Data source
Every nutrient value comes from the German Food Code and Nutrient Data Base (Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel, BLS), version 4.0, Germany's national nutrient database maintained by the Max Rubner Institute. It rests on laboratory data from the institute and its partners and has been open data under CC BY 4.0 since December 2025.
Citation: Max Rubner-Institut (2025): Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel (BLS), Version 4.0 — Deutsche Nährstoffdatenbank. Karlsruhe. DOI: 10.25826/Data20251217-134202-0.
Which foods the tables list
The BLS also contains intermediate products, industrial ingredients and composite dishes. The tables list basic foods only – 3,155 entries we classified as such with the help of a language model. It is the same classification the NutriSpy app uses when it suggests foods.
Each table lists a food once: where the BLS has, say, fried, grilled and frozen liver, only the variant with the highest value appears, its preparation in the name. Rows with identical values – the BLS files some foods under several animal species – also appear only once.
Rows supplying less than 2 % of the reference value per portion are left out.
Portion sizes
Portion sizes are not part of the BLS. They are typical portions NutriSpy set for each food with the help of a language model – the same the app uses when someone names no amount. They are guide values, not advice on how much to eat.
Foods eaten in portions under 10.0 g – mainly dried herbs and spices – are left out of the per-100-g and per-100-kcal rankings and get a section of their own. Otherwise dried basil would rank above every food that fills you up.
Nutrient density
The per-100-kcal ranking shows how much of a nutrient a food supplies relative to its energy. It includes only foods with at least 20.0 kcal per 100 g, because tea, water and spices would otherwise lead on their near-zero energy alone.
Reference values
Percentages refer to the reference values of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) for adults aged 25 to 51. Where women and men differ, we use the higher value; for zinc, the value for a moderate phytate intake.
For protein the DGE gives a value per kilogram of body weight, for omega-3 fatty acids a share of dietary energy, so those two tables have no percentage column.
What the tables are not
The tables show what is in a food. How much of it the body absorbs depends on preparation, the rest of the meal and your own condition. These pages are not dietary advice and do not replace seeing a doctor.
Data status and updates
Data as of 2026-09-24. We update the tables when the underlying data or our selection changes. Report errors or questions through the contact details in the legal notice.
All nutrient tables →
