Food not displaying the correct info?

The_WoIverine

I'm posting this here, but at the same time this is probably a technical issue for MFP to take a look at.

While I personally eat based on macro goals and not calories goal, many people actually eat based on calories. So, how is it that these two, which have the same amount of macros have different amount of calories? Besides, the total should be 61 calories, not 60 or 70.

This makes me wonder how many errors like this there are with the rest of the food database.

livingleanlivingclean

There are heaps of wrong entries - it drives me insane, but I usually enter all my food myself. I also check this stuff on the computer as the phone app isn't as good for searching/adding/editing

The_WoIverine

@livingleanlivingclean I use the computer too, but in this case I scanned the barcode with the app, to avoid getting entries generated by users, and that's what I got.

hncary

They just go by exactly what the nutrition label says (and oscar meyer has it listed at 35cal per slice).

hncary

Actually the problem with the Oscar Meyer one is the fat is off. It shows me that it should be 3g fat per serving which would correct the calories. Sorry, missed that at first. Are the barcode ones actually entered by MFP themselves or do they just tag the barcodes onto entries others have made?

The_WoIverine

hncary wrote: »

Are the barcode ones actually entered by MFP themselves or do they just tag the barcodes onto entries others have made?

That is a really good question. Using the computer's browser I don't see an option to enter the barcode. I would have to check with the app if it gives that option.

kristydi

The_WoIverine wrote: »

@livingleanlivingclean I use the computer too, but in this case I scanned the barcode with the app, to avoid getting entries generated by users, and that's what I got.

I scanned something yesterday and the info from MFP was different than on the package. The package said the whole thing was 410 calories, MFP said 380. The macros were different to, but I can't remember those of the top of my head.

chivalryder

Simple:

The numbers (specifically calories) on nutritional information labels around rounded. You'll notice that on almost every single package of food, it's rounded to the nearest 10 calories.

You'll never be able to get it all 100% correct unless you make your own entries for everything you log and calculate the numbers yourself.

CyberTone

The_WoIverine wrote: »

@livingleanlivingclean I use the computer too, but in this case I scanned the barcode with the app, to avoid getting entries generated by users, and that's what I got.

From what I have read about the MFP food database over the past few years, it seems that the nutritional information for barcoded items mostly has been entered by MFP users. I doubt the millions of food items associated with barcodes were or are verified by MFP staff. As a MFP user scans barcoded items, if there is no match, the user has the option to do a text search and then associate the scanned barcode item with an existing item, or create an item, which is then associated with that barcode. Also, manufacturers and food distributers can and do change nutritional information for a specific product but do not change the barcode for whatever reason - I suppose there are regulatory guidelines for that, but I am not aware of them. The bottom line is always verify the nutritional information for any item that you add to your Food Diary, whether you found that item through a text search or a barcode scan.

By the way, @chivalryder is correct, US FDA guidelines permit manufacturers to round some nutritional information to the nearest 5 or 10 units, which allows for variations in the manufacturing process. Unfortunately for those of us depending on accurate gram or Calorie amounts, this can be quite frustrating.

Reference:
fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064932.htm

SandraChumbley

I'm new to this website/app - and so far the thing I find most annoying is the duplication of foods on the database (+the varied information each entry has). I tried to find Tesco cottage cheese with pineapple & there were several entries on database for the item - why? Sorry if that seems a daft question but I don't understand. I was advised to scan the product bar code but didn't have it to hand at the time..... As a newbie how am I supposed to know which item to select?