Compare two food products: which one is healthier?
Comparing two food products means putting their per-100 g values side by side rather than reading two separate panels. FoodCheckr’s Compare screen shows sugar, fat, calories, alcohol and protein for both products with colour-coded bars and states which one is healthier and why.
The problem with nutrition panels
Two products. Two panels. Different serving sizes. One quotes per 100 g, the other per portion, and the portion is 32.5 g for no discernible reason. One lists "of which sugars" under carbohydrates; the other buries it. You are standing in an aisle holding both, and doing this arithmetic properly takes about ninety seconds you are not going to spend.
So people use heuristics instead: the greener packaging, the higher protein claim, the smaller number wherever they happen to look first. The heuristics are frequently wrong.
What a comparison shows
FoodCheckr's Compare screen puts both products against the same five metrics with colour-coded bars:
| Metric | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Sugar | The single most useful number on most packaged foods |
| Fat | Total fat; note that saturated fat matters more than total for cardiovascular risk |
| Calories | Energy density, the number people ask for first |
| Alcohol | Relevant for drinks, and for anyone avoiding it for dietary or religious reasons |
| Protein | Satiety and nutritional value, where higher is generally better |
Red marks the worse value on a metric, green the better. Underneath, a verdict card names the healthier product and lists the reasons, for example "low fat level, low calories".
The point is not that a five-metric comparison is the last word on nutrition. It is that it takes three seconds instead of ninety, and three seconds is a length of time people will spend.
How to use it well
Compare like with like. Two breakfast cereals is a useful comparison. Cereal against a chocolate bar tells you what you already knew.
Check the basis. Per 100 g comparisons are honest. Per-portion comparisons are only honest when the portions are comparable, and manufacturers choose portion sizes for marketing reasons.
Do not stop at the verdict. A product can win on all five metrics and still carry an additive you avoid. Comparison answers "which is nutritionally better"; the ingredient list answers "is this acceptable to me". They are different questions and you need both.
Salt is not among the five, and for blood pressure it matters a great deal. Fibre is not either, and it is one of the strongest predictors of a good processed food. Saturated fat is folded into total fat. If you are managing a specific condition, read the full panel, and use comparison for the everyday choices where the difference is large and obvious.
The comparisons that change what you buy
Some categories vary so widely that comparing changes your basket immediately:
- Breakfast cereals: sugar ranges from under 5 g to over 35 g per 100 g in the same aisle
- Yoghurts: "fruit" yoghurts routinely carry three times the sugar of plain with fruit added
- Sauces and dressings: enormous variation in sugar and salt between visually identical jars
- Bread: sugar and salt vary far more than most people expect
- Snack bars: "healthy" positioning correlates poorly with the actual numbers
Instant noodles versus a chocolate bar, the comparison shown in the app's own screenshots, is a good demonstration of why intuition fails: the noodles come out ahead on fat, sugar and calories, which is not where most people would have guessed.
How to check this in FoodCheckr- Scan the first product with Scan.
- Scan the second product the same way.
- Open the Compare tab.
- Read the colour-coded bars. Red marks the worse value on each metric, green the better.
- Read the verdict card at the bottom, which names the healthier product and the reasons.
Frequently asked
How do I compare two products in the app?
Scan both products, then open the Compare tab. You will see sugar, fat, calories, alcohol and protein for each with colour-coded bars, and a verdict card naming which is healthier and why.
How barcode scanning worksDoes the comparison account for serving size?
Comparisons are most meaningful on a per-100 g basis, which is what standardised nutrition data uses. Be cautious with per-portion figures anywhere, since manufacturers choose portion sizes and often pick flattering ones.
How to read a nutrition panelIs the healthier verdict a medical recommendation?
No. It is a comparison across five nutritional metrics, not dietary advice. Salt, fibre and saturated fat are not among the five, and individual needs vary enormously. If you are managing a health condition, follow professional guidance and use comparison for everyday choices.
See what else affects a productCan I compare more than two products?
The Compare screen is designed for two at a time, which is how supermarket decisions get made. For a wider survey, scan several products and use your saved history to look back over the numbers.
How scan history works