Wrong information when scanned

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fatand54
fatand54 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've scanned a few items that have come up with the correct food but have not had the correct nutritional measurements as per the packet/tin. Where does the scanning information come from?

Replies

  • JacobNicolaus
    JacobNicolaus Posts: 34 Member
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    Probably from users themselves. I had the same experience. When the item scanned doesn't match the database, I usually select 'find a better match' and then choose the entry which matches better. Next time I scan the same item it automatically jumps to that better match.
  • marm1962
    marm1962 Posts: 950 Member
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    Yep, some people see a wrong number and enter it. Others only put in the info they need...even though it should be put in exactly as stated. Other times it is from a different country and not listed as such. Human error for the most part
  • jelly_potato
    jelly_potato Posts: 77 Member
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    I have encountered that several times, but usually my problem is that when people create food entries they only account for the information on the label. This is a bit problematic for me since I track my iron intake as well, which is often not listed on the label. I usually get a bit annoyed, sit down and correct the entry. Of course there are also those pointless entries, where I feel that people don't even try to correctly log. Boy oh boy was I in for a surprise when I saw that the raisins entry I had been using for 2-3 weeks didn't log any carbs. Come on, who creates an entry of dried fruit and doesn't account the carbs in it?
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    The majority of food items are crowd-sourced (i.e. user-entered) from the information on Nutrition Facts labels or from other websites. Users can and do make mistakes; some users only enter partial information when creating food items.

    Scanning a barcode just returns a number instead of text that is used to search the MFP Food Database.

    If a Food Database item is not verified - does not have a green check mark - you can edit the database item.

    If a Food Database item is verified - has a green check mark, but contains the wrong nutrition information, only the MFP staff can edit the item. You can open a Case on the MFP Help/FAQ pages via Email Us to request an update to the verified item; you will have to provide the specific changes for the staff to do that.

    ​Please see these articles, and search for other helpful articles, on the MFP Help/FAQ pages...

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/13980-some-food-information-in-the-database-is-inaccurate-can-i-edit-it-

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/391249-how-do-i-edit-or-change-the-item-found-by-a-barcode-scan-
  • fatand54
    fatand54 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi thanks for your reply's this is a bit of a revelation! I was under the impression that if the product was scanned then the nutrition was supplied by the manufacture I didn't realise it came from us everyday users. And as has been said here, can be entered incorrectly. I will have to look at every packet from now on to make sure it all matches. I thought the couple I had come across were just blips in the system.

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