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Yuka’s food scanning app helps consumers make healthier choices

Global food scanning app Yuka helps consumers understand the content of their shopping baskets and shapes producers’ reformulation plans.

The mobile app can be used to scan food and cosmetic product barcodes, providing consumers with a score on how healthy they are.

The startup’s food product scoring method is based on three criteria, taking into account nutritional and additive content, along with a product’s organic/non-organic nature.

As of 2025, Yuka’s food scanning app is available in 12 countries and five languages, with over 750 million users worldwide. To date, the Certified B Corporation has rated three million food product references, with a recognition rate of over 90% for scanned products in the app. Each month, Yuka records nearly 240 million scans – an average of 90 scans per second.

Scanning and scoring: The 60/30/10 rule

So, how does Yuka’s scoring system work?

Nutritional quality makes up 60% of the score. Yuka’s calculation method is based on the NutriScore, a science-based nutrition label adopted by seven European countries that measure the nutritional balance of food products. It takes into account the indicated – either calculated or estimated – quantity of sugar, sodium, saturated fat, calories, protein, fibre, as well as fruit and vegetable content.

The presence of additives comprises 30% of the score. The app prioritises those classified by level of supporting evidence: systematic reviews and meta-analyses, followed by cohort studies, case-control studies, animal studies and expert opinions.

Yuka says it builds its additive scoring factor based on relevant independent scientific studies and collective assessment reports from organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Only the most reliable studies are selected,” Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka, told Ingredients Network.

Among its tools, Yuka utilises the Klimisch rating system, a recognised standard in toxicology, to evaluate the quality of experimental studies. The app provides information about the risks associated with each additive, along with the corresponding scientific references.

A finished product’s organic dimension accounts for 10% of Yuka’s score. “This is a bonus granted to products considered organic,” Chapon said.

Yuka identifies organic products as items with an official national or international organic label.

“They avoid chemical pesticides, which can pose a health risk,” said Chapon.

Promoting healthier choices?

Health and wellbeing remain an ever-present megatrend within the food and beverage industry. Consumers expect transparent ingredient information and front-of-pack claims to steer their purchases.

Yuka’s app has the potential to encourage consumers to choose healthier products.

“By giving consumers clear and immediate access to unbiased, scientifically grounded information, Yuka enables smarter choices at the point of purchase,” Chapon said.

According to Yuka, its data has found that 94% of users report putting back products in the supermarket if they receive a red rating, while 56% have stopped buying more than 10 processed products since using the scoring system. Furthermore, 92% of users actively buy fewer processed foods, indicating the app’s influence on shopping habits.

“Additionally, Yuka always displays better alternatives – when you scan a poorly rated item, the app recommends higher-rated options based on simple criteria: the best-rated product in that same category that’s also accessible to the everyday consumer,” said Chapon.

Reformulation: Risk with reward

As scanning apps like Yuka alert consumers to the health and nutritional credentials of food and beverages, shaping their buying decisions and consumption patterns, manufacturers are responding to avoid unfavourable sales outcomes.

“Many manufacturers monitor Yuka’s ratings and adjust their formulas in direct response to consumer feedback generated by the app,” said Chapon.

Brands have reported removing dozens of potentially harmful ingredients to increase their scores and meet customer expectations shaped by Yuka’s criteria.

“Thanks to this critical mass of consumers, brands have been forced to listen,” Chapon added.

For example, the leading French supermarket chain Intermarché has reformulated 900 products by removing 142 additives from its products in response to consumer pressure.

“These changes show that when enough people unite behind healthier choices, brands have no option but to respond,” Chapon added.

To accelerate change, Yuka launched a callout feature in 2024 that enables users to urge brands to reformulate their products.

“This has become a breakthrough tool for collective consumer influence,” Chapon said. The feature enables users to directly contact brands with pre-filled emails or public posts, urging them to remove high-risk additives and encourage product reformulation.

To date, over 1,000,000 callouts have been sent to brands, underscoring how consumers are making their voices heard.

“Brands increasingly recognise this broad consumer-driven accountability and are responding with more transparency and improved formulations that better meet public expectations,” Chapon added.