Branded vs Generic Foods

The database mixes reference foods measured in a laboratory with packaged

products described by their labels. Knowing which you are looking at tells you

how far to trust the figures.

Generic foods

A generic food is a food, not a product: "Apple, raw, with skin", "Chicken,

breast, grilled". They come from:

USDA reference data — Foundation Foods and SR Legacy, measured by analysis, and the FNDDS survey foods, which describe dishes as eaten

National composition tables — the same kind of measured data for the cooking of a particular country, from the twenty-plus tables listed in Where Food Data Comes From

The regional-dish catalogue — hand-built entries for dishes such as jollof rice or dal, with condition ratings and special markers

Their strengths: complete micronutrient panels, values that do not change with

a reformulation, and standard preparations. Use them for fresh produce, home

cooking and anything unpackaged.

Branded foods

A branded food is a specific product: a cereal, a yogurt, a ready meal. They

come from USDA's Branded Foods and from Open Food Facts, and they show the

"Branded" badge, a brand name, an ingredients list, a barcode, and for Open

Food Facts a product photo.

Their strengths: an exact match for what is in your hand, and the label's own

calories and macros. Their limits: micronutrients are often only what the label

prints, and a product can be reformulated, discontinued or sold in a different

recipe in another country.

Telling them apart

In search results — a packaged product shows its brand under its name; a reference food shows its data type

On the food page — the header badge and the data-source section name the publisher

By barcode — only packaged products have one

How search treats them

Search prefers reference foods when names match equally, ranking USDA

Foundation and SR Legacy entries first, survey foods next and branded products

last. The default view also shows one entry per food name, keeping the entry

with the most nutrient data, which usually means the reference food. Click

Show all brands to see every product under that name.

Which to use

Packaged food in your hand → the branded entry, ideally by barcode

Fresh produce, meat, grains → the generic entry

A dish you cooked → the closest generic entry, or your own entry in My Foods with the figures from your recipe

A brand that is missing → the generic equivalent for today, and a custom food if you eat it often

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