Manually entering nutritional data for every food ingredient in a product formula can be time-consuming and introduces additional opportunities for data-entry errors. Panelgea® simplifies this process by allowing users to search and import food ingredient records directly from the USDA FoodData Central database.

When creating a food ingredient record in Panelgea, users can search for ingredients available through the USDA SR Legacy and Foundation Foods databases. Once an appropriate USDA food record is selected, Panelgea imports the ingredient and its available nutritional values into a food ingredient record.

Importing the USDA data is only the first step. Users must review the imported ingredient and ensure all applicable fields required by Panelgea are complete. Once the necessary information has been reviewed and completed, the ingredient can be verified and used within panels.

When a user creates a panel without using a Nutritional Analysis, the nutritional values associated with the individual ingredients become particularly important. Panelgea calculates the nutritional contribution of each ingredient based on its formulated amount and uses those contributions to calculate the nutritional values of the formulated product.

This creates a connected workflow from USDA food-composition data to a generated Nutrition Facts panel:

Search USDA FoodData Central → Import Ingredient & Nutritional Values → Review → Complete → Verify → Formulate → Calculate → Generate

What Is USDA FoodData Central?

USDA FoodData Central is a food-composition data resource maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It provides nutritional information for foods and food ingredients across multiple USDA data types.

Panelgea allows users to search food records from two FoodData Central data types when importing food ingredients:

• SR Legacy

• Foundation Foods

Rather than separately searching FoodData Central, locating a food, copying its nutritional information, creating an ingredient record, and manually entering individual nutrient values, users can search the supported USDA records directly through Panelgea.

Once an appropriate record has been identified, the ingredient and its available nutritional values can be imported into the platform.

How Does the USDA FoodData Central Import Work in Panelgea?

The USDA import functionality is incorporated into Panelgea’s food ingredient creation process.

The process involves more than simply selecting a USDA food and immediately using it in a product. Panelgea maintains an ingredient review and verification step between importing the information and using the ingredient in panels.

1. Search for the Food Ingredient

The user begins by searching for the food ingredient they want to create.

Panelgea allows the user to search food records available through USDA FoodData Central’s SR Legacy and Foundation Foods databases.

Depending on the search, multiple USDA records may be available for similar foods or ingredients.

2. Select the Appropriate USDA Record

The user reviews the available search results and selects the USDA record that appropriately represents the ingredient they intend to use.

This is an important part of the process because similarly named foods can have different nutritional compositions.

The availability of a USDA record with a similar name does not necessarily mean that it accurately represents a particular commercial ingredient. Users should review the available records and select the information appropriate for the ingredient being entered.

3. Import the Ingredient and Nutritional Values

After selecting the appropriate record, the user can import it into Panelgea.

Panelgea creates a food ingredient record and imports the available nutritional values associated with the selected USDA FoodData Central record.

This reduces the need to manually transcribe individual nutrient values from FoodData Central into Panelgea.

Instead of locating and entering each nutritional value separately, the available information can be transferred into the ingredient record through the import process.

4. Review the Imported Ingredient

Importing an ingredient does not mean that the ingredient is automatically complete or ready to use in a panel.

The user must review the imported ingredient record and ensure that the information is appropriate.

USDA FoodData Central is being used as a source of food-composition data, but the imported USDA information may not populate every applicable field required for the ingredient within Panelgea.

The ingredient therefore remains subject to user review after import.

5. Complete the Applicable Ingredient Fields

If applicable fields remain incomplete after the USDA record has been imported, the user must provide the missing information.

This step ensures the ingredient record contains the information required by Panelgea before it proceeds to verification.

The USDA import is therefore designed to reduce nutritional data entry rather than eliminate the ingredient setup process.

6. Verify the Ingredient

Once the imported information has been reviewed and all applicable fields have been completed, the user can verify the ingredient.

Verification is the required step before the ingredient can begin being used in panels.

This creates an important checkpoint between importing third-party food-composition data and using that information as part of a product in Panelgea.

7. Use the Verified Ingredient in a Panel

Once verified, the ingredient can be selected when creating applicable panels.

The nutritional values imported from USDA then remain associated with that ingredient record and can be used by Panelgea’s nutritional calculation workflow when applicable.

The complete ingredient workflow can therefore be represented as:

Search USDA FoodData Central
↓
Select SR Legacy or Foundation Foods Record
↓
Import Ingredient & Nutritional Values
↓
Review Ingredient
↓
Complete Applicable Fields
↓
Verify Ingredient
↓
Use Ingredient in Panel

Why Import USDA Data Instead of Entering It Manually?

Food ingredient records can contain nutritional information across numerous macronutrients and micronutrients.

Entering those values individually can take time and creates additional opportunities for transcription errors.

Without an integrated import process, a user may need to:

Search USDA → Locate Food Record → Review Nutrients → Create Ingredient → Copy Nutritional Values → Review Entries

Panelgea reduces the data-transfer portion of that workflow to:

Search → Select → Import

The user still needs to review the resulting ingredient, complete the applicable fields, and verify the record.

The objective is not to eliminate human review. Instead, USDA import reduces the amount of nutritional information that needs to be manually transferred into the system.

What Are SR Legacy Foods?

SR Legacy is one of the USDA FoodData Central data types available through Panelgea’s food ingredient search.

SR Legacy contains food-composition information originating from USDA’s former National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

When an appropriate SR Legacy record represents the food ingredient being created, Panelgea users can import the record and its available nutritional values into a food ingredient record.

The imported ingredient must still be reviewed, completed as applicable, and verified before it can be used in a panel.

What Are Foundation Foods?

Foundation Foods are another USDA FoodData Central data type searchable through Panelgea.

These records provide food-composition information that can be used when an appropriate Foundation Foods record represents the ingredient being entered.

Users can select the appropriate record and import its available nutritional values into Panelgea rather than manually entering each value.

As with SR Legacy records, importing a Foundation Foods record does not bypass Panelgea’s ingredient review and verification process.

Why Does Panelgea Require Imported Ingredients to Be Verified?

USDA FoodData Central provides food-composition information, but a USDA record is not necessarily a complete Panelgea ingredient record.

For that reason, importing a USDA ingredient does not automatically make it available for immediate use in panels.

Panelgea requires the user to review the imported ingredient, complete the applicable fields, and then verify the ingredient.

This provides a checkpoint between:

External Nutritional Data → Panelgea Ingredient Record → Product Formulation

The verification process is particularly important when the nutritional information stored within the ingredient record will be used to calculate the nutritional composition of a product.

How Are USDA Nutritional Values Used in a Panel?

Once a USDA ingredient has been imported, reviewed, completed, and verified, it can be selected for use in a Panelgea panel.

How its nutritional values are used depends on the Nutritional Analysis selection made when the panel is initially created.

Panelgea supports different workflows depending on whether the user is entering a Nutritional Analysis or calculating the product’s nutrition from its ingredients.

When Nutritional Analysis Is Not Used

If the user selects No for Nutritional Analysis during Step 1, Panelgea calculates the product’s nutritional information using the nutritional values associated with the individual ingredients in the formula.

This is where imported USDA nutritional values can become part of the actual product calculation.

Each ingredient has nutritional values associated with its ingredient record. When that ingredient is added to the formula at a particular amount, Panelgea calculates its nutritional contribution based on the formulated amount of the ingredient.

Conceptually:

Ingredient Nutritional Values × Formulated Amount = Ingredient Nutritional Contribution

The process is performed across the ingredients used in the formula.

Those calculated nutritional contributions are then combined to determine the nutritional values associated with the formulated product.

The workflow becomes:

Verified Ingredient Records
↓
Nutritional Values
↓
Formulated Ingredient Amounts
↓
Calculated Nutritional Contribution of Each Ingredient
↓
Combined Product Nutritional Values
↓
Nutrition Facts Panel

This is why the nutritional information associated with an ingredient record matters.

If Nutritional Analysis is not being used, the ingredient-level nutritional data contribute directly to the calculation of the product’s nutritional composition.

When Nutritional Analysis Is Used

Panelgea also allows the user to select a Nutritional Analysis workflow during the initial panel setup.

When Nutritional Analysis is being used, the product’s nutritional information is entered through that workflow rather than being calculated from the nutritional values of each individual ingredient in the formula.

This provides flexibility depending on the nutritional information available for the product.

A company may have finished-product nutritional analysis information available, while another product may rely on calculations from the nutritional values associated with its individual ingredients.

The selection made during Step 1 determines which nutritional workflow Panelgea uses for the panel.

Why Ingredient Verification Matters for Formula-Based Calculations

Ingredient verification becomes especially important when the user is not using a Nutritional Analysis.

In that workflow, Panelgea relies on the nutritional information associated with the ingredient records and calculates those values according to the amount of each ingredient used in the formula.

For an ingredient imported from USDA FoodData Central, this means the selected USDA record can ultimately influence the calculated nutritional values of the finished product.

The workflow is therefore not simply:

USDA → Import → Panel

It is:

USDA → Import → Review → Complete → Verify → Formulate → Calculate → Panel

Requiring the ingredient to be reviewed and verified before use provides an important checkpoint before the imported information becomes part of a product calculation.

What If the USDA Database Does Not Contain the Ingredient You Need?

Not every food ingredient will have an appropriate record within the USDA databases searchable through Panelgea.

This can be particularly relevant for:

• Specialized food ingredients

• Supplier-specific raw materials

• Proprietary ingredients

• Ingredients with customized nutritional profiles

• Ingredients that differ significantly from generic foods

Users should not select a USDA record solely because its name resembles the ingredient being used.

If an appropriate USDA record is not available, users can create their own food ingredient records in Panelgea and enter the applicable ingredient and nutritional information.

This allows USDA data to be used when appropriate while still supporting specialized ingredients that require their own records.

USDA Data vs. Supplier Nutritional Data

The appropriate source of nutritional information depends on the ingredient.

For common foods, an applicable USDA FoodData Central record may provide appropriate food-composition information.

For a specialized commercial ingredient, supplier-specific documentation may more accurately represent the actual material being used.

This distinction becomes particularly important when Nutritional Analysis is not being used because the nutritional information stored in the ingredient record contributes to Panelgea’s formula-based nutritional calculations.

Selecting the most appropriate nutritional information for the actual ingredient is therefore more important than simply selecting the most convenient available database record.

How Does an Imported Ingredient Affect a Product Formula?

After an imported USDA ingredient has been verified, it can be selected for use within a panel.

When Nutritional Analysis is not being used, Panelgea takes the nutritional values associated with the ingredient and calculates their contribution based on the amount of the ingredient used in the formula.

For example, if two verified ingredients are added to a formula at different amounts, Panelgea does not simply add the nutritional values displayed in their ingredient records together.

The system accounts for the formulated amount of each ingredient when determining its nutritional contribution.

Those contributions are then combined with the contributions of the other ingredients in the formula.

This allows the nutritional composition of the product to reflect both:

1. The nutritional composition of the ingredient, and

2. How much of that ingredient is actually used.

That calculated information can then move through the remainder of the Nutrition Facts generation process.

From USDA FoodData Central to a Nutrition Facts Panel

The primary benefit of USDA integration in Panelgea is not simply access to another food database.

It connects USDA food-composition information to the ingredient, formulation, calculation, and panel-generation workflow.

For a product that does not use a Nutritional Analysis, the process can look like this:

Search USDA FoodData Central
↓
Select SR Legacy or Foundation Foods Record
↓
Import Ingredient & Nutritional Values
↓
Review Imported Ingredient
↓
Complete Applicable Fields
↓
Verify Ingredient
↓
Create Nutrition Facts Panel
↓
Select No for Nutritional Analysis
↓
Add Verified Ingredients
↓
Enter Formulated Amounts
↓
Calculate Nutritional Contribution of Each Ingredient
↓
Calculate Product Nutritional Values
↓
Apply Panel Generation Logic and Compliance Checks
↓
Preview Nutrition Facts Panel
↓
Generate & Export

This connected workflow reduces the need to manually move nutritional information between USDA FoodData Central, spreadsheets, nutrition calculations, and graphic-design files.

FDA Rounding and Panel Generation

Calculating the nutritional composition of the formula is not the final step.

The calculated values still need to be translated into the information displayed on the Nutrition Facts panel.

Nutrition labeling does not use one universal rounding rule for every nutrient. The displayed amount can depend on the nutrient, the amount present, and the applicable declaration and rounding requirements.

Panelgea incorporates FDA rounding and panel-generation logic into the workflow so the calculated product information can be appropriately presented on the generated Nutrition Facts panel.

This distinction is important because the underlying calculated nutritional value and the value ultimately displayed on the panel are not necessarily identical.

Generate Packaging-Ready Nutrition Facts Artwork

After the ingredient records, formula, nutritional calculations, and applicable reviews are complete, Panelgea can generate the Nutrition Facts panel for use in the packaging workflow.

Generated panels can be exported in multiple formats, including:

• JPG

• PNG

• PDF

• SVG

Editable SVG output can be incorporated into professional packaging-design software without requiring the Nutrition Facts panel to be manually reconstructed.

If the formulation or ingredient information changes later, the underlying information can be updated in Panelgea and the panel regenerated.

This helps maintain a connection between the product information used for the nutritional calculations and the artwork ultimately used for packaging.

Using USDA FoodData Central Data in Panelgea

Panelgea makes USDA food-composition information directly accessible within the food ingredient creation process.

Users can search supported SR Legacy and Foundation Foods records from USDA FoodData Central, select an appropriate food record, and import the ingredient along with its available nutritional values.

The imported record is then reviewed by the user. Any applicable fields that remain incomplete must be filled out before the ingredient can be verified and used in panels.

For panels created without a Nutritional Analysis, Panelgea can use the nutritional values associated with these verified ingredient records and calculate their contributions based on the formulated amount of each ingredient. Those contributions are combined to establish the nutritional values of the formulated product before the Nutrition Facts panel is generated.

The result is a connected workflow that combines the efficiency of USDA nutritional data import with ingredient verification, formulation, nutrition calculations, compliance review, and packaging-ready panel generation.

Search. Import. Review. Verify. Formulate. Calculate. Generate.

Create a free Panelgea account to begin building food ingredients and Nutrition Facts panels.

Accurate and complete ingredient, formula, serving, laboratory, claim, and packaging information remains essential to determining the compliance of the final product label.