Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423941
Research Project: Improved National Dietary Assessment and the Relationship of Dietary Intake to the Environmental Impact of Foods and Beverages

Location: Food Surveys Research Group

Title: Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2021-2023: Enhancements to support national dietary surveillance

Author
item MORTON, SUZANNE - American Society For Nutrition
item Myrowitz, Rebecca
item Martin, Carrie
item Friday, James
item Anand, Jaswinder
item Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/6/2025
Publication Date: 8/14/2025
Citation: Morton, S., Myrowitz, R., Martin, C.L., Friday, J.E., Anand, J., Moshfegh, A.J. 2025. Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2021-2023: Enhancements to support national dietary surveillance. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 148. Article 108167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.108167.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.108167

Interpretive Summary: The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is an application database for What We Eat in America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is used for national dietary surveillance. FNDDS 2021-2023 updates continue the shift toward more generic versions of foods and beverages consumed by the U.S. population, increased use of recent analytical food composition data, and the creation of additional types of ingredient codes to build nutrient profiles. Soups and plant-based dairy products contain substantial changes and expanded WWEIA categories. The basis for most nutrient profiles continues to be ingredient codes from the USDA FoodData Central (FDC) including 163 Foundation Foods with analytical data. Missing nutrient values for Foundation Foods are determined along with adjustments to other select FDC values. The source of every nutrient value is provided. Additional ingredient codes include single/composite nutrients and FNDDS codes for use only in recipes. Recipe protocols facilitate the standardization of nutrient profiles across related foods. A new Excel search tool provides nutrient amounts for commonly consumed amounts/portions of foods. FNDDS is available in multiple formats at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg.

Technical Abstract: The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is an application database for What We Eat in America (WWEIA), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is used for national dietary surveillance. It converts food and beverage portion amounts reported in WWEIA into gram amounts and determines their nutrient values. The FNDDS contains 5,432 food codes and 22,046 portion weights. The soups, stews, chilis, plant-based dairy products and flavored milks food codes and nutrient profiles are updated to more generic versions representing a variety of products. The basis for most nutrient profiles is ingredient codes from the USDA FoodData Central (FDC) including 163 Foundation Foods with analytical data. The source of each nutrient value for all 1,728 6-digit ingredient codes is provided. Examples of missing values for Foundation Foods and changes to select FDC nutrient values are included with full detail in the FNDDS documentation files. Additional ingredient codes include single/composite nutrients and FNDDS codes for use only in recipes. A new Excel search tool allows a user to obtain nutrient values for select foods and portion amounts. FNDDS is available in multiple formats at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg.