Comparison of nutritional values on Open Food Facts

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Nutritional table comparison.png

How is computed the category comparison score?

Based on the raw data of nutritional tables, Open Food Facts computes an "index" comparing nutrients to the category average in order to add more insights about the product.

This column is computed using deviations from the category average, expressed in percent %.

In our example, for the nutrient Energy, we take the average Energy of all the products in the category ‘Dark chocolate bar with less than 70% cocoa' (2,250 kj), and compare it to the Energy of the product (2,339 kj).

( value of product - value of category average ) / value of category average

Ex. ( 2 339 - 2 250 ) / 2 250 = 0,03955555556 → rounded to 4%

What about the conditional formatting (green / red)?

The value is displayed in:

- Green → if the difference is greater 10%, and the nutrient provides healths benefits

- Red → if the difference is greater 10%, and the nutrient is bad for your health

This formatting rule only applies to nutrients that are good or bad for your health, not the neutral onces (e.g. carbohydrates).