Foods Starting with "Z" in the USDA Database
The USDA FoodData Central database catalogues 6,141 foods that begin with the letter "Z", representing roughly 0.3% of the 1,965,759 browseable entries across the portal. Each entry carries a full FDA-format nutrition label with calories, macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and daily value percentages, data pulled from USDA laboratory analysis and manufacturer-submitted branded food records. The current view shows 50 foods on page 114 of 123, ordered by alphabetical name.
Across the foods shown on this page, the average calorie count is 284 kcal per 100g, with average protein of 5.1g per 100g. Sorting by calories, protein, or fiber rearranges the table to surface foods at the extremes of each axis, useful when building a grocery list around specific macro targets rather than browsing alphabetically. The alpha index above jumps to any other starting letter, and the full browse covers all 26 letters of the USDA food catalog.
Why an alphabetical index matters: many USDA entries use clinical or manufacturer naming (e.g. "Babyfood, fruit, prunes with tapioca") rather than common shopping names, so letter-based browsing catches foods that keyword search might miss. Each food title links to a full nutrition profile with similar foods, brand variants, and category context. For interpretation help, the nutrition guides explain how to read daily values, spot hidden sugars, and compare foods across letters and categories for healthier choices.
About the alphabetical browse
The alphabetical browse pages list every food whose name starts with the given letter, drawn from USDA FoodData Central. USDA's naming conventions follow Standard Reference Legacy and Branded Foods catalog rules — "Babyfood, fruit, prunes with tapioca" not "Prune Baby Food". That convention means alphabetical browsing surfaces foods that simple keyword search may miss, especially for prepared foods, fortified products, regional varieties, and clinical-prep foods. Within each letter the entries are sorted by name (default), calories, protein, or fibre — choose the column that matters to your meal planning.
We exclude entries with corrupt or single-character names (a small but real share of OCR-derived rows in the USDA dump) so the browse stays reviewer-clean. The pagination is consistent page-to-page so deep linking and bookmarking work reliably. Each food entry links to its full FDA-format Nutrition Facts panel with macronutrients, micronutrients, and Daily Value percentages, plus a per-serving and per-100 g dual-basis disclosure.
The alphabetical browse complements the category browse and the diet-rankings views. If you know the food name, alphabetical is fastest. If you know the food group (vegetable, dairy, fish), the category browse is better. If you're planning around a specific nutritional pattern (high protein, low calorie, keto), use the diet rankings. Each path leads to the same per-food detail page, so feel free to triangulate.