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Tips for Adding New Foods to the Database
April 24, 2008 — Hi everyone, my name is Bethany and I am a member of the NutriMirror™ team. One part of my job is to manage our general food database — to keep it growing and as accurate as possible. Our database is already good, but with your help it can be even better. There are a few things you can do that will make my job easier and, also, be a big help to the NutriMirror community at large:
- Whenever I come across food companies that show nutrition facts labels for their products online, I make arrangements to add them to our database. If you can’t find something in our database and you know the nutritional facts are posted online, let me know the link and I’ll do the work of getting everything posted.
- When a New Food is added by a user, the information comes to me for review. We can only include your additions to the general food database if the information you enter is complete and accurate (your personal Menus & Recipes are never added to the public database). Whenever I cannot verify the nutrition facts of a food you’ve entered or the entry is a duplicate of something already in the general database, or there are entry mistakes you’ve made, it will not go into the database. I mark the food private and it remains visible only to you. To make sure your entries get into the general database, please make sure you carefully follow these three tips for adding new foods:
My Three Top Tips for Adding New Foods
Tip # 1: Naming and describing the food
Obviously this information is needed when users search the database for foods. The name and manufacturer are the most important; however descriptors allow users to choose the most accurate food item (low sodium, fat free, organic, etc). Also, don’t forget to give the flavor of the item. Jelly, sugar free doesn’t help without a flavor!
Name of food: Honey Nut O’s cereal
Additional description: organic, whole grain
Manufacturer or brand name: Cascadian Farm
(Before adding a new food to the general database, I will correct spelling, manufacturer’s name, and clarify information given.)
Tip # 2: Serving description and size
These fields are very important. The reason for both serving description and serving size (weight: grams or ml) is for accuracy of calculations.
Serving Description: 1 cup
(More examples: 4 fluid ounces, 1 serving, 3 each, 2 tablespoon, 28 grams* — according to package label)
*Even if the serving description is given in grams or milliliters, we still need the grams or milliliters number included in the Serving Size box (see below).
Serving Size*: 30 grams (1 cup of this product is 30 grams, see below)
*If no serving size weight (grams or ml) is available, please tick the NA box.
Tip # 3: Potassium on a Nutrition Facts Label
Potassium is not always included on a nutrition label but when it is, it generally is noted in the top portion of a nutrition facts label, between Sodium and Carbohydrate. On our nutrition label however, Potassium is the very last nutrient ... so don’t forget to scroll down!
I hope these 3 tips have been helpful. I look forward to seeing lots of new foods, especially regional and ethnic foods! If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to send a message through the Contact link at the bottom of every page on nutrimirror.com.
We are glad you have joined us at NutriMirror, now Go For Green! |
| —Bethany |
