# Search foods

> Searches your foods, generic ingredients and packaged products.

`READ list_foods`

Your assistant searches here before logging or cooking with a food: your own foods first, generic ingredients such as eggs or rice, and packaged products by name, brand or barcode. A food that isn't found says nothing about its ingredients or allergy safety.

It takes the same input as [Search foods](https://splot.health/docs/api/foods/search) in the API.

## Inputs

| Input | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | string | Up to 200 characters. Defaults to ``. |
| `library` | string | One of `off`, `splot`, `mine` or `composition`. Defaults to `mine`. |
| `limit` | integer | From 1 to 100. Defaults to 30. |
| `offset` | integer | Skip this many results. Pass the nextOffset of the previous page to read on; a null nextOffset means there are no more. Defaults to 0. |
| `locale` | string | Up to 80 characters. |
| `region` | string |  |

## What your assistant is told

The tool's own instructions, word for word, as every assistant receives them.

> Find foods to log or cook with: the person's own foods (library mine, the default; search it before making a new food), generic ingredients such as eggs, broccoli or rice (library composition, three characters or more), and packaged products by name, brand or barcode (libraries splot and off). This only searches. Pass a result's library and key exactly as food in create_meal, update_meal or a recipe ingredient. Use a short, specific query; if nothing matches, try a simpler query or another library, then ask for the label or offer a clearly marked estimate rather than searching again. A missing match says nothing about ingredients, nutrition or allergy safety.