“Essential tool”: USDA launches nutrient database

08 Apr 2019 --- A new nutrient database, hailed as an “essential resource” for the industry, health and nutrition professionals, policymakers and consumers, has been launched by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The database is an integrated food and nutrient data system, called FoodData Central, which provides online access to nutrient profile information on a wide variety of food products. It will link to relevant agri-research data from multiple sources, improve transparency on the nutrition information sources and provide data based on the latest scientific research to reflect the marketplace.

The ARS is the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency. FoodData Central will operate under the ARS’ supervision at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC) and hosted by the National Agricultural Library (NAL).

The nutrient data library includes five distinct types of food and nutrient composition data, gathered in the same place. It incorporates the data the USDA has provided for years, but it also adds two new types of data that are grouped under new topics.

• The “Foundation Foods” section provides further nutrient information and extensive underlying metadata that will help users understand the variability in the nutrient values of foods. 
• The “Experimental Foods” section offers information about foods produced by agricultural researchers that allow users to see how factors such as climate, soils and agricultural practices which can affect the nutritional profile of foods.

The new system’s design seeks to reinforce the capacity for rigorous research and policy applications via its search capabilities, downloadable datasets and detailed documentation. Application developers will also be able to incorporate the information into their applications and web sites. 

The constantly changing and expanding food supply is a challenge for those who are interested in using food and nutrient data, according to the USDA. Gathering diverse types of data in one data system gives researchers, policymakers and other audiences a key resource for addressing vital nutrition and health issues.

The USDA is continuously making moves to enhance US nutritional policies and by extension the country’s nutritional habits. Early last month, US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, announced the appointment of 20 nationally acclaimed scientists on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 

The move is a bid to ensure that US dietary guidance will reflect the latest science. The independent advisory committee will review scientific evidence on topics and questions identified by the departments and will provide a report on their findings to the secretaries. The report will help update the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). 

“USDA is committed to ensuring everything we do is data-driven and based on scientific facts, which is why this expert committee’s work in objectively evaluating the science is of the utmost importance to the departments and to this process,” says Perdue. “The scientists we selected to serve on the committee are national leaders in the areas of nutrition and health,” adds Azar.