USDA FDC pet food ingredient sample dataset
77 common pet-food ingredients were queried against USDA FoodData Central (FDC) on 2026-07-18: 60 matched with full per-100 g nutrient profiles, 17 pending (not present in FDC). Data types: Branded 2, Foundation 2, SR Legacy 56.
Source & method. FDC's public website search endpoint (portal-data, no API key) was used; values were cross-verified against the official bulk CSV FoodData_Central_foundation_food_csv_2026-04-30.zip (157/157 identical). FDC bulk downloads at fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-datasets/ need no API key (only the REST API does); GitHub mirrors (MenuLogistics/USDASQLite 430 MB, USDAMySQL, dbready/usda_fooddata) are 2020-vintage or converter-scripts-only. USDA food composition data are public domain. Dataset files: pdf-parsed/usda_fdc_petfood_ingredients_20260718.json (+ _raw_).
Pending (not in FDC, human-food database): chicken meal, chicken by-product meal, poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, lamb meal, turkey meal, fish meal, salmon meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, beet pulp, tomato pomace, alfalfa meal, dried brewers yeast, mutton tallow, raw menhaden, potato protein.
Limitations. Rendered pet-food meals are absent from FDC; branded entries (pea protein, potato starch) carry label-declared macros only (no moisture/ash); protein is N x 6.25; values are per 100 g as-listed for the human-food entry, not dry matter; pet ME requires species-specific Atwater factors. Eight produce/misc matches (carrots, pumpkin, spinach, blueberries, cranberries, kelp, baker's yeast, molasses) are in the JSON only.