USDA Foundation Foods

Publisher: Waztap.

USDA Foundation Foods

Search USDA Foundation Foods by description or reported protein per 100 g, inspect one food's accepted nutrient measurements, or retrieve dataset provenance and verification metadata. Each run performs one operation against Waztap's selected dataset version.

Coverage is the Foundation Foods core and accepted food-nutrient measurements. Branded Foods, FNDDS, SR Legacy, portions, recipes, photographs and full laboratory drill-down are excluded. This dataset supports research and is not medical or dietary advice.

Start with one operation

Retrieve metadata with this complete input:

{
  "operation": "dataset"
}

Search one page:

{
  "operation": "search",
  "query": {
    "q": "beans",
    "limit": 1
  }
}

Retrieve one detail record:

{
  "operation": "detail",
  "fdc_id": "1104647"
}

The detail identifier above is an example observed during validation. Prefer an identifier from a fresh search. Omit query for dataset/detail, and omit the detail ID for dataset/search. Do not fill inactive controls with blank strings.

Use 256 MB memory, a 60-second timeout and restart on error Off. Maximum cost per run may be Unlimited (omit maxTotalChargeUsd in an API request) or a finite amount of at least $0.002. One completed operation requests one $0.002 event; the spending limit is a ceiling, not an extra charge. A finite budget below one event is refused before the source request or output writes.

Input fields

Field	Use and behavior
operation	dataset, search or detail. The only default and prefill is dataset. Empty JSON input {} also selects dataset; nonempty input must specify the operation. No query or detail ID is prefilled.
fdc_id	Required only for detail. Positive integer string of 1 to 19 digits, no leading zero, and at most 9223372036854775807. Keep the ID as a string and use an identifier returned by search.
query	Optional only for search. Omit it for dataset and detail.
query.q	Nonblank simple full-text description search, at most 200 characters. Leading/trailing whitespace is trimmed and internal whitespace collapsed.
query.min_protein_g_per_100g	Nonnegative decimal string, such as "5" or "5.25". At most 26 integer digits and 12 fractional digits, no exponent or leading zeros. Missing or ambiguous protein summaries are excluded.
query.limit	Integer from 1 to 50. Runtime search default 20. Keep unchanged for continuation.
query.cursor	Opaque next_cursor from the previous page, at most 4,096 characters. Omit on the first request.

Search filters combine with AND. Unknown keys, inactive fields and invalid formats are rejected. Inputs must fit 16 KiB. Results sort by FDC ID as text in ascending C collation, so 100 precedes 20.

Output and a recorded example

Each completed run saves the same JSON envelope to the key-value store record OUTPUT and as one item in the default Apify Dataset: schema, qualification, ok, dataset, operation and response. Use the Output record or Operation results Dataset link. A search page is nested inside that one item's response.data; individual source records are not separate Dataset items. Dataset JSON export preserves the full envelope. CSV fields and nested-array expansion depend on the export options; the stored item remains one complete envelope.

Search response.data contains food summaries: fdc_id, description, food_category_id, publication_date and protein_g_per_100g. Detail response.data adds source fields and accepted measurements with nutrient definitions, units, provenance and quality flags. Decimal values are strings with twelve fractional places; precision does not imply measurement accuracy. Null means unknown, while zero remains zero. Measurements retain source units and the source_reported_per_100g_food basis without automatic summing or conversion. Repeated accepted food-nutrient pairs retain distinct measurement IDs and a repeated_food_nutrient flag. Metadata provides release, archive checksum, table counts and verification observations; dataset.record_count is the selected version, not search matches.

This paired dataset-input/output example was captured during private validation on October 20, 2026. Counts, versions and timestamps are historical examples, not a current freshness check. Its qualification is PRIVATE_UNQUALIFIED; the PPE path reports PPE_CANDIDATE, which identifies the execution mode rather than an Apify endorsement.

{
  "schema": "waztap.actor-result/1",
  "qualification": "PRIVATE_UNQUALIFIED",
  "ok": true,
  "dataset": "usda.foundation",
  "operation": "dataset",
  "response": {
    "request_id": "67742e52-c036-4711-b40d-3f139fa1965d",
    "dataset": {
      "dataset_key": "usda.foundation",
      "source_url": "https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets/",
      "license_label": "CC0_PUBLIC_DOMAIN",
      "version_id": "13ef3da8-a3ff-45e3-a119-389ed4c1b5a2",
      "record_count": 395,
      "table_counts": {
        "food": 395,
        "nutrient": 234,
        "food_nutrient": 16975
      },
      "source_release": "2026-04-30",
      "archive_sha256": "70457ee9d9342f43bda2010318c85f04210c689fdeb9cd2da4c513b0e8dbc655",
      "source_measurement_count": 17008,
      "excluded_measurement_count": 33,
      "version_captured_at": "2026-10-11T22:51:49.070Z",
      "published_at": "2026-10-11T22:53:49.940Z",
      "last_verified_snapshot_at": "2026-10-19T04:31:00.235Z",
      "verification_freshness": "fresh",
      "stale_after_seconds": 1209600
    },
    "refresh": {
      "last_attempt_at": "2026-10-19T04:30:30.113Z",
      "last_attempt_status": "unchanged",
      "expected_check_interval_seconds": 604800
    }
  }
}

Pagination and freshness

Search returned_count equals the number of records in the page. A byte cap may return fewer records than requested. Copy next_cursor into a new search run with every filter and limit unchanged; null means no continuation. Each page is a separate operation and run. There is no automatic pagination or retry. An expired cursor requires a fresh search and reconciliation by record identifier. Do not reuse a cursor from a different account, dataset or filter set.

Read last_verified_snapshot_at, verification_freshness and source/version timestamps in each response. Verification freshness describes the age of Waztap's check. It does not promise upstream availability, a fixed source release schedule or an uptime SLA.

Pricing

Price: $0.002 per completed operation, including a successful empty search. One operation means one metadata request, one bounded search page or one detail lookup. There is no per-row charge, Actor subscription, monthly included-call bundle or Waztap free-call quota. Confirm the final Pricing tab before use.

The approved pay-per-event configuration includes standard-run Apify platform usage in the event price, with only waztap-completed-operation and no separate start or dataset-item event. One event is requested after both output writes are acknowledged, including the one Dataset item. Subsequent storage access and retention follow Apify platform terms.

Errors and retries

A failed run does not imply that no work occurred. OUTPUT is saved first, then the Dataset envelope, then the completed-operation charge is requested once. If either output write or charging has an uncertain outcome, inspect OUTPUT, the default Dataset and the run usage before trying again; do not assume a zero-cost failure or an automatic refund. Invalid/inactive input fields, unsupported IDs, expired cursors and excessive response sizes can fail a run. There is no automatic business-operation retry.

Source and support

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov. Foundation Foods source data are public domain under CC0. Waztap is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by USDA.

Requests are processed using Waztap infrastructure. No customer source credentials or arbitrary destination URL is an input. Do not submit passwords, API credentials, payment details or identity documents in inputs or support reports.

Contact: support@waztap.com, including privacy questions. The approved customer terms are Apify's Standard Actor Contract; the final native Contract section governs.

Legal

Use of this API is subject to the Waztap Terms of Service (https://waztap.com/terms/), Acceptable Use Policy (https://waztap.com/acceptable-use/) and Privacy Policy (https://waztap.com/privacy/). Apify terms govern purchases and billing.