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What is the difference between calories and kilocalories?

Officially energy in foods is expressed in kilojoules (kJ). Energy in foods historically is expressed in kilocalories (kcal). One kcal equals 4.184 kJ. The scientific definition of a kilocalorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water up one degree Celsius from 15° to 16° at one atmosphere. The true calorie, sometimes referred to as a "small calorie," is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water up one degree Celsius from 15° to 16° at one atmosphere. A kilocalorie is equal to 1000 calories.