It appears the problem was that I did not opt for food logging during initial setup, which apparently prevented any access to the food logging database such that searches I tried showed only the search terms I entered and no variants of the search or calorie values were found. I decided to try scanning a code on a food package to see if the calorie value would appear and it did. That action apparently turned on access to the food database as the problem resolved immediately allowing me to select and log foods from the database and calories appeared as expected. I had consulted Fitbit help and the users manual but found nothing about how to access the food logging database. Food logging probably should not be optional during setup to avoid all the potential stress and lack of transparency associated with food logging. Also considered repeating setup which probably could have fixed the problem if you chose the food logging option. The whole experience was bit agonizing and I seriously considered returning it but it's working great now!
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