How SwapScore scoring works

Scan a barcode, get a 1–10 score against your health goal. Here's exactly what goes into the number — the inputs we read, the rubric we apply, and a worked example with a real Australian product.

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What goes into the score

Every barcode lookup pulls data from FatSecret (primary) or Open Food Facts (fallback). From there we score against three categories of signals.

Nutrition facts

Energy (kcal), sugars, fibre, protein, fat, saturated fat, sodium, carbohydrates. Pulled from the product's nutriments per-100g fields.

Additives & ingredients

We read the ingredient line and flag known additive classes when present. A deep NOVA-group ultra-processing classifier isn't in scope yet.

Processing

We treat FAO/WHO guidance as a soft signal, not a hard rule — and we're honest about it. Score ingredients over a YES/NO ultra-processed label for now.

The rubric, 1–10

Different goals key on different nutrients. Some are single-axis (the score IS the nutrient), others are point-sum (each sub-bucket contributes points).

GoalWhat the score keys on
Weight Lossenergy density, sugar, fibre, protein, fat (point-sum)
Low Sugarsugars per 100g (single axis)
High Proteinprotein per 100g (single axis)
Low Sodiumsodium mg per 100g (single axis)
Heart Healthysaturated fat + sodium + fibre + sugar (point-sum)
Gut Healthfibre + sugar + saturated fat + protein (point-sum)
Low Carbcarbohydrates per 100g (single axis)
What the bands mean
9–10Excellent
7–8Good
5–6OK
3–4Poor
1–2Avoid

Worked example — Weet-Bix for weight loss

A real product from our seeded catalogue, scored against Weight Loss. Each row is one branch of the point-sum formula, then they add up.

WoolworthsWeight Loss

Weet-Bix Original

Sanitarium

  1. Energy density — 348 kcal/100g → (250–400]+0.5
  2. Sugars — 4 g/100g → (2–5]+1.5
  3. Fibre — 10 g/100g → ≥ 8+2
  4. Protein — 12 g/100g → ≥ 10+1.5
  5. Fat — 2 g/100g → ≤ 2+1
Raw points6.5
7/10

348 cal/100g. good fibre (10g). solid protein (12g).

Swap the goal above and the same product can land in a different band — the same Weet-Bix scores 5/10 for High Protein (12g isn't enough) but 9/10 for Gut Health (10g fibre is a slam dunk for that goal). The rubric isn't a verdict on the food — it's a fit check for whatever you're trying to do. For the full per-goal weight table and the rationale behind each one, see how we score grocery products →.

What's out of scope

Scores reflect per-100g nutrition, not the whole pack. They are a starting point for a healthier swap, not medical advice. If you have a specific condition (kidney disease, diabetes, etc.), talk to a clinician.
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