Canadian Nutrient File: National Food Composition Database

The Canadian Nutrient File is Health Canada’s standard reference food composition database. It provides nutrient values for foods commonly consumed in Canada, serving as a national resource for nutritional information. The dataset is available under an open government license.

Use Cases

• Dietary assessment based on nutrient values per food item.
• Nutritional research and policy development based on standardized food composition data.
• Food product labeling and formulation using official nutrient profiles.
• Public health surveillance of nutrient intake across the population.

Strengths

• Serves as the official national standard for food composition data in Canada.
• Released under an open government license (OGL-CA-2.0), facilitating reuse.

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are not detailed in the provided metadata, limiting understanding of specific variables.
• The dataset title references 2015, but the last update metadata is listed as 2026, indicating a potential conflict or maintenance anomaly.

Provenance

Source

Health Canada | Santé Canada

Time Range

2015

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026-05-23.

Geography

Canada