A [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server for accessing the USDA's FoodData Central database. This server provides AI
MCP Food Data Central MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing the USDA's FoodData Central database. This server provides AI agents with the ability to search for foods, get detailed nutritional information, and.
This project demonstrates how to build an MCP server that enables AI agents to access the USDA FoodData Central API. It allows searching for foods, retrieving detailed nutritional information, and accessing comprehensive food data through keyword search and structured queries.
You will need 2 environment variables: TRANSPORT, USDA_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.
Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.
Among the database access options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. It is maintained by FelipeAdachi; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.
### Docker with Stdio Configuration
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"food-data-central": {
"command": "docker",
"args": ["run", "--rm", "-i",
"-e", "TRANSPORT",
"-e", "USDA_API_KEY",
"food-data-central-mcp"],
"env": {
"TRANSPORT": "stdio",
"USDA_API_KEY": "YOUR-API-KEY"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| TRANSPORT | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| USDA_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
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