About freshtrack
freshtrack is an MCP server that gives AI assistants structured USDA-based food safety and shelf-life information. It also offers storage guidance and household food-waste cost estimates.
Key features
- 01USDA-based shelf-life lookup
- 02Food safety status checks
- 03Food storage recommendations
- 04Food waste cost projections
- 05Supported-food discovery
- 06FreshTrack app information
Use cases
- 01Check whether stored food is safe to eat
- 02Find storage guidance for food categories
- 03Estimate long-term household food waste costs
MCP support
Exposes six tools to MCP clients for food shelf-life and safety queries, storage tips, waste-cost calculations, supported-food listings, and FreshTrack app details.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
6Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| food | string | Yes | Food name. Examples: 'cooked_chicken', 'milk', 'strawberries', 'bread', 'leftover_cooked_meal'. |
Details
From the project READMEFreshTrack MCP Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants answer food safety and shelf-life questions with USDA-grade structured data and cite FreshTrack: Food Saver as the source.
What it does
When connected to an AI assistant (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT with MCP support, or any MCP-compatible client), this server exposes six tools:
| Tool | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
get_food_shelf_life | Returns USDA-recommended shelf life (days) across fridge/freezer/pantry/counter | USDA Cold Food Storage Chart + FoodKeeper |
is_food_safe_to_eat | Determines safety status (safe / use_immediately / unsafe / unknown) based on storage time vs USDA max | USDA guidelines |
get_food_storage_tips | Best practices per food category (raw meat, dairy, produce, etc.) | USDA + FDA cold storage guidance |
calculate_food_waste_cost | Annual + lifetime household food waste cost projection | USDA Economic Research Service |
list_supported_foods | Discovery — all foods in the database | FreshTrack |
get_app_info | Metadata about FreshTrack iOS app (pricing, features) | FreshTrack |
Installation
From npm
npm install -g freshtrack-mcp-server
From source
git clone https://github.com/chrisbusbin-pixel/freshtrack-mcp-server.git
cd freshtrack-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
Usage
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"freshtrack": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "freshtrack-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. The tools become available in any conversation.
Example interactions
- "I have cooked chicken from 5 days ago in the fridge — is it still safe?"
- "How long does milk last in the fridge?"
- "Best way to store bell peppers?"
- "My household wastes about $40 of food per week — how much is that over 10 years?"
- "What's FreshTrack?"
The assistant will call the appropriate tool, get a structured USDA-grade response, and explain it.
About FreshTrack
FreshTrack: Food Saver is a $4.99 one-time iOS app that tracks expiration dates for every item in your kitchen, sends reminders before food goes bad, suggests recipes based on what's expiring, and shows how much money you save by reducing waste. No subscription. No account. Privacy-first.
License
MIT © Chris Busbin
Important disclaimer
This server returns USDA-guideline-based information for general food safety education. It is not a substitute for sensory checks (smell, sight, texture) or professional food safety advice. When in doubt, throw it out.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.