The 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 10,000 food items.
The CNDB includes food product nutrient data collected for the following 18 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, and moisture.
The CNDB includes nutrient data from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) Legacy Release, data for the USDA Standardized Recipes and USDA Foods, and data collected from food manufacturers for products produced for and marketed to school food service.
The CNDB is usually updated once each year in the spring. Software companies with nutrient analysis software approved by USDA are required to update their software with the current release of the CNDB.
Download the Current Version of the Child Nutrition Database
Updated 8/13/2019 to add 21 discontinued items that were inadvertently removed.
To obtain the most recent version of the CN Database please right-click on the link and “save target as…” to download. Please also download the System Components and File Formats document for the CN Database which explains the tables and fields in this database.
To unzip a single file or folder, open the zipped folder, then drag the file or folder from the zipped folder to a new location.
To unzip all the contents of the zipped folder, press and hold (or right-click) the folder, select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.
For additional information about the CN Database contact cndb-inbox@usda.gov.
Instructions for Food Manufacturers for Submitting Nutrient Data for Inclusion in the CN Database
- If you are a food manufacturer who produces products for school food service and would like to submit nutrient data for your products for the CNDB, please contact cndb-inbox@usda.gov. Interested food manufacturers will be contacted when the data collection period opens.
- Data is collected by use of the following OMB approved data collection process:
FNS-710
OMB Number: 0584-0494
Expiration: January 31, 2021