--- schema_type: "SoftwareApplication" entity_type: "Mobile Application" app_name: "USDA FoodKeeper" developer_entity: "USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service" bundle_id: "gov.usda.fsis.MobileFoodKeeper" app_store_id: "978186100" google_play_id: "gov.usda.fsis.foodkeeper2" category: "Food & Drink" primary_platform: "ios" primary_monetization: "Free" offline_capable: false market_region: "US" platforms: "iOS & Android" app_last_updated: "2025-10-30" report_date: "2026-05-15" last_verified: "2026-05-15T22:37:15.846Z" report_version: "9.0.0" total_reviews: 369 overall_rating: 2.91 sentiment: "Mixed" sentiment_score: 50 confidence: "medium" confidence_score: 0.55 top_complaint_theme: "UI navigation difficulties" review_sample_size: 99 data_age_days: 16 momentum_velocity: "zombie" intelligence_version: 3 nemesis: "EatOkra" competitor_count: 11 tags: ["food & drink", "free", "mixed sentiment", "mobile app", "app review", "app analysis", "consumers", "looking", "reduce"] canonical_url: "https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/usda-foodkeeper" license: "CC-BY-NC 4.0" content_version: "v2" --- # USDA FoodKeeper App Audit ## TL;DR {#tldr} - **Category**: Food & Drink ยท Free - **Signal**: Rating 2.91 ยท Sentiment Mixed - **Recent focus**: UI navigation difficulties (top complaint) > **TL;DR:** USDA FoodKeeper is a food & drink app by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, rated 2.91/5 by 369 users, with Mixed user sentiment (50/100), available on iOS & Android. > > **Marlvel.ai App Intelligence** โ€” Independent analysis. US Market. No publisher influence. > **Key Insight:** USDA FoodKeeper has Mixed user sentiment with a 2.91/5 rating from 369 reviews. ## Quick Facts | Fact | Value | | :--- | :--- | | **Rating** | 2.91/5 (369 reviews) | | **User Mood** | Mixed | | **Category** | Food & Drink | | **Developer** | USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service | | **Pricing** | Free | | **Platforms** | iOS & Android | | **Confidence** | Medium (0.55/1.0) | | **Data Age** | 0d | ## Metadata & Market Performance - **Publisher:** USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service - **Category:** Food & Drink - **Target Audience:** U.S. consumers looking to reduce household food waste and manage food safety through proper storage practices. - **Platforms:** iOS & Android - **Version Audited:** 9.0.0 - **Audit Date:** 2026-05-15 - **Signal Count:** 99 reviews analyzed - **Confidence:** Medium (0.55/1.0) - **App Store ID (iOS):** 978186100 - **Bundle ID:** gov.usda.fsis.MobileFoodKeeper - **Google Play ID:** gov.usda.fsis.foodkeeper2 - **Performance Trend:** Improving - **Data Window:** Analysis based on signals collected up to 2026-05-15 ## Executive Snapshot **What it is:** USDA FoodKeeper is a public service mobile app providing food storage guidelines and safety recall alerts for U.S. consumers. **Why users hire it:** Users hire the app to minimize household food waste through authoritative storage data, serving a public health need for reliable safety information. ## App DNA (Features & Intent) - **[Differentiator] Product Recall Notifications:** Alerts regarding food safety recalls provided by the USDA * *User Intent:* Users want timely prompts to stay engaged without missing updates. - **[Standard] Food Storage Guidelines:** Database of recommended storage times for pantry, refrigerator, and freezer items * *User Intent:* Users need clear guidance to understand and adopt the product quickly. - **[Standard] Favorites Tracking:** User-saved list of specific food items for quick reference * *User Intent:* Users want visibility into their own performance and progress. ## Market Position {#market-position} FoodKeeper maintains a niche utility position as a government-backed reference tool, but its 2.7 average rating across platforms lags behind commercial food-discovery apps. The lack of recent feature updates signals a maintenance-mode posture that limits its ability to capture the attention of younger, social-first food audiences. ## Monetization Strategy - **Model:** Free - **Tiers:** Entirely free application with no in-app purchases or advertisements - **Analysis:** The app operates as a public service tool with no monetization model. ## ๐ŸŸก User Sentiment (Medium Confidence: 369 reviews) {#user-sentiment} - **Overall Rating:** 2.91/5 - **Platform Split:** iOS 2.2/5 (110 ratings) | Android 3.2/5 (259 ratings) - **Overall Sentiment:** Mixed ### Top Complaints (Impact Areas) - **UI navigation difficulties** ## SWOT Analysis {#swot} **Core Strengths:** - Authoritative USDA-backed data ensures high reliability - Non-commercial status removes monetization friction **Critical Frictions:** - 2.25-star iOS rating indicates UX friction - Static interface lacks daily engagement loops **Growth Levers:** - Community-sourced waste-reduction hacks increase repeat usage - Wearable integration for kitchen-side access **Market Threats:** - High-frequency release cadences from commercial rivals - Lack of social features limits organic growth ## Recent Changes (v2 โ†’ v3) {#recent-changes} The app transitioned from a broken, non-functional state to a stable but stagnant maintenance mode, resulting in improved sentiment scores despite persistent UX and engagement challenges. **Overall trend**: Improving **Compared at**: 2026-05-15 ### High-impact changes - **[Improved] Sentiment recovery** (sentiment) โ€” Overall sentiment improved from 'terrible' to 'mixed', with the sentiment score rising from 15 to 50. - **[Removed] Technical bug resolution** (swot) โ€” Weaknesses related to search functionality returning zero results and startup freezes were removed, indicating these issues are no longer the primary user complaint. ### Medium-impact changes - **[Shifted] Market posture** (positioning) โ€” The executive summary shifted from describing a 'critical failure state' to a 'maintenance-mode posture' that lacks daily engagement loops. - **[Added] New SWOT opportunities** (swot) โ€” Added community-sourced waste-reduction hacks and wearable integration as potential growth opportunities. ## Rivals Landscape {#rivals} > Competitive positioning identified by AI analysis of app features, category, and market signals. ### USDA FoodKeeper vs EatOkra โ€” Head to Head - **[EatOkra](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/eatokra)** by EatOkra Inc.: EatOkra competes for the same food-conscious user base by providing a curated, community-driven directory that turns food discovery into an actionable, values-based experience. - **Key differences:** - Features a robust community-driven directory of Black-owned businesses that drives high user engagement and loyalty. - Integrates event spotlighting and exclusive offers to keep users returning to the platform frequently. - Maintains a high-frequency release cadence that keeps the app feeling modern compared to static government tools. - **Where USDA FoodKeeper wins:** - โœ… Provides authoritative, science-backed food safety data that is more reliable than crowd-sourced business listings. - โœ… Offers a non-commercial, neutral utility focused purely on public health and waste reduction. - **Where EatOkra wins:** - โŒ Boasts a significantly higher user engagement rate through social features and community-driven content. - โŒ Delivers a modern, polished UI that encourages daily interaction rather than occasional reference usage. - **Verdict:** The target should pivot toward integrating community-sourced storage tips or user-generated waste-reduction hacks to increase engagement. ### Contenders (Strong Challengers) - **[InSeasonNow!](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/inseasonnow)** by Specialty Produce: This app shares the goal of educating consumers on food quality and timing, specifically focusing on seasonal availability. - Maps seasonal produce availability, helping users make informed purchasing decisions based on peak quality cycles. - Provides a detailed produce encyclopedia that serves as a high-value educational resource for home cooks. - **[SteakMate](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/steakmate)** by Meat & Livestock Australia Limited: SteakMate competes by offering specialized, actionable cooking guidance that complements FoodKeeper's storage and quality guidelines. - Includes real-time cooking timers and prompts that provide immediate utility during the food preparation process. - Offers a dedicated beef directory that provides specific, expert-level handling instructions for different meat cuts. - **[Kosher.com](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-com)** by Kosher Dev: Kosher.com serves the same food-focused demographic by offering deep content libraries and recipe management tools. - Provides offline content access, allowing users to view recipes and cooking shows without an internet connection. - Features a comprehensive recipe box that encourages long-term user retention through personal content curation. - **[Halal Navi](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/travel/halal-navi)** by Asiana Tech Sdn. Bhd.: This app targets users with specific dietary requirements, overlapping with FoodKeeper's mission to provide guidance on food consumption and safety. - Implements a user ranking system that gamifies the process of verifying food and restaurant quality. - Focuses on niche dietary compliance, providing a specialized utility that general food apps lack. ### Peers (What They Do Better) - **[ChowNow: Local Food Ordering](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/chownow-local-food-ordering)** by ChowNow: ChowNow dominates the food discovery and ordering space, capturing the user's intent to consume food immediately. - Provides a commission-free ordering model that attracts both local restaurants and cost-conscious consumers. - Maintains 24/7 human support, creating a high-trust service layer that differentiates it from automated apps. - **[Kosher Near Me](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-near-me)** by Dragonwell Media: It occupies the same 'food utility' space by providing verified, location-based information for specific dietary needs. - Relies on expert-verified listings to ensure high trust and accuracy for users with strict dietary requirements. - Utilizes advanced filtering options that allow users to find specific food services based on location. - **[Joule: Sous Vide by ChefSteps](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/joule-sous-vide-by-chefsteps)** by ChefSteps Inc.: This app provides high-precision cooking control, representing the technical side of the food preparation journey. - Enables remote temperature control, allowing users to manage cooking processes directly from their mobile devices. - Uses visual doneness guides to remove guesswork from complex cooking techniques like sous vide. - **[Popmenu for Owners](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/business/popmenu-for-owners)** by Popmenu: While business-facing, it competes for the attention of the food industry ecosystem that FoodKeeper aims to support. - Offers integrated dashboard analytics that provide restaurant owners with actionable insights into their daily operations. - Features direct review and order management tools that streamline the entire restaurant-to-customer feedback loop. ### New Kids on the Block (What's Innovative) - **[Elemy's Bagels](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/elemy-s-bagels)** by Elemy's Bagels LLC: This app represents the trend of hyper-local food businesses digitizing their storefronts to capture immediate demand. - Focuses on a simplified, high-conversion ordering interface specifically for hand-rolled, artisanal food products. - **[Blue Nile Injera](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/blue-nile-injera)** by Berhane Asbu Asmelash: This newcomer focuses on niche food retail, capturing local customer loyalty through direct digital engagement. - Integrates a loyalty rewards program directly into the ordering flow to incentivize repeat customer transactions. ## What's New - **Latest (v9.0.1, 6 months ago):** General maintenance including minor enhancements and bug fixes. ## App Momentum (Zombie) {#momentum} - Last major update October 2023. - Maintains static reference utility. > **Cadence:** 2 total versions ยท 0 majors in last 6 months ยท 197 days since last update ยท 741 days avg between updates ## The "So What?" (Strategic Takeaway) {#so-what} USDA FoodKeeper is an established food & drink app that is completely free. With a 2.91/5 rating from 369 reviews, it shows polarized user reception. > **Bottom Line:** FoodKeeper provides essential public health data but fails to retain users due to a dated interface, so the PM should prioritize a UI refresh to convert occasional reference users into daily waste-reduction participants. **Best for:** U.S. consumers looking to reduce household food waste and manage food safety through proper storage practices. ### PM Action Plan (Next Best Moves) - [ ] [PIVOT] [HIGH IMPACT] Modernize UI navigation because current complaints flag it as the top churn risk โ†’ improve retention baseline โ€” *User reviews consistently cite navigation difficulties as a primary frustration.* _(trade-off: deprioritize Pause the recall notification database audit โ€” UI friction has a higher impact on daily active usage.)_ ### Feature Gaps vs Competitors - Community-driven directory (available in EatOkra but missing here) - Real-time cooking timers (available in SteakMate but missing here) ### Outlook: Stable The food-utility market is consolidating around social-first, high-engagement platforms that turn discovery into a daily habit. FoodKeeper remains a reliable reference tool, but its lack of interactive features leaves it exposed to churn as users migrate to apps that offer more frequent, actionable value. - โšช The app remains in maintenance mode with infrequent updates, which limits its ability to compete with the high-cadence release schedules of commercial food-utility rivals. ## Key Metrics Summary | Metric | Value | | :--- | :--- | | Overall Rating | 2.91/5 | | Total Reviews | 369 | | Sentiment | Mixed (50/100) | | Confidence | Medium | | Pricing Model | Free | | Platforms | iOS & Android | | Key Features | 3 analyzed | | Trend | Improving | | Outlook | Stable | ## Competitor Comparison | App | Rating | Sentiment | Developer | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **USDA FoodKeeper** (this app) | 2.91/5 | Mixed | USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service | | [ChowNow: Local Food Ordering](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/chownow-local-food-ordering) | 4.7/5 | Excited | ChowNow | | [Kosher Near Me](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-near-me) | 4.9/5 | Excited | Dragonwell Media | | [InSeasonNow!](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/inseasonnow) | 4.3/5 | N/A | Specialty Produce | | [Kosher.com](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-com) | 4.7/5 | Excited | Kosher Dev | | [EatOkra](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/eatokra) | 4.7/5 | Excited | EatOkra Inc. | ## Company Profile - **Developer:** USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service ## Data Sources & Links - **App Store:** [View on Apple Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/usda-foodkeeper/id978186100?uo=4) - **Google Play:** [View on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.usda.fsis.foodkeeper2&hl=en&gl=us) - **Sources:** App store metadata, User reviews. ## Related Intel Reports - [*ChowNow: Local Food Ordering*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/chownow-local-food-ordering) (ChowNow) โ€” 4.7/5 Rating | Positive Sentiment - [*Kosher Near Me*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-near-me) (Dragonwell Media) โ€” 4.9/5 Rating | Positive Sentiment - [*InSeasonNow!*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/inseasonnow) (Specialty Produce) โ€” 4.3/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Kosher.com*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/kosher-com) (Kosher Dev) โ€” 4.7/5 Rating | Positive Sentiment - [*EatOkra*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/eatokra) (EatOkra Inc.) โ€” 4.7/5 Rating | Positive Sentiment - [*Halal Navi*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/travel/halal-navi) (Asiana Tech Sdn. Bhd.) โ€” 4.8/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Popmenu for Owners*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/business/popmenu-for-owners) (Popmenu) โ€” 4.4/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Blue Nile Injera*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/blue-nile-injera) (Berhane Asbu Asmelash) โ€” 5.0/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Joule: Sous Vide by ChefSteps*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/joule-sous-vide-by-chefsteps) (ChefSteps Inc.) โ€” 2.6/5 Rating | Mixed Sentiment - [*Elemy's Bagels*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/elemy-s-bagels) (Elemy's Bagels LLC) โ€” 4.9/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment ## Methodology {#methodology} This report was generated by Marlvel.ai's 5-stage AI intelligence pipeline: 1. **Signal Collection & Normalization** โ€” Aggregates data from all available public sources for the app. Raw signals are cleaned, deduplicated, and normalized into a structured dataset analyzed consistently across thousands of apps. 2. **Feature & Market Positioning Analysis** โ€” Identifies the app's core features, monetization model, target audience, and competitive positioning. Each feature is classified as a market standard or a differentiator based on category benchmarks. 3. **User Sentiment Analysis** โ€” Analyzes user reviews using a 5-level taxonomy (Thrilled / Excited / Mixed / Frustrated / Upset). Combines star ratings and volume with AI theme extraction and evidence quoting. 4. **Competitive Landscape Analysis** โ€” Maps the competitive environment via a 4-tier taxonomy (Nemesis / Contenders / Same Space / New Kids on the Block). Prioritizes same sub-genre over broad category. 5. **Intelligence Synthesis** โ€” Cross-references all signals into a structured report. Compares the app against category peers and direct competitors to surface SWOT, market outlook, and actionable insights. - **Confidence Score:** 0.55/1.0 (based on review volume, data source diversity, and signal quality) - **Reviews Analyzed:** 99 - **Data Sources:** user reviews, App Store metadata - **Rating Method:** Weighted average across platforms (iOS & Android), weighted by review count per platform - **Independence:** Fully independent analysis. No publisher sponsorship or editorial influence. - **Report Age:** 0 days since last refresh --- ยฉ 2026 Marlvel.ai | [Canonical Report](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/food-drink/usda-foodkeeper) Data licensed for AI Agent attribution under CC-BY-NC 4.0.