What is the everyday benefit of this for the regular person? Humans have been drinking things for a long time without knowing the exact stats of their beverages. What is this product trying to optimize?
Look at all the warning labels on cigarettes, etc. yet people still smoke them. Would a phone app telling you how much nicotine you're consuming get you to change your habit? No, the addiction is much deeper than just a lack of awareness that it's bad. We know sugary drinks are bad but we drink them anyways because we like them.
Knowing the calorie content doesn't seem to help most people.
Actually, one of the study's limitations is that the research failed to examine those who used the calorie counts and did eat less, Fernstrom says, Because for some people, it’s a helpful tool.
Because, Fernstrom says, "it’s really hard to count calories -- it takes a lot of focus and mental energy when done regularly."
These quotes seem to support the idea that if calorie-counting were easier, some people would find it more effective.
Seems like a nod to the calorie is not a calorie line of reasoning, which seems pretty prevalent on Hackernews.