Finding Ingredients in the Nutrient Database

Read this article if you're trying to find specific branded products or ingredients in the nutrient database. 

We occasionally hear from customers that they are unable to find specific ingredients they are looking for in the nutrient database. We are faced with some limitations in how we are able to search the nutrient database from Recipe Cost Calculator. There are a few ways to overcome this.

Search Directly on the Nutrient Database Web Site

The web site for Food Data Central has many advanced filters and more ways to search. Click here to go to the nutrient database web site (FoodData Central). After performing an initial search, there are many filters you can use to try to narrow down what you're looking for.

Once you find the ingredient you're looking for, you can simply go back to Recipe Cost Calculator and search for the FDC ID of the ingredient (you can search for that number directly) and we'll pull up the correct ingredient.

Here is a screenshot example from the nutrient database web site:

Enter Nutrition Data Manually

If you can not find your exact ingredient, or an ingredient that is comparable, you can always enter nutrition data yourself as long as you have the ingredients nutrition panel in front of you. See the related article on creating custom nutrition data.