Scan or label?

achagpar

Do you go with the scanned stats or what’s written on the label? Eg: there are some dark chocolate peanut protein bars I bought at Aldi — the label says 170 calories; scan it, and it says 180. I bought a cranberry walnut salad — the label says 180 calories; scan it and it says 210! The same has happened with Lean Cuisines... I know it’s “only” a difference of 10-30 calories but I’m trying to be as accurate as I can be and these days every calorie counts. For now, I’ve been going with the scan figuring it’s better to overestimate than underestimate... anybody else notice a difference? Which is accurate?

RAinWA

I always go with what's on the package. The scan could be wrong for a lot of reasons - regional differences, manufacturer changed formulas, someone entered incorrect information, etc., etc.

paperpudding

Mostly just scan it here.

Small differences don't matter - I'm not a subscriber to the every calorie matters theory.

Overall averaging around the mark is good enough IMO.

Teabythesea_

Go with the package. Entries are user created and they could be outdated or just flat out wrong. Sometimes I'll scan something and get an entirely different food.

earlnabby

Label. Too many chances for the scan to get wrong info.

ETA: if you are eating pre-packaged meals like Lean Cuisine, make sure you weigh it also. The actual food weight can be as much as 20% higher than the package weight.

RelCanonical

I'd go with label too. Sometimes manufacturers update their label with formula changes, but the scan entry in MFP isn't updated yet.

Panini911

scan and find the entry that matches label. i guess if i didn't find one i'd create one but haven't had to do that. Then use weight (on scale) vs measuring cups or numbers of items.

kimny72

Keep in mind, when you scan a bar code, it's not reading anything from the manufacturer, other than the name of the product. It then searches the MFP database just like if you typed the name of the product into the search bar. So you need to check the database entry that comes up when you scan just as you should check entries you search for manually. Whether you scan or type, you are looking for an entry that matches the info on the package.

achagpar

Thanks so much all!

trobius

Package. I think MFP lets the first entry connected to a barcode be "the" barcode info for eternity. It annoys me because many people only enter the nutrients they track when they do that. And yes, I see lots of errors too. And on the other hand manufacturers are legally liable for what goes on their packages.

dragon_girl26

Label. MFP' database is user maintained, so the chances of it being incorrect are pretty good.