How do you add a food that isn't in the nutrition database?

Check it's really missing

Half the "missing" foods I get asked about are there under another name. Before you create anything, try these.

• Regional names: capsicum and bell pepper, courgette and zucchini, mince and ground beef, rocket and arugula.
• Another country's database. A plain food like chickpeas is much the same in Sydney and Seattle.
• The generic version of a branded product, or the other way round.
• The raw or dry form, if the cooked one is missing.

A generic entry is fine for whole foods. You need the exact product for protein powders, meal replacements, fortified foods and supplements, where brands differ a lot.

And for a home-cooked dish, don't create a food at all. Build it as a recipe, so the numbers change when the ingredients do and you can scale the portions.

Where the numbers come from

Use the best source you have, roughly in this order.

1. The nutrition panel on the pack. Australian, New Zealand and UK labels give values per 100 g, so you can copy them straight in. A US Nutrition Facts label gives values per serving only.
2. The manufacturer's website or specification sheet. These often list vitamins and minerals the pack leaves off.
3. A recipe you calculate. For a café muffin or a client's family dish, build it from its ingredients. How to calculate calories in a recipe shows the method.
4. A similar food, adjusted. This is the last resort, so say so in the name.

Convert, then check the energy

To turn a per-serving label into per 100 g, divide by the serving weight and multiply by 100. Then, before you save, multiply out the macros and compare them with the energy on the label.

per 100 g = value per serving ÷ serving weight (g) × 100
Protein: 24 g in a 30 g scoop = 24 ÷ 30 × 100 = 80 g per 100 g

kcal ≈ (protein g × 4) + (carbohydrate g × 4) + (fat g × 9)
kJ   ≈ (protein g × 17) + (carbohydrate g × 17) + (fat g × 37)

A gap of a few per cent is normal. Fibre, alcohol, sugar alcohols and label rounding all account for some. A big gap usually means a per-serving figure sits next to per-100 g ones, kilojoules went in as kilocalories (4.184 times too high), or a decimal point slipped.

Labels from Australia and New Zealand lead with kilojoules, so check those with the kJ line and you won't need to convert anything.

Name it so you can find it again

Put the brand, the product and its state in the name, like "Brand whey isolate, chocolate, powder". Someone searching in six months, or a client searching from their phone, will type the product name, not your shorthand.

Record allergens and the ingredient list if you have them, and check branded foods about once a year. Manufacturers change recipes without changing the packet much, and your entry won't update itself. Keep a photo of the label with your client notes so you can check the entry against it later.

If you're choosing between two existing entries instead, why nutrition databases differ explains what to compare.