Build a three-product nutrient comparison that sorts correctly
Normalize three records to one nutrient, unit, and food quantity, then distinguish ties from incomplete data.
A three-product comparison becomes easier to audit when every row uses the same nutrient name, mass unit, and food basis. Sorting the raw label numbers before matching those fields can produce an incorrect order.
The EU nutrition declaration framework uses a common weight or volume basis. The original worksheet below uses weight and fictional sodium records to demonstrate sorting, not to rank whole foods.
Keep source columns beside normalized columns
Product A lists 180 mg sodium per 30 g. B lists 240 mg per 50 g. C lists 0.30 g sodium per 60 g in this hypothetical comparison. First convert C's nutrient unit: 0.30 g is 300 mg.
| Product | Source amount | Food weight | Calculated mg per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 180 mg | 30 g | 600 |
| B | 240 mg | 50 g | 480 |
| C | 300 mg | 60 g | 500 |
The ascending concentration order is B, C, A. Sorting only the original milligram amounts would produce A, B, C, because those amounts belong to unequal quantities of food.
Keep incomplete records out of a false ranking
If C's source actually says salt rather than sodium, it cannot enter this table unchanged. If its serving weight is missing, do not substitute another product's weight. Mark the row incomplete and list what information is needed.
Likewise, if two calculated results match at displayed precision, report a tie at that precision. Do not manufacture extra digits or use a product name as if it were evidence of a nutritional difference.
Add a portion view only as another column
For a chosen 40 g portion of each product, the estimates are 240 mg for A, 192 mg for B, and 200 mg for C. Their order stays the same because the portion is equal. Different selected portions can change the ordering of total amounts.
Name the sorting field in the table caption: “sodium concentration from printed values, lowest first.” That narrow label prevents the order from implying an overall health assessment. Preserve preparation state, source date, and market alongside real records so a later update can be checked against the correct package.