USDA FoodData Central Connector for AI agents.
2 live capabilities
Get scientific-grade nutrient profiles for any food item.
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Why people use USDA FoodData Central
USDA FoodData Central Nutrition Data Accuracy
This Connector changes that by giving your agent a direct pipe to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's database. Instead of manual hunting, your agent pulls the exact scientific breakdown for 300,000+ items instantly. You get a consistent, authoritative source of truth in every response.
What Vinkius changes
You get instant, accurate nutrition data for any food item without manual searching.
Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI client you already have.
One account · 5,900+ Connectors
- Real-world use case 01
Comparing nutrient density in proteins
A dietitian needs to know the amino acid profile of different types of beans.
- Real-world use case 02
Populating a health app database
A developer is building a calorie tracker and needs a reliable source.
- Real-world use case 03
Identifying high vitamin D sources
A researcher wants to know the vitamin D content in different fish.
Complete set · 2capabilities
The complete USDA FoodData Central capability set.
These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with USDA FoodData Central.
01—02
2 capabilities in this set.
Part of 2 available through USDA FoodData Central.
- 01 Capability
Search usda foods
Search the entire USDA database for foods by name to find calories, protein, and fat. Use this when you're starting a search and need to find the right items first.
- 02 Capability
Get usda food details
Get the full nutritional breakdown for a specific food item using its unique USDA ID. This is perfect for when you already know the food and need every single vitamin and mineral.
Set up in minutes
One URL. Then ask USDA FoodData Central to work.
Claude and ChatGPT only need the Connector URL. Copy it once, add it in settings, and use USDA FoodData Central from the conversation.
Choose your client
Live previewAdvanced clients IDE · CLI
Claude · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp - Step 01
Open Connectors
In Claude Web or Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add custom connector, name it USDA FoodData Central, and paste the URL above.
- Step 03
Turn it on in chat
Select +, open Connectors, and enable USDA FoodData Central for the conversation.
ChatGPT · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp - Step 01
Open MCP settings
On desktop, open Settings and MCP servers. On web, open your workspace app or connector settings.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add server with Streamable HTTP, or create a custom MCP app, then paste the USDA FoodData Central URL.
- Step 03
Save and start
Save the connection and enable USDA FoodData Central in your conversation. Desktop may ask you to restart once.
Cursor · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"usda-fooddata-central": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens
- Step 03
Save the file
Cursor will automatically detect the new Connector
- Step 04
Start using USDA FoodData Central
Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using USDA FoodData Central, help me...". 2 tools available
VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"usda-fooddata-central": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
- Step 03
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
- Step 04
Start using USDA FoodData Central
Ask Copilot: "Using USDA FoodData Central, help me...". 2 tools available
Windsurf · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"usda-fooddata-central": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
- Step 02
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
- Step 03
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
- Step 04
Start using USDA FoodData Central
Open Cascade and ask: "Using USDA FoodData Central, help me...". 2 tools available
Cline · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"usda-fooddata-central": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the Connectors icon in the Cline sidebar panel
- Step 02
Add remote server
Click "Add Connector" and paste the configuration above
- Step 03
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
- Step 04
Start using USDA FoodData Central
Ask Cline: "Using USDA FoodData Central, help me...". 2 tools available
Claude Code · Terminal command
Advanced setup
claude mcp add usda-fooddata-central --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_qXgL3Na4VcEYpIWsEu0TOnHTDKDROaG4GFvM2erk/mcp"- Step 01
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
- Step 02
Add the Connector
Run the command above in your terminal
- Step 03
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
- Step 04
Start using USDA FoodData Central
Ask Claude: "Using USDA FoodData Central, show me...". 2 tools are ready
Where the request belongs
Work USDA can move forward.
This is for the professionals who can't afford to be wrong about nutrition. It's for the dietitians, food scientists, and developers who need a single source of truth for food science.
Nutritionist
Creating precise meal plans that account for specific micronutrients like Vitamin D or amino acids.
Food Scientist
Analyzing the chemical and nutritional composition of new food products for research papers.
Health App Developer
Building features that require a reliable, official source for food data in a production app.
Dietary Researcher
Conducting large-scale studies on consumption patterns and nutrient density across different demographics.
Build the capability set
Add more capabilities.
Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.
Browse ConnectorsUSDA FoodData Central
Manage your nutritional research. audit food records and nutrient data via AI.
Nutritionix
Analyze food nutrition from natural language using the industry-leading NLP engine. type any meal description and get instant, precise calorie and macro data.
API Ninjas Nutrition
Fast, NLP-powered food nutrition analysis. type any food description and get instant calorie, protein, fat, carb, fiber, and sugar data.
Edamam
Manage food and nutrition. audit recipes and ingredients via AI.
FatSecret
Access millions of food items with calorie tracking, macro data, and serving sizes from the FatSecret platform used by 30M+ users worldwide.
Open Food Facts
Scan barcodes and search packaged food products for complete nutritional data, Nutri-Score grades, allergens, and ingredient analysis.
Bring your own AI
Change the model, client or framework. Keep USDA connected.
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Claude -
ChatGPT -
Gemini -
Cursor -
VS Code -
Windsurf -
ZCode -
Cline -
Zed -
Continue -
Kiro -
Roo Code -
Zencoder -
Goose -
Void -
Augment Code -
Amp -
Qodo -
Tabnine -
Pieces -
Sourcegraph Cody -
JetBrains -
Warp -
Amazon Q -
Antigravity -
BoltAI -
Raycast -
Jan -
LM Studio -
AnythingLLM -
Open WebUI -
Msty -
Cherry Studio -
LibreChat -
TypingMind -
Chorus -
5ire -
n8n -
LangChain -
LlamaIndex -
CrewAI -
Vercel AI SDK
Before you connect
Questions about USDA.
The practical details behind the request, access and result.
Can the USDA FoodData Central MCP help with meal planning?
Yes, it provides exact nutrient data for thousands of foods, making it easy to build balanced meals with precise protein, fat, and vitamin counts.
Does the USDA FoodData Central MCP include branded products?
Yes, it covers commercial products so you can get data on items you find in stores, not just raw ingredients.
Can I use the USDA FoodData Central MCP for scientific research?
It is the primary source for research-grade foundation foods and survey data, making it ideal for academic and industrial food science.
How accurate is the data in the USDA FoodData Central MCP?
It is the official USDA database, which is the gold standard for nutrition science and provides scientific-grade profiles.
Can my agent find vitamins and minerals with the USDA FoodData Central MCP?
Yes, it provides a complete breakdown of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids for supported food items.
How do I get a USDA API key?
Register for a free API key at fdc.nal.usda.gov/api-key-signup.html. Approval is instant. no wait time required.
One connection away
Give your agent a direct line to USDA.
Connect USDA once. Keep it beside 5,900+ managed Connectors when the next task needs more.
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