Data Sources & Verification
RawPawIQ uses a dual-source architecture for nutrient data: USDA FoodData Central for whole foods and verified manufacturer nutrition labels for branded products. Every value in the system is traceable to its original source.
How It Works
- 1
USDA FoodData Central (Whole Foods)
Whole food ingredients like chicken, beef, and vegetables come from the USDA's FoodData Central database. Data types include Foundation Foods (laboratory-analyzed) and SR Legacy (standard reference values).
- 2
Verified Manufacturer Labels (Branded Products)
Supplements and branded ingredients use nutrition data directly from manufacturer labels. Each branded ingredient includes the product name, brand, and serving size from the original label.
- 3
Per-100g Normalization
All nutrient values are stored per 100 grams, regardless of original serving size. This allows accurate scaling when you specify ingredient amounts in your recipes.
- 4
No Estimation or Calculation
If a nutrient value doesn't exist in the source data, we don't estimate it. The value shows as zero or missing rather than displaying a potentially incorrect number.
USDA Data Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Foundation Foods | Laboratory-analyzed values with the highest accuracy. Includes detailed nutrient breakdowns. |
| SR Legacy | Standard Reference data from earlier USDA databases. Still reliable but may have fewer nutrients measured. |
| Branded Foods | Manufacturer-submitted data for commercial products. Used when official USDA whole food data isn't available. |
Why This Exists
Pet nutrition software often uses undocumented or estimated nutrient values. This makes it impossible to verify accuracy or understand where numbers come from. By using only government-sourced data (USDA) and verified manufacturer labels, every value in RawPawIQ can be traced back to its original source. This creates an auditable system where you can verify any number you see.
Common Misinterpretations
"Zero means the food doesn't contain that nutrient"
Zero often means the nutrient wasn't measured or reported in the source data, not that it's absent. See the Explicit vs Generic Data guide for details.
"USDA data is always complete"
Even Foundation Foods may not include every nutrient. Amino acids, specific fatty acids, and some vitamins are often missing from older datasets.
"Manufacturer labels are less accurate"
For supplements, manufacturer labels are often more accurate than USDA estimates because they reflect the actual formulation. FDA requires label accuracy within defined tolerances.