Child Nutrition Database Documentation (310.26 KB)
CN27 CSV Format (1.18 MB)
CN27 Excel Format (6.76 MB)
The Child Nutrition Database (CNDB) is a required part of the nutrient analysis software approved by USDA for use in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. It is a nutrient database of over 9,000 food items.
The CNDB includes food product nutrient data collected for the following 19 nutrients: calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, iron, ash, total sugars, added sugars, and moisture.
The CNDB includes nutrient data from: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) Legacy Release, USDA Standardized Recipes, and food manufacturers for products produced for and marketed to school food service, including USDA Foods.
The CNDB is usually updated once each year in the spring. Software companies with nutrient analysis software approved by USDA are required to annually update their software with the current release of the CNDB.
The 27th Release of the CNDB (CN27) is available to download. USDA-approved nutrient analysis software must be updated to include CN27.
Download the Current Version of the Child Nutrition Database
The most recent version (CN27) of the CNDB is available on this website in Excel and CSV (comma-separated values) formats. For each file format there is one zipped file which includes six files, one for each table in the CNDB:
- Food Description Table (FDES)
- Food Category Name Table (CTGNME)
- GPC Category Name Table (GPCNME)
- Weights Table (WGHT)
- Nutrient Values Table (NUTVAL)
- Nutrient Description Table (NUTDES)
To download this version of the CNDB please right-click on the link for the zipped file for the desired format, Excel or CSV (one zipped file per format), and select “save link as.” After saving the zipped file, use your computer’s software to unzip the files (usually this is found by right clicking on the zipped file in your directory).
Please also download the Child Nutrition Database Documentation that explains the tables and fields in this database.
The CNDB is available in additional file formats to software developers on the CNP Approved Nutrition Software PartnerWeb (SharePoint) site and to other interested persons upon request.
Please contact cnpntab@usda.gov for additional information about the CNDB.