The fatsecret database of foods, both branded and generic is extensive and we are on a constant mission to keep our food list up to date. However, sometimes when trying to log food into the Diary, you may find that it appears not to exist. When this happens, try the below.

1. Double-check the search term

Just like on a search engine when looking for a website, tweaking the search term you enter into the search box could help you find what you are looking for.

Try searching for an exact match food item first, but if that fails, try a slightly more generic search term and see what comes up.

For example, instead of searching for ‘multigrain bread’, search for ‘bread’ instead.

2. Look for the generic alternative

The product you are searching for may be a new product and not yet part of our food list. If you are in a hurry and do not have time to add a new food, we recommend using a generic food instead. While generic foods may not contain the exact same number of calories as the specific branded food you ate, they will give you a very good representative calorie and macronutrient composition for that food overall.

3. Add a new food item

If you want to log an exact food item that is not yet in the fatsecret database, you can easily create a new entry for it by tapping the ‘Add New Food’ button that appears at the very bottom of the page when searching for a food.

When you add a new food, you will need to select the brand and product, add the serving information for that food, and add a tag. Once completed, you will be asked to confirm that the nutritional information is correct by pressing save. Once the food has been saved you will be able to log it to your Diary. The new food entry will also be saved to the app database, so it’s available to add to your Diary with ease the next time you want to log it.

Tips on entering serving information

Enter the serving size description based on what’s listed on the nutrition facts panel of the product. You can change the serving size unit to grams, milliliters or ounces by tapping 'Change Units'.

Tips on entering nutrition information

You can change the unit of energy between calories to kilojoules to match what is on the nutrition facts panel of the product by tapping ‘Swap Units’.

If you can’t find the required information listed on the product, such as the calories or protein, try looking up the information online. Many food manufacturers and restaurants have nutrition information available about their products on their websites. You can use this to manually input into your new food add.

If you are looking for the easiest way to log a food not currently in the fatsecret food list, assuming that trying a different search term does not work, we suggest using generic foods as a start. But if you want to log the food as per the label on a branded food item, feel free to use the ‘Add New Food’ at the bottom of the Food Add page and fill in the details.

Note: While all users can add new food items, we do not automatically approve all user-submitted foods to be shown to other users. We do this to ensure the fatsecret food list remains highly accurate and prevents duplicates. You are, however, free to add food items for your own use as needed.