Question about packaging

FitnessFreak1821
FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
edited July 2023 in Food and Nutrition
Ok when I scanned these hot dogs on my fitnesspal the calories came up different then on the package? What would you do? Would you go by the package or fitnesspal? When I google it says 120 cals per hot dog to for these but the package is saying 90. My gut says to go with the package.

Curious, What would you do?

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,876 Member
    Follow the package.
    MFP's database contains outdated or just plain wrong data sometimes.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,247 Member
    Packaging can be off 20% by law. Check a couple other websites for comparison
  • BrightEyedAgain
    BrightEyedAgain Posts: 259 Member
    First, check and make sure there isn't an MFP entry that matches your package because sometimes you'll find one if you keep scrolling down the list. But, if there isn't one, I'd follow the package. MFP is a database created by users, so it has a lot of errors and outdated information. It's still very useful for making it easy to log, but if there's a conflict, I go with the package.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Scanning is just a faster way to get to MFP's cluttered and glitchy database. Go with the package.

    Here's my standard answer on finding accurate entries, mostly for whole foods:

    Unfortunately, the green check marks in the MFP database are used for both USER-created entries and ADMIN-created entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database. A green check mark for USER-created entries just means enough people have upvoted the entry - it is not necessarily correct.

    To find ADMIN entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and paste that into MFP. All ADMIN entries from the USDA will have weights as an option BUT there is a glitch whereby sometimes 1g is the option but the values are actually for 100g. This is pretty easy to spot though, as when added the calories are 100x more than is reasonable.

    https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

    Use the “SR Legacy” tab - that's what MFP used to pull in entries.

    Note: any MFP entry that includes "USDA" was USER entered.

    For packaged foods, I verify the label against what I find in MFP. (Alas, you cannot just scan with your phone and assume what you get is correct. Note: scanning is mostly only available with Premium these days.)
  • Unknown
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  • paints5555
    paints5555 Posts: 1,233 Member
    The exact reason why I stopped using the barcode scanner and didn't care when it became a paid option.

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