Sources for verified foods?

srecupid
srecupid Posts: 660 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there a way to see the source for a food marked verified? For example I had 2 chicago style hotdogs at portillos this afternoon. 1 entry was for 375 or so that wasn't verified and another was for 300 that was. Well http://www.portillos.com/nutrition/ leads absolutely nowhere. I know that a more local place uses buns that are 170 and the hotdog itself is about 160. So with all the toppings 375 doesn't seem unreasonable. On the other hand 150 calories could make a nice little extra snack. Does anyone know where i can find the source for a food marked verified?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,085 Member
    Honestly, my impression is that MFP marks foods "verified" based on the number of users that confirm its accuracy by clicking "yes" when viewing the nutrition details for the entry.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Honestly, my impression is that MFP marks foods "verified" based on the number of users that confirm its accuracy by clicking "yes" when viewing the nutrition details for the entry.

    Ah that makes sense. So somebody really wanted to believe that it was accurate so marked it like that? I would really like to believe that as well. It would be nice if they gave the option for submitting jpgs or urls to proof that people could view.
  • jlmarciniak
    jlmarciniak Posts: 13 Member
    Many of the verified foods I have come across have been wrong.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    They're rarely correct, lol. I found a "verified" entry in my log that was wrong just today. D'oh.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    jlmarciniak wrote: »
    Many of the verified foods I have come across have been wrong.
    I'll keep an eye out from now on. I've been assuming they were reserved for stuff like national chains with data easily found
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,085 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Honestly, my impression is that MFP marks foods "verified" based on the number of users that confirm its accuracy by clicking "yes" when viewing the nutrition details for the entry.

    Ah that makes sense. So somebody really wanted to believe that it was accurate so marked it like that? I would really like to believe that as well. It would be nice if they gave the option for submitting jpgs or urls to proof that people could view.

    In part I think it's more that some people aren't any more careful when verifying an entry than others are in creating them, but another problem is that manufacturers may alter their recipes from one country to another, and MFP has users all over the world, and manufacturers also alter their products or labels over time, so an entry may actually be correct for a particular time and place, but may not match the version of the product you bought.
  • Maddogpilot
    Maddogpilot Posts: 14 Member
    Don't forget that the allowable error on food labels is up to 20%.. I believe the average is 18% OVER!

    So I add 20% to my calories count on a label unless I did the measuring using a scale.

    I also find my Charge HR to be a little optimistic in measuring calories burned so I personally adjust for that

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