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Where TrueCal's nutrition numbers come from

By Eric Parker, founder of TrueCal. Published . Updated .

TrueCal help. Editorial policy.

TrueCal requires nutrition numbers to come from a source or from you. Its sources include USDA FoodData Central, FatSecret, Open Food Facts, and published restaurant and brand information.1

How to check a food result

  1. When logging a meal, supply the food name and the amount you ate. Include the brand or restaurant when you know it.
  2. For a package, use a barcode lookup or a photo of the printed nutrition label. These supply information in different ways.
  3. Review the food names and portions in the result. Compare them with the meal or package you meant to record.
  4. If you need to change a saved meal, use Edit this meal under its receipt and describe the correction. Review the updated food and amount.

Good to know

Homemade meals use sourced ingredients. Barcodes use nutrition databases, while nutrition label photos read the package directly. Restaurant and brand information can also supply published nutrition facts.1

A source is only part of the result. The meal details you supply, including portions and ingredients, affect the estimate. Nutrition results can be wrong, even when the numbers came from a published source.1

Pro supports typed descriptions, voice, food photos, barcodes, and nutrition label photos. Manual calorie logging records calories by hand and remains available on the free plan.1

Questions and answers

Does TrueCal get every number from USDA?

No. USDA FoodData Central is one source. Others include FatSecret, Open Food Facts, published restaurant and brand information, and details you supply.1

What happens with a homemade meal?

TrueCal uses sourced ingredients for homemade meals. Describe the ingredients and portions you know, then check the foods and amounts in the logged result.1

Are nutrition results exact?

No. They are estimates and can be wrong. Food identity, ingredients, and consumed portions all matter. Review the saved entry against what you ate.1

How is a label photo different from a barcode?

A label photo reads the printed package information directly. A barcode scan uses the product code to look up nutrition information in databases.1

Get TrueCal

Use TrueCal on iPhone or Android. Review the available plan and offer in the app.

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Sources

  1. Official TrueCal facts. TrueCal. 2026.