Why so many of the same food

davidlangworthy
davidlangworthy Posts: 1 Member
edited November 24 in Getting Started
There are like 10 entries for "1% Milk". Most are right but some are wrong. Why can't Fitness Pal remove the duplicates and throw out the outliers?

Replies

  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    MFP is a "free app". We are not paying for it, at least I am not.
    Search for the "green checked" entries, those have been confirmed
    Good luck in your healthy journey
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    davidlangworthy wrote: »
    There are like 10 entries for "1% Milk". Most are right but some are wrong. Why can't Fitness Pal remove the duplicates and throw out the outliers?
    socioseguro wrote: »
    MFP is a "free app". We are not paying for it, at least I am not.
    Search for the "green checked" entries, those have been confirmed
    Good luck in your healthy journey

    MFP allows users to enter their own food products into the database and apparently we aren't very good at it. If it's something that you use regularly like milk, once you've entered it in once, it will pop up on your 'frequent' results via the website, or in your search results on your phone app. So you would just have to make sure to choose the right entry the first time.

    Even with the green checks, you still need to pay attention.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    socioseguro wrote: »
    MFP is a "free app". We are not paying for it, at least I am not.
    Search for the "green checked" entries, those have been confirmed
    Good luck in your healthy journey

    +1
  • handkeswife
    handkeswife Posts: 7 Member
    It definitely helps if you scan what you're using. That way you know you're getting the right calorie and nutrition counts. And if it's a brand you use often, it will show up first and in your frequent foods.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    The barcode number on a food package does not contain nutrition information, it is just a universal product code (UPC) number registered to the manufacturer or distributor. All of the macro- and micronutrient information associated with that barcode number was entered into the MFP Food Database by other MFP users or staff; then a user associated that UPC number with a MFP Food Database record. The UPC number can be associated with the wrong MFP Food Database record, or the MFP Food Database record could be inaccurate.

    You should check the MFP nutrition information associated with that UPC number every time you scan a new barcode to enter a food item into your Food Diary; plus you should occasionally recheck that an item you have used in the past is still correct, because another user could have edited the MFP Food Database record since the last time you used it.

    You can use the USDA National Nutrient Database to verify the nutrient information for many whole foods, such as meats, poultry, vegetables, fruits, dairy, nuts, herbs, spices, etc., plus some restaurant and US/Canadian food products.

    For instructions on how to edit an incorrect food item in the MFP Food Database, or re-associate a barcode with the correct food item, please see these articles on the MFP Help pages...
    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/13980-some-food-information-in-the-database-is-inaccurate-can-i-edit-it-
    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/391249-how-do-i-edit-or-change-the-item-found-by-a-barcode-scan-[/url
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    The "green checked verified" entries are not always correct. I looked up a ribeye and used the "green checked verified" only to see it had ZERO cholesterol. While other parts of the entry may be correct (or not), "verified" / "confirmed" does not mean accurate. I've found this to be true in several cases.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    While 1% milk is the same nutritionally world wide, many things are not. The nutritional information for products in Canada is often noticeably different from that is the US or other parts of the world. I for one would be very annoyed if the Canadian version of a product was removed from the database because the nutritional information was different than the US version. Also, companies often change the formulation of products which also affects the nutritional information. All that means there is no perfect way to maintain the database to keep everyone happy. Find the information that fits with the product you are using, and ignore the others.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    I scan everything and then click on "Find a better match" and enter in the data straight from the packaging, for exactly the reasons CyberTone gave above. That way, it's listed in My Foods and nobody else can tinker with it ::shakes fists at tinkerers::
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    rileysowner wrote: »
    While 1% milk is the same nutritionally world wide, many things are not. The nutritional information for products in Canada is often noticeably different from that is the US or other parts of the world. I for one would be very annoyed if the Canadian version of a product was removed from the database because the nutritional information was different than the US version. Also, companies often change the formulation of products which also affects the nutritional information. All that means there is no perfect way to maintain the database to keep everyone happy. Find the information that fits with the product you are using, and ignore the others.

    ^This.

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