# FDA Total Diet Study Dataset

### About the Dataset

The FDA Total Diet Study (TDS) Dataset provides analysis-ready data on heavy metals, pesticides, radionuclides, and nutrients measured in approximately 280 table-ready U.S. foods. Spanning fiscal years 1991-2022, it combines modern TDSi exports (FY2018-2022) with legacy data (1991-2017) into three unified tables covering elements, pesticides, and radionuclides with detection limits, regulatory benchmarks, and food sample metadata.

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### Quick Access

**Tables**: ELEMENTS, PESTICIDES, RADIONUCLIDES\
**Sources**: FDA Total Diet Study (TDSi + legacy archives)\
**Update Frequency**: Annual (fiscal year releases)\
**Geography**: U.S. (6 sampling regions)

## Overview

The FDA Total Diet Study Dataset provides comprehensive access to U.S. food contaminant and nutrient analysis data including:

* **ELEMENTS** (356,685 rows) - Heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury), essential minerals, and vitamins measured in \~280 foods across 30+ years
* **PESTICIDES** (82,994 rows) - Organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, and other pesticide residues with detection limits and analytical methods
* **RADIONUCLIDES** (26,058 rows) - Cesium-137, Strontium-90, and other radionuclide concentrations in food samples

### Metadata Tables

Every Dataplex data product includes these standard metadata tables:

| Table             | Purpose                                                         |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `FEEDS`           | Dataset catalog -- available tables, descriptions, update dates |
| `FEEDS_FILES`     | Batch load history with `is_latest` flag for data freshness     |
| `CHANGELOG`       | Change log -- data loads, schema changes, corrections           |
| `DATA_DICTIONARY` | Column descriptions for all tables                              |

## Entity Relationship Diagram

<figure><img src="/files/dEpraUSqT9dn5kjDGqLg" alt="FDA TDS Entity Relationship Diagram"><figcaption><p>Entity relationship diagram showing data tables and metadata linkages</p></figcaption></figure>

\## Data Tables

### ELEMENTS

Heavy metals, essential minerals, and vitamins measured in approximately 280 table-ready U.S. foods. Includes both TDSi-era data (FY2018-2022) and legacy data (1991-2017).

**Key Features:**

* 356,685 rows covering FY1991-2022
* Analytes include arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, calcium, iron, zinc, and more
* Detection limits (LOD, LOQ, reporting limit) for each measurement
* Food sample metadata with market basket and collection identifiers
* Regional sampling across 6 U.S. regions

#### Key Columns

| Column           | Type      | Description                               |
| ---------------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| food\_number     | NUMBER    | FDA food item number (\~280 unique foods) |
| food\_name       | VARCHAR   | Description of the food item as prepared  |
| analyte\_name    | VARCHAR   | Name of the element or nutrient measured  |
| concentration    | NUMBER    | Measured concentration in the food sample |
| unit             | VARCHAR   | Unit of measurement (e.g., ug/kg, mg/kg)  |
| fiscal\_year     | NUMBER    | FDA fiscal year of analysis               |
| region           | VARCHAR   | U.S. sampling region                      |
| feed\_id         | VARCHAR   | FK to FEEDS table                         |
| feeds\_files\_id | VARCHAR   | FK to FEEDS\_FILES table                  |
| created\_at      | TIMESTAMP | When the data was loaded                  |
| updated\_at      | TIMESTAMP | When the table was last rebuilt           |

### PESTICIDES

Pesticide residue measurements in approximately 280 table-ready U.S. foods. Covers organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, and other pesticide classes.

**Key Features:**

* 82,994 rows covering FY1991-2022
* Multiple analytical methods (extraction + determinative)
* Trace flags for below-detection results
* Combined TDSi and legacy data sources

#### Key Columns

| Column           | Type    | Description                       |
| ---------------- | ------- | --------------------------------- |
| food\_number     | NUMBER  | FDA food item number              |
| food\_name       | VARCHAR | Description of the food item      |
| analyte\_name    | VARCHAR | Name of the pesticide measured    |
| concentration    | NUMBER  | Measured concentration            |
| unit             | VARCHAR | Unit of measurement               |
| fiscal\_year     | NUMBER  | FDA fiscal year of analysis       |
| trace\_flag      | VARCHAR | Indicates below-detection results |
| feed\_id         | VARCHAR | FK to FEEDS table                 |
| feeds\_files\_id | VARCHAR | FK to FEEDS\_FILES table          |

### RADIONUCLIDES

Radionuclide concentrations in U.S. food samples, primarily Cesium-137 and Strontium-90.

**Key Features:**

* 26,058 rows covering FY1991-2022
* Key isotopes: Cs-137, Sr-90
* Reporting limits for each measurement
* Regional and temporal trend data

#### Key Columns

| Column           | Type    | Description                       |
| ---------------- | ------- | --------------------------------- |
| food\_number     | NUMBER  | FDA food item number              |
| food\_name       | VARCHAR | Description of the food item      |
| analyte\_name    | VARCHAR | Name of the radionuclide measured |
| concentration    | NUMBER  | Measured concentration            |
| unit             | VARCHAR | Unit of measurement               |
| fiscal\_year     | NUMBER  | FDA fiscal year of analysis       |
| feed\_id         | VARCHAR | FK to FEEDS table                 |
| feeds\_files\_id | VARCHAR | FK to FEEDS\_FILES table          |

## Use Cases

### Baby Food Heavy Metals Compliance

Benchmark baby food products against FDA action levels, EU limits, and state mandates (CA/MD/VA) for arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.

```sql
SELECT food_name, analyte_name, AVG(concentration) AS avg_concentration, unit
FROM DWV.ELEMENTS
WHERE food_name ILIKE '%baby%'
  AND analyte_name IN ('Arsenic', 'Lead', 'Cadmium', 'Mercury')
GROUP BY food_name, analyte_name, unit
ORDER BY food_name, analyte_name;
```

### Contaminant Trend Analysis

Track 30+ years of contaminant levels across food categories to identify emerging risks.

```sql
SELECT fiscal_year, analyte_name, AVG(concentration) AS avg_level, COUNT(*) AS samples
FROM DWV.ELEMENTS
WHERE analyte_name = 'Lead'
GROUP BY fiscal_year, analyte_name
ORDER BY fiscal_year;
```

### Data Freshness Check

```sql
SELECT source_name, row_count, data_period, is_latest, created_at
FROM DWV.FEEDS_FILES
WHERE is_latest = TRUE;
```

## Data Lineage

Every row in the data tables includes `feed_id` and `feeds_files_id` for full data lineage:

```sql
-- Join data with batch metadata
SELECT e.food_name, e.analyte_name, e.concentration,
       ff.source_name, ff.row_count, ff.is_latest
FROM DWV.ELEMENTS e
JOIN DWV.FEEDS_FILES ff ON e.feeds_files_id = ff.id
WHERE ff.is_latest = TRUE;
```

## Source Information

| Field               | Value                                                                                |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Publisher           | U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)                                              |
| Program             | Total Diet Study (TDS)                                                               |
| URL                 | <https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-total-diet-study-tds/fda-total-diet-study-tds-results> |
| Update Cadence      | Annual (fiscal year releases)                                                        |
| Geographic Coverage | United States (6 sampling regions)                                                   |
| Time Period         | FY1991-2022                                                                          |
| Category            | Science and Technology                                                               |


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