Methodology & data sources
This page explains where Foodlas data comes from, how each figure on a product page is calculated, and how we decide which pages are complete enough to publish.
Data source
All product data — names, brands, quantities, ingredients, nutrition facts, allergens, labels and photos — comes from Open Food Facts, a collaborative, non-profit database. The database is available under the Open Database License (ODbL); individual contents under the Database Contents License; product photos under CC BY-SA. Foodlas imports the complete export and applies the daily change files, so pages normally reflect corrections within 24–48 hours.
Translations of categories, additives, allergens and labels come from the multilingual taxonomies maintained by the Open Food Facts community, completed by our own translations where needed.
Quality checks
Not every product record is complete. Before a page is offered to search engines, Foodlas computes a completeness score from:
- product name and brand,
- energy value and the main nutrients (fat, carbohydrates, protein, salt),
- an ingredient list,
- a front photo,
- Nutri-Score and category.
Values outside physically plausible ranges (for example more than 100 g of sugar per 100 g) are discarded. Records flagged with data-quality errors are excluded from search engines. Incomplete products remain reachable — someone holding the package may still find the barcode useful — but they are marked as not to be indexed.
A product page is also only offered in a language when the product is sold in a country where that language is spoken. English pages are available for every complete product.
How the figures are computed
Per serving. When the label states a serving size in grams or millilitres, per-serving values are computed as value per 100 g × serving / 100.
Reference intake (% RI). Percentages use the reference intakes for an average adult defined in EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex XIII: energy 2000 kcal, fat 70 g, saturates 20 g, carbohydrate 260 g, sugars 90 g, protein 50 g, salt 6 g. For fibre we use 25 g.
Category comparison. For each category with at least ten complete products, Foodlas computes the median energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat, salt, protein and fibre per 100 g. A product’s value is compared with that median; differences under 10 % are described as “close to the median”.
Nutri-Score, NOVA and nutrient levels. These are computed by Open Food Facts from the label data using the official algorithms (Nutri-Score as updated in 2023/2024; NOVA classification of food processing; UK FSA traffic-light thresholds for low / moderate / high levels). Foodlas displays the result and explains it; we do not alter it.
Vegan, vegetarian, palm oil. These indications are derived automatically from the ingredient list. Some ingredients (for example certain emulsifiers or flavourings) can be of plant or animal origin; in that case the status is shown as unknown. Always check the package if you follow a strict diet.
Healthier alternatives. Alternatives are complete products from the same main category with a strictly better Nutri-Score, ordered by how often they are scanned by Open Food Facts users.
Additives. Additives are detected in the ingredient list and linked to the Open Food Facts additive taxonomy, which includes each additive’s E-number, functional classes, origin information and — where available — the overexposure risk assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Corrections
Spotted an error? Every product page links to the corresponding Open Food Facts page, where anyone can correct the data; the fix will appear on Foodlas after the next daily update. You can also contact us.
Last updated: October 13, 2026