ReciPal is an online nutrition analysis software that streamlines the process of creating nutrition fact labels, calculating recipe cost, and managing inventory. ReciPal was created to “simplify the lives of food businesses with easy nutrition analysis, nutrition fact labels, ingredient lists, recipe costing, and inventory management to tie it all together when you do production for a reasonable price.” My first impressions were that it is very simple and easy to use. However, the overall aesthetics of the software made me feel as if it was a basic no frills type of program. Upon further examination I grew to appreciate the creators attention to details. Things such as the tutorials in both text and video proved to be very helpful when using the program. The blogs went more in depth on different areas of the software. Compared to other software, Recipal was much easier to learn due to the plain text and video step-by-step tutorials. They also offer informational icons that can be viewed throughout the software in case you may forget how to operate a specific functionality. The company also sends helpful information to your email and according to some reviewers who had contacted the company stated that “the company is very helpful and responds to inquiries within 24 hours”.
There are a few additional positive noteworthy things to mention about the software. First, as you add new ingredients or information to your recipes the program will highlight that item in yellow to show you that it has been completed. I find this noteworthy because there are times when I add things and I have to take additional time to confirm if it was added. Second, any new changes made are constantly being saved on the website. So no need to panic if you accidentally closed out your browser window, all your information will be safe on your account. Third, there is a wide variety of ingredients to choose from, most which are verified ingredients by the USDA. Lastly, there are a lot of options to customize the nutrition facts label (i.e. orientation, addition of allergens, style, business name/address, and more). You can design the label the way you want it to look on the packaging of your food and make it more visually appealing to the consumer.
With all of this said, Recipal’s free version of the website does have its limits and negative noteworthy things to mention. First of all, you are limited to 3 recipes, any additional recipe that you want to make will come at an additional $19 per recipe or $49 per month to add an unlimited amount of recipe entries and a few other options. Second, the overall aesthetics of the program looks very basic. But where they lack in aesthetics they make up for in functionality. Third, verified ethnic ingredients from the USDA are limited and are often unverified user added ingredients. This can sometimes be an issue due to user error when adding in information. Lastly, because there is so much to learn about this program, especially through the text tutorial, I found it very tiresome to play around with. I firmly believe this program was not meant to be taught in one day, so take your time when beginning to use the program. These are only a few of the features that ReciPal has to offer if you would like to experience it for yourself and learn more about the program, check out their website at www.recipal.com .
This unbiased review was written by Jamie Rae Saranghilo Lee, a food enthusiast, chef and blogger (and soon to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)). For more of her writings, recipes check out her website https://jamiesgoodeats.weebly.com/
