Every number and piece of guidance shown has a source. We don’t display claims without supporting sources.
Where nutrient values come from
From the label
Yummeee reads the package’s Nutrition Facts label and uses the printed values as shown. AI estimates any nutrients that aren’t listed, with a note in the item name. Label values can themselves be manufacturer estimates. When a label says so and Yummeee can read it, the badge shows “From the label (estimated).”
Food database
Ingredients are matched to USDA FoodData Central to calculate nutrient values.
Shared label data
Label values shared by users, matched by barcode. They don’t include who ate the food. A value is shared only when several readings agree.
Learned
Yummeee remembers the food you chose for a dish name and uses the food database values.
External data
Values from Open Food Facts, an open database of barcoded foods. Many come from labels, but Yummeee hasn’t independently verified them.
AI estimate
AI estimates portions from a photo. These are estimates, not measurements.
Couldn’t analyze
If the contents can’t be identified, as with a covered container, we leave the value at 0 rather than fill in an estimate to avoid overstating the total.
Sources, from most to least reliable: From the label, Food database, Shared label data, Learned > External data > AI estimate. Text entries are labeled “Text estimate”; numbers you enter yourself are labeled “Manual entry.”
Totals for dietary fiber, potassium, and micronutrients include only items matched to the food database. The screen shows “◯% measured · minimum” to indicate that your actual intake may be higher.
Each log shows how much of it comes from labels or the food database: “◯% of this log comes from labels or the food database.” We don’t inflate this number.
Data and standards
USDA FoodData Central (Foundation, SR Legacy, FNDDS 2021–2023)
National Academies, Dietary Reference Intakes: RDA, Adequate Intake, Tolerable Upper Intake Level, AMDR, and the sodium Chronic Disease Risk Reduction intake
FDA Daily Value (%DV) and FDA menu labeling requirements
NIAAA definition of a U.S. standard drink (14 g of pure alcohol)
Resting energy formula: Mifflin-St Jeor
Open Food Facts (open food database; ODbL): reference values for barcoded products
How your Calorie target is calculated
There’s no single official formula for a daily Calorie target. Yummeee estimates resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then applies standard activity factors used internationally (1.2 / 1.55 / 1.725) to estimate daily energy expenditure.
Yummeee adjusts the target within set limits for your goal. For adults age 65 and older, the reduction is smaller because of concerns about muscle loss and frailty. Settings shows the calculation using your own numbers.
Your activity level is self-reported using one of three options, so the choice can shift your target by hundreds of Calories. Yummeee works backward from your food logs and weight changes to estimate your daily energy expenditure and suggests adjustments to your target.
Your target changes only with your approval. Yummeee shows the full calculation—average intake, weight change, and estimated energy expenditure—and changes your target only when you approve.
Missing entries can lead to an underestimate of energy expenditure, so Yummeee suggests adjustments only for periods with sufficient log data and limits the size of each change.
Added sugars
The FDA Daily Value for added sugars is 50 g per day
The Dietary Guidelines list no more than 10 g in one meal, and say no amount of added sugars is recommended or considered part of a healthy diet
Yummeee shows added sugars from labels and USDA data. A food without a known value shows Unknown, not an estimate, so totals count only the foods with a known value.
Protein, fat, and carbohydrate
The National Academies' Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) for adults are protein 10–35%, total fat 20–35%, and carbohydrate 45–65% of total Calories.
Yummeee's targets for adults stay inside these ranges. Settings shows where your numbers sit.
AI estimates compared with labels
When you photograph a packaged food’s Nutrition Facts label, both the AI estimate and the printed label value are available. Yummeee logs the difference and shows it here.
Nutrient
Samples
Average error
Within ±20%
These results compare AI estimates with label values. Results based on small samples are preliminary.
No label comparisons yet. Photos of Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods add comparisons with AI estimates here.
Text estimates (for reference)
These estimates come from text descriptions rather than photos. Their errors tend to be larger than those from photos.
Nutrient
Samples
Average error
Within ±20%
What we can confirm: for packaged foods, a label photo lets Yummeee log the printed values as they appear, and naming the ingredients in home-cooked meals lets more of them match the food database.
This is general nutrition information, not a diagnosis or medical care.