Research Guides: Nutrition & Food Science: Data, Statistics & Tools

Overview

There is a wide variety of nutrition and food data available. What's listed on this page is only a sample. Additional data can often be found by searching the literature. Feel free to contact the librarian for nutrition and food science, hope.lappen@nyu.edu for help locating specific data you need.

Nutritional Status, Food Access, Prices and Choice

USDA Food Access Research Atlas
Presents a spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility; Provides food access data for populations within census tracts; Offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.
USDA Food Choices & Health Data
Data on diet quality, labeling, food access and consumption, and obesity.
USDA Food & Nutrition Assistance Data
Data on child nutrition programs, poverty, food security, SNAP and WIC programs.
FAOSTAT
UN food and agriculture data for over 245 countries and territories.1961 to the most recent year available.
WHO Nutrition Landscape Information System
Bringing together all existing WHO Global Nutrition Databases dynamically, as well as other existing food and nutrition-related data from partner agencies. Search the integrated system or individual databases.
More information less...
Includes:
-Global database on the Implementation of Nutrition Action (GINA)
-Global targets tracking tool
-Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework
-Nutrition Landscape Information System (NLiS)
-Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System (VMNIS)
-WHO Global Database on Body Mass Index
-WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition
-WHO Global Data Bank on Infant and Young Child Feeding
International Food Policy Research Institute Dataverse
Agricultural science and technology indicators, seed studies, social accounting matrices, and more.
USDA Marketing Service
Find information and data on marketing, commodity prices (wholesale & retail), rules & regulations, standards, pesticides, etc.

Passport This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides international market intelligence, including economic statistics, on industries, countries, and consumers. Look under Industries tab for Fresh Food, Packaged Food, Alcoholic Drinks, Hot Drinks, and Soft Drinks.
Requires Net ID and password.

Food Composition, Content & Safety Data

Food Composition data can differ by country/region and over time. Additional data can be found in the literature (this is where the data in these tables often comes from).

USDA FoodData Central
Food composition database. Includes the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (legacy), the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2015-2016, the USDA Branded Food Products database, and two new data types: foundation foods and experimental foods.
International food composition table/database directory
Food composition databases, tables, and publications from different regions/countries, compiled by the UN. Many are not up to date; some include historical data. Includes link to International Network of Food Data Systems composition data sets.
Food Composition on the Web
List of food Composition data available online, organized by country. Compiled by LanguaL - the International Framework for Food Description
EU Food Composition Data
List of links to food composition data, organized by country (EU only). Most are freely available. Compiled by European Food Information Resource.
Phenol-Explorer
Comprehensive database on polyphenol content in foods

Dietary Supplement Label Database This link opens in a new window
The Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) is a joint project of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and National Library of Medicine (NLM). The DSLD contains the full label contents from a sample of dietary supplement products marketed in the U.S.

ComBase
Database of quantified microbial responses to the food environment with models to predict the growth and inactivation of microorganisms in food.
WHO Food Safety Databases
Databases related to food safety, food additives, contaminants pesticides, and food consumption estimates.

Large-scale Studies (with data available)

What We Eat in America
Integration of two nationwide surveys - USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) and HHS' NHANES. Under the integrated framework, DHHS is responsible for the sample design and data collection. USDA is responsible for the survey's dietary data collection methodology, development and maintenance of the food and nutrient databases used to code and process the data, and data review and processing.
NHANES: National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey
Program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the US.
EPIC: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Designed to investigate the relationships between diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental factors, and the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases.
USAID Demographic & Health Surveys
Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 300 surveys in over 90 countries.
Growing Up Today Study
Aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that affect health throughout the life course.

Other Tools

Dietary Assessment Primer (National Cancer Institute)
Help researchers determine the best way to assess diet for any study in which estimates of group intakes are required.
NCCOR Measures Registry
Searchable database of diet and physical activity measures relevant to childhood obesity research compiled by National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research.
NCCOR Youth Compendium of Physical Activities
List of 196 common activities in which youth participate and the estimated energy cost associated with each activity compiled by National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research.