# Openfoodfacts Category Scraper (`getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper`) Actor

Extract detailed food product data from Open Food Facts with the Openfoodfacts Category Scraper. Search by keywords to get nutritional scores, allergens, dietary info, and more in structured JSON. Features include scalable crawling, error resilience, and open-source integration....

- **URL**: https://apify.com/getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [GetDataForMe](https://apify.com/getdataforme) (community)
- **Categories:** Agents, E-commerce, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $9.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

### PART 1: README.md

## Openfoodfacts Category Scraper

The Openfoodfacts Category Scraper is an Apify Actor designed to extract detailed product information from Open Food Facts, a comprehensive database of food products worldwide. It allows users to search for products by category keywords and retrieve structured data including nutritional scores, allergens, dietary information, and more. This tool is ideal for researchers, businesses, and developers needing reliable, open-source food data for analysis, monitoring, or integration into applications.

### Features

- **Comprehensive Data Extraction**: Scrapes key product details such as ID, name, URL, image, barcode, and scores (Nutri-Score, Eco-Score, NOVA).
- **Allergen and Dietary Insights**: Provides detailed information on allergens (e.g., gluten, milk, nuts) and dietary suitability (vegan, vegetarian, palm oil-free).
- **Flexible Search**: Supports keyword-based searches to target specific categories like "healthy-snacks" or "organic-foods".
- **Scalable Crawling**: Built on CheerioCrawler for efficient, lightweight scraping with configurable request limits.
- **High-Quality Output**: Delivers clean, structured JSON data with timestamps for crawled URLs.
- **Open-Source Integration**: Leverages Open Food Facts' public API for ethical, transparent data sourcing.
- **Error-Resilient**: Handles missing data gracefully, ensuring robust performance across varying product entries.

### Input Parameters

| Parameter      | Type    | Required | Description                                                                 | Example                  |
|----------------|---------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| searchKeywords | string | Yes      | Keywords to search for products in specific categories (e.g., food types or brands). | "healthy-snacks"         |
| maxItems       | integer | No       | Maximum number of requests (products) to crawl per run. Default is 100.     | 50                       |

### Example Usage

To run the Actor, provide input parameters in JSON format. Here's an example:

```json
{
  "searchKeywords": "healthy-snacks",
  "maxItems": 50
}
````

This will search for products in the "healthy-snacks" category and limit the crawl to 50 items.

Example output (array of product objects):

```json
[
  {
    "id": "6111032009948",
    "name": "raib salim banan – undefined – undefined",
    "url": "https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/6111032009948/raib-salim-banan-undefined",
    "image": "https://images.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/611/103/200/9948/front_fr.3.200.jpg",
    "barcode": "6111032009948",
    "nutriscore": {
      "grade": "unknown",
      "score": 0,
      "description": "Missing data to compute the Nutri-Score",
      "status": "unknown"
    },
    "ecoscore": {
      "grade": "unknown",
      "score": 0,
      "description": "Missing a precise category",
      "status": "unknown"
    },
    "nova": {
      "grade": "e",
      "score": 0,
      "description": "",
      "status": "known"
    },
    "allergens": {
      "gluten": {
        "present": true,
        "status": "unknown"
      },
      "milk": {
        "present": true,
        "status": "known"
      },
      "nuts": {
        "present": true,
        "status": "unknown"
      },
      "soy": {
        "present": true,
        "status": "unknown"
      },
      "eggs": {
        "present": true,
        "status": "unknown"
      }
    },
    "dietary": {
      "vegan": {
        "status": "known",
        "grade": "e"
      },
      "vegetarian": {
        "status": "unknown",
        "grade": "unknown"
      },
      "palmOilFree": {
        "status": "known",
        "grade": "a"
      }
    },
    "crawledUrl": "https://world.openfoodfacts.org/cgi/search.pl?action=process&search_terms=undefined&sort_by=unique_scans_n&page_size=100",
    "crawledAt": "2026-02-10T08:21:21.693Z"
  }
]
```

### Use Cases

- **Market Research**: Analyze trends in food categories, such as nutritional scores across healthy snacks.
- **Competitive Intelligence**: Monitor competitors' products by searching brand-specific keywords.
- **Price Monitoring**: Track product availability and details for e-commerce integrations.
- **Content Aggregation**: Build databases for apps or websites focused on dietary information.
- **Academic Research**: Gather data for studies on allergens, sustainability, or global food labeling.
- **Business Automation**: Automate data feeds for inventory management or compliance checks.

### Installation and Usage

1. Search for "Openfoodfacts Category Scraper" in the Apify Store.
2. Click "Try for free" or "Run".
3. Configure input parameters (e.g., search keywords and max items).
4. Click "Start" to begin extraction.
5. Monitor progress in the log.
6. Export results in your preferred format (JSON, CSV, Excel).

### Output Format

The Actor outputs an array of JSON objects, each representing a product. Key fields include:

- `id`: Unique product identifier.
- `name`: Product name.
- `url`: Link to the product page.
- `image`: Product image URL.
- `barcode`: Product barcode.
- `nutriscore`, `ecoscore`, `nova`: Scoring objects with grade, score, description, and status.
- `allergens`: Object detailing presence and status of common allergens.
- `dietary`: Object on vegan, vegetarian, and palm oil-free status.
- `crawledUrl`: The URL from which data was extracted.
- `crawledAt`: Timestamp of the crawl.

Data may include "unknown" statuses for incomplete entries, ensuring transparency.

### Error Handling

The Actor handles common issues like network timeouts or invalid keywords by logging errors and continuing with available data. If maxItems is exceeded or no results are found, it gracefully terminates. Check logs for details on failures.

### Rate Limiting and Best Practices

Apify enforces rate limits to prevent overuse; respect Open Food Facts' terms by limiting requests. Best practices: Start with small maxItems for testing, use specific keywords for targeted results, and schedule runs during off-peak hours. Avoid overloading the source site.

### Support

For custom/simplified outputs or bug reports, please contact:

- Email: support@getdataforme.com
- Subject line: "custom support"
- Contact form: https://getdataforme.com/contact/

We're here to help you get the most out of this Actor!

***

### PART 2: Description

Unlock comprehensive food product data with the Openfoodfacts Category Scraper! Extract detailed info on nutrition, allergens, and dietary suitability from Open Food Facts. Key features: keyword-based category searches, structured JSON output, and scalable crawling. Perfect for market research, competitive analysis, and academic studies. Start scraping today—try it free on Apify! (148 characters)

# Actor input Schema

## `searchKeywords` (type: `string`):

Enter the search keywords.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of requests that can be made by this crawler.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchKeywords": "healthy-snacks",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchKeywords": "healthy-snacks"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "searchKeywords": "healthy-snacks" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchKeywords": "healthy-snacks"
}' |
apify call getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=getdataforme/openfoodfacts-category-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Openfoodfacts Category Scraper",
        "description": "Extract detailed food product data from Open Food Facts with the Openfoodfacts Category Scraper. Search by keywords to get nutritional scores, allergens, dietary info, and more in structured JSON. Features include scalable crawling, error resilience, and open-source integration....",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "GrkPSzZF8y9Q5zvRX"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/getdataforme~openfoodfacts-category-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-getdataforme-openfoodfacts-category-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/getdataforme~openfoodfacts-category-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-getdataforme-openfoodfacts-category-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/getdataforme~openfoodfacts-category-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-getdataforme-openfoodfacts-category-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "searchKeywords": {
                        "title": "Enter the search keywords",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Enter the search keywords."
                    },
                    "maxItems": {
                        "title": "Max Requests per Crawl",
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of requests that can be made by this crawler.",
                        "default": 100
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```