Incorrect nutrition value

wainsweb1
wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
Tesco's Peanut and Dark Chocolate 35g bars are shown as containing 6.8g of sugar on their packaging. When the barcode is scanned in Myfitnesspal, the sugar content is shown as nil. Any thoughts....?
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Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Subscribers enter the nutrition information, so you are at the mercy of the person who entered it. As @deannalfisher said you can edit it as well.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    I've lost count of the number of times I've reported errors in nutrition values. Yet when I next come to enter the same foods the same errors are still there. I've since reported this malfuntion of the reporting feature, but again the problem still remains.

    Now I've found that the sodium content is wholly unreliable. Whoever calculates sodium in mg from salt in g needs to know this formula:
    Salt in g x 1000 ÷ 2.5 = sodium in mg
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    Ok, got that thanks. Didn't realise that I could save it to My Foods. That still doesn't alter the fact though that error reports should be reviewed by the MyFitnessPal team - it says they will on the webpage. Anyway, if the errors are being caused by members submitting incorrect information, that's no help to other members who rely on the data. It means each new food item entered needs to be checked against the manufacturer's nutrition chart on the packaging.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    Well, it's MyFitnessPal who said that error submissions will be reviewed. In any case, if other members' inaccuracies show, why don't my corrections overwrite them?
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    I don't think for one minute that members set out to deliberately give false information. I just think they should be more careful because others will be relying on their accuracy.
    If MyFitnessPal say that reports will be reviewed, then I expect them to be reviewed. After all, that's what they say they will do in the light blue banner at the top of their Submit A Correction webpage
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    Can't seem to attach a screenshot here so I've saved it to the photography website Canon Irista that I use. Here's the link to that: https://www.irista.com/gallery/xqrzpebnohx8

    Clearly, what's the point in Myfitnesspal saying they will review error submissions if they're not going to and, even more, if they're also not going to publish the corrections.

    Anyway, it doesn't alter the fact that the app will continue to allow members to enter nutrition values (except me it seems), and for the sake of other members these entries need to be accurate.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    edited October 2019
    wainsweb1 wrote: »
    Can't seem to attach a screenshot here so I've saved it to the photography website Canon Irista that I use. Here's the link to that: https://www.irista.com/gallery/xqrzpebnohx8

    Clearly, what's the point in Myfitnesspal saying they will review error submissions if they're not going to and, even more, if they're also not going to publish the corrections.

    Anyway, it doesn't alter the fact that the app will continue to allow members to enter nutrition values (except me it seems), and for the sake of other members these entries need to be accurate.

    Why can't you do this? The only ones you cannot change/edit are the green checked ones.

    I see that on the app screenshot you linked it does say, "Review."

    "Review STILL does not mean, "Fix," nor do they promise to change another user's saved food entry. That would be wrong, can you understated that?

    I'm out; you're not willing to consider the very reasonable solution already offered by the site and explained in detail.

    Continue to be upset. I am done wasting time on this. You could have entered 50 new foods in the amount of time you've spent on this thread.

  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    You'll need to ask MFP why I can't edit nutrition values. I did, but they haven't fixed it so I still need to rely on everyone else's input.

    I didn't ask you to prolong this discussion. Like you I don't have the time either, but thank you for letting me air my views.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    wainsweb1 wrote: »
    Can't seem to attach a screenshot here so I've saved it to the photography website Canon Irista that I use. Here's the link to that: https://www.irista.com/gallery/xqrzpebnohx8

    Clearly, what's the point in Myfitnesspal saying they will review error submissions if they're not going to and, even more, if they're also not going to publish the corrections.

    Anyway, it doesn't alter the fact that the app will continue to allow members to enter nutrition values (except me it seems), and for the sake of other members these entries need to be accurate.

    I avoid member-entered entries as much as possible, which is easy for me to do as I mostly eat whole foods. I get the syntax for that from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov and plug that into the MFP database to find admin-entered entries.

    I used to contact Support directly when there were issues with admin-entered entries (they told me they will not do anything for member-entered entries) but this process was so annoying that I stopped.

    Example: my issue would be marked Resolved when it was not in fact resolved - this was the designation to use to indicate that they has responded to me, which is not synonymous with resolution >.<



  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    wainsweb1 wrote: »
    Can't seem to attach a screenshot here so I've saved it to the photography website Canon Irista that I use. Here's the link to that: https://www.irista.com/gallery/xqrzpebnohx8

    Clearly, what's the point in Myfitnesspal saying they will review error submissions if they're not going to and, even more, if they're also not going to publish the corrections.

    Anyway, it doesn't alter the fact that the app will continue to allow members to enter nutrition values (except me it seems), and for the sake of other members these entries need to be accurate.

    I avoid member-entered entries as much as possible, which is easy for me to do as I mostly eat whole foods. I get the syntax for that from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov and plug that into the MFP database to find admin-entered entries.

    I used to contact Support directly when there were issues with admin-entered entries (they told me they will not do anything for member-entered entries) but this process was so annoying that I stopped.

    Example: my issue would be marked Resolved when it was not in fact resolved - this was the designation to use to indicate that they has responded to me, which is not synonymous with resolution >.<



    >.<

    No, but that is how I feel about this whole topic.

    Not sure how MFP is going to hold on to members (unless they're like me and got here in 2007 when there were not any other better food databases.) It's really a problem, the database. If I was new I'd probably look elsewhere but I have all my foods vetted now and it would be more trouble to move.

    I totally "get" the frustration.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    It would be a pity to try alternatives to MFP because everything else they provide is exactly what I'm looking for. I understand the problem with policing the database, but how many other organisations would allow their credibility to be determined by users who can input into it whatever they like?
    Maybe MFP should start by simplifying the information they provide. I don't know what obligatory information is required in the US, but in the UK it's the quantity of salt that has to appear on the packaging not sodium. If MFP changed sodium in mg to salt in g this would avoid the biggest source of errors (the mis-calculation of sodium) that I've found.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    It will be difficult to police the database, so why don't MFP make it less open to errors. The requirement to show salt is a European-wide directive, which accounts for a pretty big population. If the reason sodium is used by MFP is because most of the world refers to that and not to salt, then maybe MFP ought to say how to convert salt to sodium. The bottom line remains, and is my original comment, that members who submit nutrition values should be more thorough so that others can rely on the data without having to check new food items each time they are entered. In addition, if MFP say they will review 'Submit A Correction' reports, then that's what they should do. They said it.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    wainsweb1 wrote: »
    It will be difficult to police the database, so why don't MFP make it less open to errors. The requirement to show salt is a European-wide directive, which accounts for a pretty big population. If the reason sodium is used by MFP is because most of the world refers to that and not to salt, then maybe MFP ought to say how to convert salt to sodium. The bottom line remains, and is my original comment, that members who submit nutrition values should be more thorough so that others can rely on the data without having to check new food items each time they are entered. In addition, if MFP say they will review 'Submit A Correction' reports, then that's what they should do. They said it.

    And how exactly do you plan to make that happen?

    Also, you have no reason to believe that MFP don't review your reports. It only says that they'll review them, not that they will do anything.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited October 2019
    wainsweb1 wrote: »
    It would be a pity to try alternatives to MFP because everything else they provide is exactly what I'm looking for. I understand the problem with policing the database, but how many other organisations would allow their credibility to be determined by users who can input into it whatever they like?

    That users can add their own foods and the resulting huge database is why MFP is popular. If you couldn't add your own foods (which you can at Cron too), what would you do, ask MFP to add it when they got around to it? What about recipes (I would agree that recipes should not be made public).

    The trick is learning to find the good entries.
    Maybe MFP should start by simplifying the information they provide. I don't know what obligatory information is required in the US, but in the UK it's the quantity of salt that has to appear on the packaging not sodium. If MFP changed sodium in mg to salt in g this would avoid the biggest source of errors (the mis-calculation of sodium) that I've found.

    MFP does not provide the information, the people who enter it do.

    In the US, sodium (in mg) is on the labels, so that is likely why MFP has that. So your change would mess it up for people in the US and other places that use sodium. (It's extremely easy to convert salt to sodium, I expect many people just don't care about either, or don't notice the difference because they don't care. It should not be difficult to create entries that work for you or find correct ones.)

    Personally, the biggest source of errors on packaged-based entries I see are because package information changes and package information may be different from one country to another. So the entry you are saying is wrong and trying to get MFP to change may, in fact, be correct in Canada or the US, etc. But I don't log much packaged stuff anyway, so finding the whole foods entries was the trick that helped me. The options with smaller databases like Cron are much better for easy logging of whole foods, but would likely be a lot more work if you log lots of packaged stuff. You'd have to create your own, which you can already do here.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    As I said earlier, what's the point in the reports being reviewed, and members taking time to submit corrections, if nothing is done with them? Maybe as kimny72 suggests, why have this feature at all, but as it's there it ought to work.
    In answer to carwyn, I don't plan on doing anything in addition to what I've done. I can't make it work. Hopefully now the matter has been well-aired, members will be more conscientious when inputting nutritional values; but I suspect what lemurcat2 has suggested is true, some don't care enough to be bothered.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    edited October 2019
    Yes, I'll be using the "My Foods" from now on. But the bottom line is I don't really want to have to check every new food item that I scan.
    Neither do I think that the problem is caused by variations between countries. I'm not bothered about minor errors, but outside the UK can you really buy, for example, a pack of 10 unsmoked back bacon rashers from Tesco that has zero salt! The problem really is members not entering data accurately.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    Who’s ‘carwyn’?

    Also, how many members of MFP do you think are reading your post?
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    As you probably know, I was referring to you. Apologies for getting your name wrong. When I sent in my first comment on 20th October I would have been quite happy to have just put my thoughts out there. The fact that it generated quite lengthy replies was pleasantly surprising.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    To be accurate, you really do have to check anything new you scan, that's just how it is.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    That's well understood. Thanks lemurcat2, and all other contributors to this discussion.
  • wainsweb1
    wainsweb1 Posts: 17 Member
    Ok, so I'm now using My Foods and the list is getting longer each day because sodium values have been incorrectly entered. But what a faff it then is if I want to enter a food item from it and I can't remember how the text starts, or whether I have actually entered it before. Wouldn't it be good if, when the barcode is scanned, I was given the option of using My Foods if I'd saved it previously.