How to read a Radish food entry: what each source badge means
In short
Every nutrition value shown in Radish carries a source badge, as a colored pill: the name of an official table (CIQUAL, USDA, CoFID, BLS, CNF, AUSNUT), "measured" when the value comes from your own precise entry, "estimated" when it comes from an AI analysis or a branded product, or "queued" when a photo is still waiting to be analyzed. This guide explains what each state means, and which ones count toward the app's sourced-food ratio.
On a food entry or in the log, a small badge sits next to every nutrition value: a table name, a code, or a word like "estimated." It isn't decorative — it answers one question, every time: where does this number come from? Here's how to read it.
Sourced states: CIQUAL, USDA, and the four international tables
When an entry carries a table name — CIQUAL, USDA, CoFID, BLS, CNF or AUSNUT — the value shown comes straight from that public table, with a code that lets you trace it back to the original publisher. For CIQUAL and USDA, that code counts toward the "N foods sourced out of M" ratio Radish shows elsewhere (for example on the welcome screen). The four tables added on August 30, 2026 do show their table name on the entry — it isn't a generic "estimated" badge — but they aren't, for now, counted in that legacy ratio: the technical distinction exists, but nothing is hidden on screen, the table name stays visible and the code stays verifiable.
"Measured": your own entry counts as a source
Since August 11, 2026, a food you've weighed and logged yourself carries the "measured" state, with the same color coding as CIQUAL or USDA. The logic: a precise weighing done by you is a measurement, on the same footing as a lab measurement — so it's counted as sourced in the ratio the app shows, not lumped in with estimates.
"Estimated": when the value comes from an analysis or a branded product
The amber "estimated" badge covers three distinct cases, always shown with their origin (photo, text or manual entry): an AI analysis from a meal photo, a typed description with no photo, or a branded product identified via Open Food Facts (whose values are entered by contributors, not by Radish). In all three cases, the data isn't inherently wrong — but it doesn't carry the same traceability as an official table code, and the app says so plainly rather than dressing it up in a green badge. One direct consequence: "estimated" rows are excluded from the micronutrient calculation in your daily summary, precisely because an estimate doesn't have the precision that calculation requires.
"Queued": a photo still waiting to be analyzed
A meal photo taken offline, or waiting for analysis, carries the "queued" state until the analysis finishes. It's neither a source nor an estimate: a transitional state, shown as such, that turns into "estimated" (or a measured value if you correct the portion yourself) once the analysis is done.
See the badges in the appEvery nutrition value shows its source, down to a single meal's detail.Get Radish →Why this distinction exists
A nutrition figure with no indication of where it came from can only be believed or not, with no way to check. The rule applied on every Radish entry: never a recalculated or homemade estimate shown as if it came from an official table. A food absent from the CIQUAL/USDA/CoFID/BLS/AUSNUT/CNF matching files automatically falls back to "estimated" — there's no hidden in-between state. It's the same logic covered in CIQUAL vs USDA: why two databases and on the Data sources page: traceability comes before the appearance of completeness.
General information about how the app works, not nutrition advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does the "estimated" badge mean on a Radish entry?
That the value comes from an AI analysis (photo or text) or a branded product entered by contributors (Open Food Facts), not from an official composition table. It's shown in amber to stand out visually from sourced data.
Does my own weighing count as sourced data?
Yes. Since August 11, 2026, a food you measure and log yourself carries the "measured" state, counted as sourced on the same footing as an official table.
Why are estimated values excluded from the micronutrient calculation?
Because an AI estimate or an approximate entry doesn't have the precision a reliable micronutrient calculation needs. Radish excludes those rows rather than showing a falsely complete total.
What does "queued" mean on a log entry?
That a meal photo is still waiting to be analyzed (for example, taken offline). It's neither a source nor an estimate: a transitional state that resolves once the analysis is done.
The takeaway: a green badge means an official table or your own measurement; an amber badge means an estimate, never presented as more than that. The color alone tells the two apart at a glance.
General information about how the app works, not nutrition advice.
Ready to try Radish?Private calorie counter, official Nutri-Score, no ads. Free.Get Radish →Prefer the app installed? Get Radish on iPhone or Android →