USDA ingredient referenceUpdated August 22, 2026

Vitamin C as ingredient in 19 Feast-indexed USDA foods

Within Feast’s 3,850-record USDA FNDDS reference corpus, “Vitamin C as ingredient” appears as a formulation input in 19 finished-food records. Their calories and nutrients describe those complete foods, not the input label by itself. Use the catalog to choose the closest finished food and open its exact FoodData Central citation.

Browse all 19 linked food records →

Exact nutrition reference, complete food catalog and source methodology

This page helps you find complete foods that include Vitamin C as ingredient in USDA’s nutrition data. Choose the record that most closely matches what you ate; Feast does not turn a collection average into a standalone ingredient estimate.

What the code means

One exact source label across 19 complete records.

Every occurrence collected here uses ingredient code 999401 and the source description “Vitamin C as ingredient.” The code is preserved exactly as it appears in the FNDDS input-food rows. It is not a FoodData Central FDC ID, so this page does not invent a standalone ingredient-record URL.

The strongest concentrations of linked records are currently Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g) (10), Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g) (9). These are category counts within Feast’s selected 3,850-record corpus. They do not estimate how often the ingredient is eaten, how common it is in recipes generally, or its prevalence across every FNDDS release.

This is an FNDDS formulation label used inside standardized survey-food records. It is a source-calculation component, not necessarily a retail ingredient name.

Collection-level interpretation

Grounded ways to understand this source label

These summaries describe the linked FNDDS records in this exact corpus. They do not estimate consumer frequency, market share, or the composition of a meal.

Typical listed-weight range

0.02%–0.02%

The middle half of linked records spans 0 percentage points from the 25th to the 75th percentile. This is more resistant to a single extreme record than the full minimum-to-maximum range.

Largest linked category

Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)

10 of 19 linked records (53%) sit in this USDA category. The remainder span 1 other category.

Most populated share band

Under 1%

19 records (100%) fall in this band after repeated rows for code 999401 are combined within each food.

Most frequent eligible co-input

Folic acid as ingredient

It appears alongside code 999401 in 19 linked records (100%). Co-occurrence describes database structure, not a required recipe.

Where USDA uses this input

Linked records by source-food category

Each record is counted once even if ingredient code 999401 appears on more than one input row inside that formulation. The category grouping describes the complete linked foods, not a culinary rule about the ingredient.

USDA survey-food categories

Source-formulation evidence

How the share of listed input weight changes

Repeated rows for code 999401 inside one food are combined before the percentage is calculated. The denominator is the sum of all positive-weight inputs listed for that USDA formulation.

All linked records, not just the extremes

Where the listed-weight shares fall

Each bar counts complete food records after repeated rows for ingredient code 999401 have been combined.

Under 1%19 records
19 of 19
1% to under 5%0 records
0 of 19
5% to under 15%0 records
0 of 19
15% to under 30%0 records
0 of 19
30% to under 60%0 records
0 of 19
60% to 100%0 records
0 of 19

The role changes by food type

Median listed share in the largest USDA categories

Category medians summarize source-formulation shares, not nutrient content or consumption frequency.

Listed-weight share distribution across the largest complete-food categories
Complete-food category	Records	Median	Middle 50%	Observed span
Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	10	0.02%	0.02%–0.02%	0.02%–0.02%
Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	9	0.02%	0.02%–0.02%	0.02%–0.02%

What the spread can tell you

In this collection, “Vitamin C as ingredient” ranges from 0.02% to 0.02% of listed source-input weight, with a median of 0.02%. That variation can help distinguish a food where the input is a small supporting component from a record where it makes up much more of the standardized source formulation.

The spread remains descriptive. It does not show uncertainty around a single recipe, and a high source-weight share does not automatically mean the food supplies more of any particular nutrient. To compare nutrients, use the complete linked records below.

Important nutrition boundary

This collection does not support a verified standalone nutrition answer for “Vitamin C as ingredient.”

No unique exact food-code match or reviewed sole-source bridge qualifies for a direct consumer answer. Feast therefore does not treat the collection median, minimum, maximum, or an arbitrary similar record as the nutrition of this input.

The table below describes the complete linked foods per 100 grams. Use it to find a closer finished-food record, not to infer what this formulation input supplies on its own.

Compare complete food records

Nutrient span across the linked foods

Every value in this table describes an entire USDA survey-food record per 100 grams. The values are not the nutrient content of ingredient code 999401, and differences cannot be attributed to this one input.

Nutrient span across complete food records linked to this source ingredient code
Whole-record nutrient	Observed minimum	Middle 50%	Median	Observed maximum	Linked records
Caloriesper 100 g of the complete food	356 kcal	362–385 kcal	373 kcal	422 kcal	19
Proteinper 100 g of the complete food	4.3 g	6.4–9.1 g	7.9 g	19 g	19
Carbohydrateper 100 g of the complete food	67.9 g	75.1–79.3 g	76.3 g	82.9 g	19
Total fatper 100 g of the complete food	1.2 g	2.3–5.2 g	3.3 g	11.1 g	19
Dietary fiberper 100 g of the complete food	0.3 g	5.1–9.2 g	6.1 g	20.5 g	19
Sodiumper 100 g of the complete food	385 mg	525–628 mg	578 mg	813 mg	19

The minimum and maximum preserve the complete observed span. The median is the middle linked-record value, not a prediction for a meal and not an ingredient-specific nutrient estimate.

Complete linked catalog

All 19 Feast-indexed food records that list code 999401

This is the complete qualifying-corpus catalog, not a hand-picked sample. Search by food name or USDA category, then open a profile for household portions, Feast’s 21-nutrient panel, formulation details, and its exact FDC citation.

Filter linked records

19 records shown

Complete USDA food-record catalog linked to this source ingredient code
Linked USDA food record	USDA category	Formulation	Weight share	Calories	Protein	Sodium	Citation
Cereal, bran flakes, plain	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	10 input rows	0.02%	361 kcal	9.7 g	585 mg	FDC 2708456 ↗
Cereal, chocolate puffs	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	13 input rows	0.02%	388 kcal	5.4 g	425 mg	FDC 2708449 ↗
Cereal, cinnamon toast	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	414 kcal	5.9 g	539 mg	FDC 2708450 ↗
Cereal, corn puffs	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	371 kcal	7.7 g	525 mg	FDC 2708454 ↗
Cereal, corn squares	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	369 kcal	7.9 g	729 mg	FDC 2708452 ↗
Cereal, corn squares, flavored	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	380 kcal	5.6 g	662 mg	FDC 2708463 ↗
Cereal, frosted oats with marshmallows	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	10 input rows	0.02%	372 kcal	8.2 g	639 mg	FDC 2708467 ↗
Cereal, fruit crispy	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	8 input rows	0.02%	384 kcal	4.3 g	542 mg	FDC 2708460 ↗
Cereal, fruit rings	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	11 input rows	0.02%	383 kcal	5.1 g	504 mg	FDC 2708459 ↗
Cereal, K's, flavored	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	11 input rows	0.02%	363 kcal	7.3 g	617 mg	FDC 2708472 ↗
Cereal, K's, plain	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	11 input rows	0.02%	356 kcal	19 g	680 mg	FDC 2708471 ↗
Cereal, O's, flavored	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	11 input rows	0.02%	385 kcal	8.6 g	580 mg	FDC 2708446 ↗
Cereal, O's, honey nut	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	11 input rows	0.02%	385 kcal	8.6 g	580 mg	FDC 2708464 ↗
Cereal, O's, multigrain	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	373 kcal	8.5 g	385 mg	FDC 2708468 ↗
Cereal, O's, plain	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	10 input rows	0.02%	374 kcal	12.4 g	506 mg	FDC 2708448 ↗
Cereal, other, peanut butter	Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)	14 input rows	0.02%	422 kcal	7.3 g	525 mg	FDC 2708485 ↗
Cereal, rice squares	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	12 input rows	0.02%	357 kcal	7 g	813 mg	FDC 2708470 ↗
Cereal, wheat flakes	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	9 input rows	0.02%	359 kcal	10.1 g	574 mg	FDC 2708480 ↗
Cereal, wheat squares	Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)	10 input rows	0.02%	356 kcal	10.5 g	578 mg	FDC 2708476 ↗

Decision support from the exact records on this page

Turn source data into a better next decision

These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 9 exact records behind Vitamin C as ingredient (USDA input 999401). Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.

Equal-weight result

Cereal, frosted oats with marshmallows is higher in calcium per 100 g

Cereal, frosted oats with marshmallows reports 357 mg versus 5 mg for Cereal, fruit rings: a 352 mg difference when both are normalized to 100 g.

Inspect the underlying evidence

The denominator changes the answer

Cereal, fruit rings is denser; Cereal, bran flakes, plain is higher in its source amount

Cereal, fruit rings reports 383 kcal per 100 g and 115 kcal in USDA source amount (30 g). Cereal, bran flakes, plain reports a lower 361 kcal per 100 g but a higher 181 kcal in USDA source amount (50 g).

Record identity is part of the estimate

Distinguish “Cereal, fruit rings” from “Cereal, K's, flavored”

These are separate USDA records with separate formulations or survey descriptions. Match preparation, additions, and the named household amount before borrowing either record’s nutrients.

Inspect the underlying evidence

Contextual knowledge graph

Follow the relationship that matches your question

For Vitamin C as ingredient (USDA input 999401), each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.

Best next guide for this exact record Cereal

Cereal, bran flakes, plain and Cereal, chocolate puffs are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.

Follow this evidence path 6 context records in this source topic Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar (>21.2g/100g)

Cereal, fruit rings and Cereal, chocolate puffs belong to this USDA source-category collection. Its displayed ranges and complete exact-record catalog provide the peer set for a manual comparison; the destination does not preselect this page’s record.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Calcium as ingredient

USDA input 999301 appears in 6 of 9 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 0–0 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Cornmeal, degermed, unenriched, yellow

USDA input 20422 appears in 5 of 9 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 50–85 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path 3 context records in this source topic Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)

Cereal, corn puffs and Cereal, bran flakes, plain belong to this USDA source-category collection. Its displayed ranges and complete exact-record catalog provide the peer set for a manual comparison; the destination does not preselect this page’s record.

Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Calcium: density and serving context

In this page’s records, calcium runs from 5 mg in Cereal, fruit rings to 357 mg in Cereal, frosted oats with marshmallows, all per 100 g.

Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Dietary fiber: density and serving context

In this page’s records, dietary fiber runs from 4.7 g in Cereal, corn squares, flavored to 20.5 g in Cereal, bran flakes, plain, all per 100 g.

Follow this evidence path

Method and provenance

How this ingredient-centered page was calculated

Feast begins with its pinned 3,850-record USDA FoodData Central Survey Foods reference corpus for FNDDS 2021–2023. Each exact food profile retains its FDC identifier, source-food description, nutrient values, household measures, and positive-weight input-food rows. This page groups those input rows by the exact ingredient code 999401; it does not merge similar-looking ingredient names or infer synonyms.

The distinct-record count deduplicates by FDC food record. When the same code is listed more than once inside one source formulation, its input weights are added before the listed-weight share is calculated. Category counts also count each food once. The 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile use the sorted one-share-per-food values with linear interpolation between adjacent ranks when a percentile falls between two records.

USDA’s current FNDDS documentation explains that many nutrient profiles are generated with calculation recipes designed to represent multiple variants, and that their input codes are not necessarily the exact ingredients in a retail product or an ingredient declaration. It also documents moisture and nutrient-retention adjustments. Feast therefore treats these rows as transparent source-calculation evidence—not as a reverse-engineered recipe.

The complete-food nutrient table uses each linked record’s available published per-100-gram values so the denominator remains consistent; its middle-50% ranges use the same interpolated percentile method. It is presented for record selection and comparison only. No nutrient value is reassigned to the ingredient, no causal effect is inferred, and no “healthy” score is manufactured from the collection.

How to apply the evidence to a meal

Use the ingredient as a discovery clue. Compare the linked record names, food categories, preparation wording, source formulation, and portion measures. If a close record exists, its complete profile can provide a defensible reference estimate. If the meal differs materially in cooking fat, sauce, ingredient ratios, or portion size, keep looking or use recipe weights, a package label, or an editable photo estimate instead.

These pages are educational source indexes. They do not provide medical advice, personalized nutrient targets, food-safety guidance, or a recipe. If a clinician has given you individualized dietary instructions, follow that guidance and use the most specific current source available for the food you actually consumed.