Red Mango Scoops Up Healthy Nutritionals with Help from MenuCalc®
Situation
Though Kim had previously relied on independent CD-ROM software to obtain recipe analysis for Red Mango’s menu items, he was interested in upgrading to a more sophisticated, modernized system. He wanted to find an alternative nutrition analysis solution that didn’t require transporting cold frozen yogurt samples to a lab or paying a costly independent consultant. Kim had heard about the usability of the latest web-based nutrition analysis software, and saw the appeal in this method over the more clinical, often specialized knowledge required to use CD-ROM software.
Flexibility, Accuracy, and Value
Through a friend, Kim heard about MenuCalc and was instantly intrigued. “A web-based interface was the primary driver in choosing a system because of the flexibility, accuracy, and affordability it provides,” stated Kim. After signing up for the product’s free trial, he was impressed with the usability of the interface and signed up for an unlimited annual subscription.
Red Mango now exclusively uses MenuCalc, a sophisticated online tool that instantly calculates the nutrition analysis of recipes. MenuCalc claims to effectively slash the high fees charged by laboratories and consultants in half by utilizing a database of 25,000+ ingredients.
Results are instant, accurate and accessible 24/7 from any online computer. The application’s most unique feature is its built-in flexibility – after the nutrition analysis is complete, clients can log into their customized online accounts and easily modify recipes for increased healthiness or to qualify for FDA-approved claims such as “low-fat”. In addition to providing expert, responsive customer service, Founder and CEO Lucy Needham and Lead Registered Dietitian Alyson Mar counsel clients regarding regulations, industry issues and developing food trends. Kim says that once he met with the MenuCalc team and understood the value of their product, he knew he had found the perfect nutrition analysis solution for Red Mango.
Working with MenuCalc
“MenuCalc has simplified our menu analysis functions, and has made it easier for us to share recipes and information with multiple people,” said Kim. “The CD-ROMs we were using before are limiting by nature. It only allowed a single user at a time, at a single access point. The flexibility of access and usability are all part of the benefits that an online platform provides.”
Clients can either choose to license MenuCalc’s application for unlimited use and independently perform their nutrition analysis, or else to utilize the services of MenuCalc’s expert staff at a set, per-item rate. Red Mango selected the unlimited access option, which gives them the flexibility needed to change out recipes for seasonal flavors, or substitute an ingredient if a healthier option comes on the market.
A Perfect Match
Kim agrees. “Providing this information reflects our brand personality based on honesty and authenticity, and our brand trifecta of health, taste and style. We selected MenuCalc because of how easy it is to use, which enables us to provide complete nutritional information to our customers faster and more efficiently,” he said.
“We want Red Mango to be characterized as a leader that embraces honesty, transparency and openness in the way we communicate with our fans and customers; especially with respect to the way we share our nutritional information. MenuCalc’s friendly user interface is consistent with our brand personality, and so is their management and support team.”
Stress-Free Service
FoodCALC has supported Red Mango with customer service questions regarding labeling regulations, nutritional questions from their Director of Product Development, and overall support for the operation with respect to recipes and menu items.
“The MenuCalc team has been very supportive of all of our needs. The web-based application is very easy to use, so we have not had many opportunities to need assistance from their support team,” said Kim. “In the few instances where we did have questions, the FoodCALC staff not only answered them quickly and directly, but did so in a way that gave careful thought to the specifics of our business and how MenuCalc could best be applied based on that knowledge. They are very responsive and adaptive to ever-changing needs.”
More about MenulCalc

Customer: Red Mango, Dallas, TX
The Challenge: Offer Red Mango a sophisticated, easy-to-use platform for nutrition analysis with built-in flexibility.
Executive Summary: Red Mango was already a well-established brand when it turned to MenuCalc for their nutrition analysis needs. The health-conscious ethos of the company made providing nutrition information for their menu options compulsory, yet their analysis platform needed to be updated.
Through a friend, Red Mango CEO Dan Kim heard of the FoodCALC product, MenuCalc, an easy to use, cost effective analysis program. Kim immediately recognized the benefits of this web-based, readily accessible platform. With flavor offerings frequently requiring recipes to be updated and changed, Kim jumped at the chance to try a system that offered immediate analysis results with the click of a button.
The convenient online application’s built-in flexibility, topped with expert advice and personalized support, made MenuCalc a perfect match for this frozen yogurt giant.
MenuCalc Features:
- Online nutrition analysis tool designed to service restaurants and culinary professionals.
- Clients can either elect to license MenuCalc’s application for unlimited use and independently perform their nutrition analysis, or to utilize the services of MenuCalc’s expert staff.
- Clients can conveniently access their secure user accounts and generate labels from any online computer.
- Concise, export-ready results are delivered instantly.
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