the locality-level. See column descriptions for details. For more information on all metrics in this dataset, see the Food Environment Atlas Data Access and Documentation Downloads website.

[Note: Integrated as part of FoodData Central, April 2019.] The USDA Branded Food Products Database is the result of a Public-Private Partnership, whose goal is to enhance public health and the sharing of open data by complementing USDA Food Composition Databases with nutrient composition of branded foods and private label data provided by the food industry. Members of the Public-Private Partnership include: Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA (www.ars.usda.gov) Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) (www.iafns.org) GS1 US (www.gs1us.org/) 1WorldSync (www.1worldsync.com) Label Insight (www.labelinsight.com) University of Maryland, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (jifsan.umd.edu) The BFPDB includes: product name and generic descriptor, serving size in grams or milliliters, nutrients on the Nutrition Facts Panel per serving size and 100 gram-basis, 100 ml-basis, or fluid oz-basis, ingredient list, (never before captured by USDA), and date stamp associated with most current product formulation. All data will be archived, allowing for dietary trends tracking. The BFPDB allows: dietitians to provide specific dietary guidance; researchers to better link dietary intakes to disease measures; and policy makers to develop guidance which promotes public health. New in this August 2018 release are downloadable database files (ASCII .csv and MS Access), Application Programming Interface (API), and Documentation and Download User Guide.

Release 6, of this data set, replaces the previous release, Release 5, issued in 2003. The data set contains the factors for calculating retention of 26 vitamins, minerals and alcohol during food preparation. Factors for the other 25 food components in Release 4 are unchanged. Factors for total choline have been added to this release. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007). File Name: retn06.pdfResource Description: Release 6, of this data set, replaces the previous release, Release 5, issued in 2003. The data set contains the factors for calculating retention of 26 vitamins, minerals and alcohol during food preparation. Factors for the other 25 food components in Release 4 are unchanged. Factors for total choline have been added to this release. Resource Title: USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007). File Name: NutrientRetention.csvResource Description: Release 6, of this data set, replaces the previous release, Release 5, issued in 2003. The data set contains the factors for calculating retention of 26 vitamins, minerals and alcohol during food preparation. Factors for the other 25 food components in Release 4 are unchanged. Factors for total choline have been added to this release. This data was downloaded from the published web site text version and converted to CSV format on November 16, 2017.Resource Title: USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) Data Dictionary. File Name: NutrientRetentionDD.csv

The Pesticide Data Program (PDP) is a national pesticide residue monitoring program and produces the most comprehensive pesticide residue database in the U.S. The Monitoring Programs Division administers PDP activities, including the sampling, testing, and reporting of pesticide residues on agricultural commodities in the U.S. food supply, with an emphasis on those commodities highly consumed by infants and children. The program is implemented through cooperation with State agriculture departments and other Federal agencies. PDP data. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Melnyk , L., Z. Wang, Z. Li, and J. Xue. Prioritization of pesticides based on daily dietary exposure potential as determined from the SHEDS model. FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 96: 167-173, (2016).

Limited access to supermarkets, supercenters, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and affordable food may make it harder for some Americans to eat a healthy diet. Expanding the availability of nutritious and affordable food by developing and equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner markets and farmers’ markets in communities with limited access is an important part of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. There are many ways to define which areas are considered "food deserts" and many ways to measure food store access for individuals and for neighborhoods. Most measures and definitions take into account at least some of the following indicators of access:

• Accessibility to sources of healthy food, as measured by distance to a store or by the number of stores in an area.
• Individual-level resources that may affect accessibility, such as family income or vehicle availability.
• Neighborhood-level indicators of resources, such as the average income of the neighborhood and the availability of public transportation.

In the Food Access Research Atlas, several options are available to describe food access along these dimensions. The Food Access Research Atlas presents a spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility. It provides food access data for populations within census tracts and offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes. This Atlas can be used to create maps showing food access indicators by census tract using different measures and indicators of supermarket accessibility. It can be used to compare food access measures based on 2015 data with the previous 2010 measures, view indicators of food access for selected subpopulations, and download census-tract-level data on food access measures.

The US Department of Agriculture has published several Special Interest Databases (SID) on flavonoids. The resource linked to here is where the most current versions of these databases are maintained. It contains direct data downloads, and more detailed information for the following USDA Special Interest Databases on Flavonoids:

• USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods, Release 3.2 (November 2015)
• USDA Database for the Isoflavone Content of Selected Foods, Release 2.1 (November 2015)
• USDA Database for the Proanthocyanidin Content of Selected Foods, Release 2 (2015)
• USDA's Expanded Flavonoid Database for the Assessment of Dietary Intakes (September 2014)

All data included in the Food Access Research Atlas are aggregated into an Excel spreadsheet for easy download. The Documentation section provides complete information on data sources and definitions. Note for GIS users: The Atlas is based on 2010 census tract polygons. To use the underlying Atlas data in GIS, the data from this spreadsheet needs to be joined to a census tract boundary file. With ESRI software, users should have access to the tract layer on ESRI's "Data and Maps" data distribution. For users of other software, tract boundaries can be downloaded directly from the Census Bureau's Cartographic Boundary Files. The underlying map services used in the Food Access Research Atlas are also available for both developers and GIS users.

The Food Access Research Atlas presents a spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility, provides food access data for populations within census tracts, and offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.

The United States Department of Agriculture publishes the Food Environment Atlas so researchers can study the interaction of access to healthy food options, demographic factors and economic indicators to inform policymakers.

Per the United States Department of Agriculture website, "The current version of the Food Environment Atlas has over 275 variables, including new indicators on access and proximity to a grocery store for sub populations; an indicator on the SNAP Combined Application Project for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (at the State level); and indicators on farmers' markets that report accepting credit cards or report selling baked and prepared food products. All of the data included in the Atlas are aggregated into an Excel spreadsheet for easy download. These data are from a variety of sources and cover varying years and geographic levels. The documentation for each version of the data provides complete information on definitions and data sources."

Some questions you might be able to answer include:

• What factors are correlated with food deserts?
• What kind of relationship exists between the price of food and the health of the population?
• Which communities are high risk for children in terms of access to healthy food?

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

The Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with other government agencies has a program to track changes in the sodium content of commercially processed and restaurant foods. This monitoring program includes these activities: Tracking sodium levels of ~125 popular foods, called "Sentinel Foods," by periodically sampling them at stores and restaurants around the country, followed by laboratory analyses. Tracking levels of "related" nutrients that could change when manufacturers reformulate their foods to reduce sodium; these related nutrients are potassium, total and saturated fat, total dietary fiber, and total sugar. Sharing the results of these monitoring activities to the public periodically in the Sodium Monitoring Dataset and USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and once every two years in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. The Sodium Monitoring Dataset is downloadable in Excel spreadsheet format. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Data Dictionary. File Name: SodiumMonitoringDataset_datadictionary.csvResource Description: Defines variables, descriptions, data types, character length, etc. for each of the spreadsheets in this Excel data file: Sentinel Foods - Baseline; Priority-2 Foods - Baseline; Sentinel Foods - Monitoring; Priority-2 Foods - Monitoring.Resource Title: Sodium Monitoring Dataset (MS Excel download). File Name: SodiumMonitoringDatasetUpdatedJuly2616.xlsxResource Description: Microsoft Excel : Sentinel Foods - Baseline; Priority-2 Foods - Baseline; Sentinel Foods - Monitoring; Priority Foods - Monitoring.