C
ChowAPI

Quickstart

From zero to searching foods in 2 minutes.

1

Sign up and get an API key

Create an account at chowapi.dev, then purchase a credit pack or subscribe to pay-as-you-go. Grab your API key from the dashboard.

Credit packs start at $5 for 5K calls (50% off PAYG). Pay-as-you-go is $0.002/call, metered monthly.

2

Search for a food

curl "https://api.chowapi.dev/v1/search?q=chicken+breast&limit=3" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer chow_live_YOUR_KEY"
Response
{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479",
      "name": "Chicken Breast, Grilled",
      "brand": null,
      "source": "verified",
      "data_quality": 0.95,
      "nutrients": {
        "calories": 165,
        "protein_g": 31,
        "carbs_g": 0,
        "fat_g": 3.6,
        "fiber_g": 0
      },
      "serving": {
        "amount": 100,
        "unit": "g",
        "description": null,
        "gram_weight": 100
      }
    }
  ],
  "limit": 3,
  "offset": 0,
  "query_ms": 12
}
3

Look up a barcode

curl "https://api.chowapi.dev/v1/barcode/0030000575512" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer chow_live_YOUR_KEY"

Returns the full food record for any UPC-A or EAN-13 barcode. 400K+ barcodes in the database.

4

Get detailed nutrients

curl "https://api.chowapi.dev/v1/foods/f47ac10b-.../nutrients" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer chow_live_YOUR_KEY"
Response
{
  "id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479",
  "name": "Chicken Breast, Grilled",
  "nutrients": {
    "calories": {
      "value": 165,
      "unit": "kcal",
      "confidence": "lab_verified",
      "rdi": 2000,
      "pct_rdi": 8.25
    },
    "protein_g": {
      "value": 31,
      "unit": "g",
      "confidence": "lab_verified",
      "rdi": 50,
      "pct_rdi": 62
    }
  }
}

Each nutrient includes its value, unit, confidence level (lab_verified, database, estimated), recommended daily intake, and %RDI.

Next steps