Yuka is a popular health app that allows users to scan food barcodes and instantly see a health ranking based on additives, sugar, saturated fat, and fiber. It also scans cosmetics and highlights harmful substances such as endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, allergens, and irritants. Yuka then recommends healthier options and helps consumers make more informed and prudent decisions.
Since its introduction in France in 2017, Yuka has uncovered significant issues with major companies regarding harmful ingredients that many customers were unaware they were consuming. For example, French supermarket chain Intermarche changed 900 recipes and removed 140 additives due to pressure from consumers and yuca users.
Now, the company is expanding its mission by introducing a new feature that gives users a way to directly contact brands using these problematic ingredients.
Image credit: Yuka
A new 'Call out a brand' button, launched today, allows users to challenge businesses directly. When a user scans a product, it is found to have a yuca red label indicating a health concern and is given the option to contact the product manufacturer via email, urging them to reconsider the use of harmful additives. will be done. Yuka provides a default message, but users can customize the message according to their needs.
Additionally, users have the option to publish a post to X that publicly advocates the changes. The company is working on adding support for other social media platforms such as Instagram.
Emails and social media posts often lack impact if only a few people participate, but this feature allows thousands or even millions of consumers to support healthier products. Mr. Yuka believes that he can encourage people to do this. A study by the Food Industry Association (FMI) and NielsenIQ found that 72% of participants prioritize transparent product information and labeling when choosing food brands to support.
This feature may be particularly beneficial to Americans, where food regulations are not as strict as in Europe.
The new tools are only available to premium users in France and the United States. Memberships range from $10 to $50 per year and offer features like offline mode, unlimited history, and more. It will be rolled out to more countries in the coming months.
Yuka can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store. The app boasts 1 million paid users, 700,000 of whom are in the United States. Overall, it has over 60 million users worldwide.