Key points from article :
Yuka is a mobile app designed to help users make healthier choices by scanning barcodes on food and cosmetics. Created in 2017, Yuka has gained immense popularity with over 30 million downloads and 6 million active users. The app’s primary function is to provide a health rating for scanned products using a simple color-coded system: green indicates a healthier choice, while red warns of potentially harmful ingredients.
For food, Yuka calculates scores based on three factors: 60% from the Nutri-Score (a European health rating system), 30% from the presence of additives, and 10% from whether the product is organic. This system evaluates energy density, sugar, salt, and saturated fat content, rewarding products with high fiber, protein, and healthy oils. Cosmetics ratings focus on health and environmental risks, flagging endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and allergens.
Unlike many health apps, Yuka remains independent, making money through premium app subscriptions and product sales rather than advertising. This independence ensures that its product recommendations are unbiased and based solely on health impact.
Yuka's influence is growing, especially in France, where supermarkets like Intermarché have reformulated recipes to improve their Yuka scores. Some brands even seek Yuka's advice during product development. Additionally, Yuka introduced the Eco-Score, which evaluates a product’s environmental impact, considering factors like packaging and transportation. However, rolling this feature out to other countries, like the US, presents challenges due to differences in product formulations and regulations.
Yuka is available on both Android and iOS platforms, helping users make better choices for their health and the environment while encouraging brands to prioritize consumer well-being over profit.
