Shoppers embrace French health app Yuka for better nutrition

Consumers are increasingly using the French health app Yuka to scan grocery barcodes and make healthier nutritional choices. The mobile application allows users to scan items in supermarkets to receive immediate colour-coded ratings, which range from green for good to red for bad.

BBC News reported that the platform has expanded rapidly since its launch in 2015, amassing 85 million users across 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The United States represents the largest market with 28 million users, while the United Kingdom is the third-largest with five million. The growing popularity of the French health app Yuka has attracted high-profile supporters, including United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who described it as his favourite application.

The application was founded in France, but co-founder and CEO Julie Chapon recently relocated to the United States to manage its growing operations. Chapon stated that the application is more successful in the United States because the national need for nutritional progress is greater. Unlike other platforms, the private company remains profitable through premium user subscriptions rather than advertising, sponsored rankings, or brand partnerships.

The French health app Yuka is part of a broader food-tracking movement in France, which includes the crowdsourced database Open Food Facts launched by Stéphane Gigandet in 2012, and the government’s voluntary Nutri-Score labelling system created by Sorbonne University researcher Serge Hercberg. These tools help consumers identify ultra-processed foods by highlighting additives and chemicals.

Evidence suggests that the platform is actively changing consumer habits and manufacturing practices. A 2024 company survey of 20,000 users revealed that 94% of shoppers put products back on shelves when confronted with a red rating. In response, French supermarket chain Intermarché reformulated over 3,000 of its own-brand recipes and removed 160 additives to improve their scores. However, critics like Christian Reynolds from City St George's University and Hercberg noted that such applications primarily benefit privileged populations, as many shoppers lack the time or resources to engage with complex food tracking systems.