Data completion

Data Completion on Open Food Facts

Data completion: the process of enriching and expanding the product information available in the Open Food Facts database.

Importance of Data Completion

• Enhanced Transparency: More complete data provides consumers with a clearer understanding of what they are buying.
• Informed Choices: Enables consumers to make decisions based on nutritional values, ingredients, and other relevant factors.
• Research Support: Accurate data aids researchers and public health organizations in analyzing food trends and health impacts.

How to Contribute to Data Completion

There are several ways you can contribute to data completion on Open Food Facts:

Add Missing Products

• Use the OFF app to scan barcodes of products not yet in the database.
• Manually add product details if you cannot find them through scanning.

Complete Existing Product Data

• Edit existing product pages to fill in missing nutritional information, ingredients, packaging details, and more.
• Add photos of the product and its packaging.

Verify and Correct Data

• Check for inconsistencies or errors in product data and correct them.
• Flag suspicious or inaccurate information for review using Moderation tools.

Participate in Data Challenges

Join data challenges focused on specific categories or data fields to improve data completeness in targeted areas.

Tools and Resources for Data Completion

• Open Food Facts App: Available for Android and iOS devices, the app allows you to easily scan barcodes and contribute data on the go.
• OFF Website: The website provides a platform for editing product pages, adding photos, and reporting issues.
• Data Quality Guidelines: Refer to the data quality guidelines on the OFF wiki to ensure consistency and accuracy in your contributions.
• Community Forums and Support: Join the OFF community forums to ask questions, share tips, and connect with other contributors.

Tips for Effective Data Completion

• Prioritize: Focus on completing essential data fields first, such as ingredients, nutritional information, and allergens.
• Prioritize again: focus on most scanned products, or products likely to be popular.
• Be Accurate: Double-check your contributions for accuracy and consistency with the product packaging.
• Provide Photo Sources: Take photos, retake photos, if the packaging has slightly changed, retake photos of every side of it.
• Follow Guidelines: Adhere to the data quality guidelines to maintain data consistency.
• Collaborate: Work with other contributors to complete product data more efficiently, and learn from their experience.

Impact of Data Completion

By participating in data completion, you are contributing to a global effort to improve food transparency and empower consumers to make informed choices. Your contributions can also support research and public health initiatives that rely on accurate and comprehensive food data.