Food Data Central MCP Server

What is Food Data Central MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol server that provides access to the USDA's FoodData Central API, allowing users to search for foods, retrieve nutrient information, and access multiple food data types (Foundation, SR Legacy, Survey, Branded). Designed for use with MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop.

How to use Food Data Central MCP Server?

Install dependencies with npm install, build with npm run build, then set the USDA_API_KEY environment variable and start with npm start (or npm run dev for hot reloading). It uses stdio transport, so it runs as a subprocess of an MCP client. For Claude Desktop, add a configuration entry to claude_desktop_config.json specifying the command npx tsx pointing to the server's index.ts and the USDA API key in the environment.

Key features of Food Data Central MCP Server

• Search foods using keyword queries with optional filters
• Access nutrient information for specific foods
• Paginated results with configurable page size and number
• Support for multiple data types: Foundation, SR Legacy, Survey, Branded
• Retrieve detailed food data by FDC ID (single or batch)
• Filter by brand owner, trade channel, and publication date

Use cases of Food Data Central MCP Server

• Search for a specific food by name within USDA’s database
• Get detailed nutrition facts (e.g., calories, protein) for a food by its FDC ID
• Retrieve a paged list of foods filtered by data type or sort order
• Search branded foods by brand owner, trade channel, or publication date range