How can I fix incorrect nutritional information on bar code scanned items?

jagillham
jagillham Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just started on MFP a few days ago, and the nutritional information on the bar code scanned items is driving me a little mad. About half seem to be incorrect in some capacity. I click the report button, and update the correct information as per the packet, and once done I get a message which says something along the lines of it's been updated, and you can now use the updated entry.

However, when I check the item in the diary it still shows as wrong. Even more frustrating is that both my wife and I are using the app currently - so I'm having to update everything twice as it is.

I presume there must be another way? It's crazy that extremely common items have incorrect information when they must selling millions a of them a year... and all the information is printed in plain English in a standard format on the packaging. :(

Thank you

Replies

  • jagillham
    jagillham Posts: 19 Member
    Sorry, a follow up question... can I also change the serving size of a bar code scanned item? My bagels on the barcode only give an option by 100g or 1g weight. I'm sure most people just have a whole one, so weighing it out seems a bit pointless.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,905 Member
    jagillham wrote: »
    Just started on MFP a few days ago, and the nutritional information on the bar code scanned items is driving me a little mad. About half seem to be incorrect in some capacity. I click the report button, and update the correct information as per the packet, and once done I get a message which says something along the lines of it's been updated, and you can now use the updated entry.

    However, when I check the item in the diary it still shows as wrong. Even more frustrating is that both my wife and I are using the app currently - so I'm having to update everything twice as it is.

    I presume there must be another way? It's crazy that extremely common items have incorrect information when they must selling millions a of them a year... and all the information is printed in plain English in a standard format on the packaging. :(

    Thank you

    I believe when you correct a food, it creates a new entry for that food in the database. Probably if it's a bar-coded entry you corrected, the new entry doesn't have the bar code, the old one kept it.

    Some of the incorrect information was probably correct at the time/place the entry was created. Manufacturers change product formulations, different countries have different formulations of the same-named product.

    If you're visualizing a direct data pipeline from the food manufacturer with the bar-coded items, that's now how it works. The MFP database is crowd-sourced, including the bar-coded entry. Some regular MFP user entered the data and linked it to the bar code, not the manufacturer or MFP. Using bar-coded items is no more accurate than looking things up by typing in a search term and finding items that way.

    I'd bet your corrected entries are in there if you do that, and they may even be in your "my foods" list, ready for (near-)one-click selection, depending on which version of the app you're using.
  • jagillham
    jagillham Posts: 19 Member
    edited July 2021
    Seems like a fatal flaw in the system. The bar code feature is completely pointless if it links to the wrong thing, and gives me no confidence to scan anything. Even if MFP didn't want some randomer to change the values, I surely would not be hard to create a system where once X number of different users submit the same corrections it then considers it a valid and genuine change.

    So in essence the bar code feature is pointless, and all I really can do is scan something new once, update it, then try to remember to find it from history rather than the scanned information?
  • jagillham
    jagillham Posts: 19 Member
    OK, so tried again - this time editing on the website from my laptop instead. It seems *fingers crossed* to have now updated the barcode entry based on the new (correct!) information when I then scanned again on my phone.

    I need to learn to let things go, these are some own brand bagels from a shop we never normally use. Chances are will never eat them again anyway! :D
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,905 Member
    I don't use the barcode scanner, personally, because it's not useful *to me*. Probably at least 75% of what I eat doesn't have a barcode, or at least doesn't have one at point of consumption (might've been on the bulk container at the store or something, dunno).

    Normally, I don't enter stuff in MFP while I'm cooking, I note items/weights on a junk mail envelope and enter the whole meal later (quick, keeps device clean). Switching input modes in that context doesn't appeal to me, and the bar code isn't right at hand by then anyway.

    Most of the groups of foods I commonly eat together are already saved as meals, so I just click to add the whole multi-ingredient meal to my diary, and adjust a few quantities. That's much quicker than one-at-a-time entry, even if some of that stuff had barcodes.

    So, I agree that barcodes aren't very useful, but for very different reasons. Each person will have their own style of using the app, that interplays with their eating style. I could see how barcodes would be convenient for someone who (for example) frequently eats something like multi-ingredient frozen meals, maybe other eating styles.

    I think there's a learning process for everyone, when it comes to logging, and that logging will seem cumbersome at first for most anyone. Whether it smooths out & is quick/easy in the long run probably has more to do with food choices or eating styles.

    I hope it becomes easier for you, as you go along.
  • jagillham
    jagillham Posts: 19 Member
    Pleased to report the logging is a bit easier already now I've figured out I can update the bar code scanned information on the website.

    We don't really do a lot of recipe cooking, so being able to scan is super helpful. I like the meals idea, and am thinking I'll probably look to have a few set standard breakfast and lunchtime meals, and then a much larger number of evening meals on rotation pre defined in portion size for individual needs of myself and my wife.

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