For many of us, the extent of learning how healthy we're eating amounts to glancing at the back of our food's packaging, but FatSecret aims to provide a more complete picture.
The New York-based start-up recently launched a tool for food companies and restaurants to upload the nutritional information of their products, along with an interface for programmers to mash up that data. FatSecret's Web site is currently a hub for diets, recipes and general nutritional information. But the new tool will effectively allow FatSecret to manipulate and port this system elsewhere, complete with official data from food brands.
As far as online dieting diaries go, FatSecret already has healthy competition from About.com's Calorie Count Web site and LiveStrong.com's Daily Plate tool. Lenny Moses, FatSecret's chief operating officer, says his site will be able to get the best information by verifying nutritional values directly with brands, but I see little reason to question the data provided by the existing two sites. LiveStrong, for instance, has a verification process that involves "independent sources," though the verification method for Calorie Count isn't as clear. Both sites allow users to suggest foods, along with their nutritional value, to administrators.
I think the potential with FatSecret lies more in FatSecret's programming interface, or API. At the very least, it points to a future where dietary information could be ubiquitous, if developers begin stuffing nutritional information into Web sites and mobile apps that deal with food.
For example, Moses said a site like MarthaStewart.com could tap FatSecret's database for the calorie or fat content of the site's recipes or allow users to compare the nutritional value of various meals on the site. In another case, a specialized community such as the American Diabetes Association could use the API to help people keep their blood glucose in check.
Those uses seem like natural extensions of the dieting tools already out there, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this idea take off. The only question is, can FatSecret -- a self-funded, first-time start-up with a staff of four -- control the dieting API space before its competitors catch on?