How accurate are Kairo's calorie numbers?

On 16 June 2026, 16 internationally diverse meals were run through the same analysis path a real photo scan in the app uses. Every result was scored against public nutrition sources: USDA FoodData Central, Open Food Facts and published restaurant nutrition.

The result: 16 of 16 cases passed, with about 96% weighted-macro accuracy across the set. On branded items with a real nutrition label the mean per-100g error was about 3.5% (median about 2.5%); on generic whole foods it was higher, at 10–12%. Passing means: for an item with a label, the per-100g calorie estimate is within ±20% of the label.

On 25 August 2026 we measured again: the set has grown to 23 cases and was run three times in a row through the full production path, because a language model does not return the same number for the same input every time. Across the three runs, 21, 23 and 22 of 23 cases passed; the failed cases are explained one by one on the page.

All individual values, the methodology, the sources and the raw data (licence CC BY 4.0) are at How accurate is Kairo? Our accuracy benchmark.

It is a small internal benchmark, not a comparison with other apps and not a guarantee for every single meal. Important context: every case in the re-run is a written meal description, not a photo. The set measures whether Kairo finds and computes the right nutrition values. It does not measure how good portion estimation from a photo is.

Kairo is most precise on packaged items with a real label. It is less precise on generic whole foods, where portion size and natural variation are ambiguous, and on freely estimated amounts such as dressing.

Kairo's results do not replace professional dietary advice or a medical diagnosis.

Name the brand or the portion size: directly in the text when you describe a meal, or afterwards for a photo via "Edit" → "Adjust by description". Packaged products are logged most accurately by barcode, because the values then come from the product database instead of an estimate.

In every meal Kairo shows its reasoning under "How I did the math" and what the values are based on under "Sources". How to change a result: Photo scan and correcting a result.

Yes, with "Calorie Bias" in your profile under "My Goals". Five levels from "Underestimate More" to "Overestimate More"; "No Bias" is the most accurate estimate. The setting only applies when Kairo has to estimate, that is, when it cannot find exact nutrition data.