USDA Updates Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

WASHINGTONThe USDAs Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has released an updated version of its nutrient database that includes data on 8,194 food items and up to 146 food components. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 25" originally was released Oct. 9, 2012, but inadvertently left out Australian beef, lamb and veal.

Each food item is shown with an information profile that provides data for up to 140 food components, such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Information is derived from a variety of rigorously evaluated sources, including USDA-sponsored laboratory analyses, food industry data and available scientific literature.

Over 200 food industry items for baked products and mixed dishes have been added for SR 25. Several generic items have been updated, as well. Sodium values have been reviewed and updated for over 100 foods in these groups.

Foods added or updated include Greek yogurt, taco shells, canned spaghetti and meatballs, frozen chicken tenders, barbecue rotisserie chicken (breast, drumstick, thigh, wing, and back (with and without skin), sliced ready-to-eat luncheon meats (bologna, chicken, and salami), and bacon (regular, low-sodium and pre-cooked), frozen meat and cheese lasagna, pot pie, dried and

frozen egg products, protein shakes, regular and light mayonnaise, regular and light Italian dressing, lightly salted mixed nuts and iced tea.

A major focus of this effort was to expand and monitor those foods that are major contributors of sodium to the diet, as well as to provide data on formulated foods, produced by the food industry to replace food items in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), which previously relied on home-prepared recipes. Nutrient data for other food items were updated and expanded in response to specific requests from the Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) to support future releases of the FNDDS.

A study also was conducted to obtain nutrient values for specific cuts of raw Australian beef, veal, and lamb, as well as the nutrient composition of whole turkeys.

Click here to access the database.