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Sources and licenses

Every number in Chickpea comes from a public source. Here is each one, what we use it for, and the license it comes with.

Last updated October 30, 2026

Food data

USDA FoodData Central

Nutrient values for generic foods (Foundation Foods, SR Legacy and the survey foods of FNDDS) and for branded products, with standard household portions. Published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in the public domain under CC0 1.0. We cite it as USDA asks: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov

USDA Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED)

Added sugars for the survey foods of FNDDS, which have no nutrition label. Published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in the public domain. FPED overview

Open Food Facts

Barcodes, product names and brands, ingredient lists, nutrition per 100 g, NOVA processing groups and product photos for packaged foods, from a non-profit, crowd-sourced database. © Open Food Facts contributors. The database is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0, its individual contents under the Database Contents License 1.0, and its photos under CC BY-SA 3.0. openfoodfacts.org. How we copy and use the database, and how you can get our copy, is on our food data page.

Products submitted by app users

A small number of packaged products in our table were added from label photos that users of our apps submitted for products the databases above did not have.

Recipes

USDA MyPlate Kitchen

The recipes in meal plans come from USDA’s MyPlate Kitchen, and each one carries the credit “Recipe from USDA MyPlate Kitchen”. Works of the US federal government are not protected by copyright in the United States (17 U.S.C. § 105). We use only recipes that USDA credits to itself, and leave out recipes credited to partner organizations or whose origin we could not confirm. We work from archived copies of the official USDA pages. Nutrient values per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

Our own simple meals

The simple meals that need little or no cooking are written by us, with nutrient values calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

How the score is built

Our food score is adapted from the 2023 update of the European front-of-pack nutrient-profiling algorithm published by Santé publique France. We compute it ourselves and have documented every change on our how we score page. We don’t use that scheme’s name, logo or colors, and our score is not endorsed by Santé publique France.

  • The algorithm for foods: [1]
  • The algorithm for drinks: [2] [3]
  • Free sugars in place of total sugars: [4] [5] [6]
  • Whole grains and the carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio: [7] [8]
  • Non-sugar sweeteners: [9]
  • Industrial trans fat: [10] [11]
  • Fiber badges: [12]

Health guidance

  • The 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for PCOS: [13] [14] [15]
  • The new name, PMOS: [16] [17]
  • Glycemic index evidence in PCOS, and GI tables: [18] [19]

What we don’t use

We don’t use glycemic-index tables. The main GI database requires written permission for use in a product for sale, and the published international tables are either licensed for non-commercial use only or carry no open license. The how we score page explains why the score works without them.

Corrections

If you find a mistake in our data or a broken source, email support@joinchickpea.com. Where the error came from Open Food Facts, we will report it there too, so it is fixed for everyone.

Reference list

  1. Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score. Update of the Nutri-Score algorithm: update report from the Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score, 2022 (algorithm for foods, with appendix tables). mpc.gouvernement.lu/dam-assets/le-minist%C3%A8re/consodur/2022-main-algorithm-report-update-final.pdf
  2. Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score. Update of the Nutri-Score algorithm for beverages: second update report (V2-2023). Santé publique France. inpes.santepubliquefrance.fr/index.php/nutrition-et-activite-physique/rapportsynthese/update-nutri-score-algorithm-beverages-second-update-report-scientific-committee-nutri-score-v2-2023
  3. Santé publique France. The Nutri-Score calculation algorithm is evolving to promote healthier food choices. Press release, 2023. www.santepubliquefrance.fr/index.php/en/press/nutri-score-calculation-algorithm-evolving-promote-healthier-food-choices
  4. World Health Organization. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva: WHO; 2015. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
  5. Department of Health and Social Care (UK). Nutrient profiling model 2018: technical guidance. Open Government Licence v3.0. www.gov.uk/government/publications/nutrient-profiling-model-2018/nutrient-profiling-model-2018-technical-guidance
  6. 21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii): definition of added sugars for the US Nutrition Facts label. www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/101.9
  7. Mozaffarian RS, Lee RM, Kennedy MA, et al. Identifying whole grain foods: a comparison of different approaches for selecting more healthful whole grain products. Public Health Nutr. 2013;16(12):2255–2264. doi.org/10.1017/S1368980012005447
  8. Liu J, Rehm CD, Shi P, et al. A comparison of different practical indices for assessing carbohydrate quality among carbohydrate-rich processed products in the US. PLoS One. 2020;15(5):e0231572. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231572
  9. World Health Organization. Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline. Geneva: WHO; 2023. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240073616
  10. WHO Regional Office for Europe. WHO Regional Office for Europe nutrient profile model, second edition. Copenhagen: WHO/Europe; 2023. www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2023-6894-46660-68492
  11. World Health Organization. WHO updates guidelines on fats and carbohydrates. News release, 17 July 2023. www.who.int/news/item/17-07-2023-who-updates-guidelines-on-fats-and-carbohydrates
  12. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, Annex: nutrition claims and conditions applying to them. www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2006/1924/annex
  13. Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven JJE, et al. Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023;108(10):2447–2469. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10505534 Open access, CC BY-NC 4.0. Also published in Human Reproduction, Fertility and Sterility and the European Journal of Endocrinology.
  14. Monash University. International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome 2023. doi.org/10.26180/24003834.v1
  15. Teede HJ, Mousa A, Tay CT, et al. Summary of the 2023 international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: an Australian perspective. Med J Aust. 2024;221(7). www.mja.com.au/journal/2024/221/7/summary-2023-international-evidence-based-guideline-assessment-and-management
  16. Teede HJ, Khomami MB, Morman R, et al. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. Lancet. 2026;407(10545):2329–2339. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00717-8
  17. Healio. PCOS has a new name: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. 13 May 2026. www.healio.com/news/womens-health-ob-gyn/20260513/pcos-has-a-new-name-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome
  18. Kazemi M, Hadi A, Pierson RA, et al. Effects of dietary glycemic index and glycemic load on cardiometabolic and reproductive profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(1):161–178. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7850057
  19. Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab233