I’ve been requested many instances over the previous few years to do a evaluation of the Yuka app. It’s at all times attention-grabbing seeing apps that purport to assist folks make higher selections with their meals, as a result of inevitably these apps cut back these selections to some arbitrary class of ‘good’ and ‘unhealthy.’

How does Yuka decide if a meals is ‘good’ or ‘unhealthy’? And what’s the profit or hurt of utilizing an app like this? Let’s get into it.

What’s the Yuka App?

The Yuka app was initially launched in France in 2017 and later launched in Canada and the US in 2022. In keeping with their web site, they’ve over 55 million customers. 

The app permits customers to scan barcodes of meals and beauty merchandise and provides them a score of how “wholesome” or not they’re. For merchandise with a decrease rating, the app suggests another option that they deem to be ‘higher’.

For this Yuka app evaluation, we’ll stick with the meals and vitamin aspect of the Yuka app.

Once you scan a product, it offers you an general rating and score after which breaks down the constructive and detrimental attributes of a product based mostly on the Yuka app scoring system, which we are going to get to. 

The app additionally classifies meals as “good” or “unhealthy” based mostly on the general rating.

Yuka additionally prides itself on being impartial and never influenced by meals corporations. There’s a premium, paid model of the app and that’s how they earn cash.

How does the Yuka app rating merchandise?

The Yuka app scores merchandise based mostly on three elements: dietary high quality is 60% of the rating, the presence of components is 30%, and a product being natural or not is 10%. In keeping with the Yuka app’s web site, this 10% is a “bonus” that’s robotically given to natural merchandise. 

The scoring system for dietary high quality is predicated on a technique adopted by a number of European nations referred to as Nutri-Rating. Nutri-Rating grades the dietary high quality of meals merchandise based mostly on vitality (energy), sugars, saturated fat, sodium, fibre, and protein and of fruit, greens, legumes and nuts. A front-of-package labeling system is then used, which breaks down meals into 5 classes based mostly on vitamin high quality. The system charges meals from ategory A to E, the place A signifies increased dietary high quality and E is decrease.

The classes are given a colour based mostly on a site visitors mild, the place the upper classes are inexperienced, descending to yellow after which pink, relying on the general rating.

There may be analysis on Nutri-Rating however as I’ve stated many instances, simply because analysis exists, doesn’t imply it’s good analysis. This research discovered associations (not causations) that utilizing this method has advantages on well being and decreased mortality, however these findings have been weak general, and lots of elements similar to genetics and environmental elements weren’t considered. The research used meals frequency questionnaires, that are notoriously inaccurate, to evaluate dietary patterns. They solely assessed diets at baseline, after which adopted up a number of years later. We all know that folks can change their consuming habits and life-style habits over time, so making conclusions based mostly on one survey at one time limit doesn’t inform us a lot.

I’ve written about how you can interpret vitamin analysis right here.

Once you use the Yuka app to scan a meals merchandise, it offers you a numerical rating out of 100 and a score of both “wonderful,” “good”, “poor,” or “unhealthy.” For instance, the goldfish crackers I scanned got a rating of seven/100 (unhealthy) as a result of they’d components that Yuka says ought to be averted, and an excessive amount of sodium and energy in line with the app. A few of the constructive attributes given have been that the crackers had 3g of protein, and have been low in saturated fats. 

The pure peanut butter I scanned was given 69/100 (good), however misplaced factors for being too excessive in energy and saturated fats.

Categorizing meals as “good” or “unhealthy” is a horrible observe. It might create guilt and disgrace round meals and consuming, and it’s utterly arbitrary. There are not any good or unhealthy meals. Any meals can match right into a various food plan, and meals ought to by no means be related to morality-based labels.

This kind of narrative doesn’t assist anybody be more healthy (particularly emotionally – and that issues simply as a lot as bodily well being), and it tends to create extra confusion round vitamin. Peanut butter has a lot of wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins and minerals. This isn’t the 80’s after we have been all avoiding fats. 

I can’t even think about anybody giving peanut butter factors off for being excessive in energy – it’s a NUT BUTTER. It’s additionally filled with vitamin (and low in saturated fats!). High quality of energy issues!

Labeling meals nearly as good or unhealthy may create worry and anxiousness round meals, and lead folks to develop orthorexic sort habits the place they turn out to be overly targeted on making wholesome selections. That is horrible for our psychological well being and takes away from the truth that we don’t eat meals in isolation. It’s the totality of our diets that matter.

For those who’re consuming a food plan filled with entire and minimally processed meals, you shouldn’t need to care concerning the ‘rating’ of your crackers or peanut butter or no matter.

The Yuka app ranks meals with increased quantities of saturated fat as “unhealthy,” or a minimum of lowers their rating. Dairy merchandise are notably affected by this score system as a result of they’re naturally increased in saturated fats. Tips for saturated fats consumption are to maintain it at lower than 10% of our whole calorie consumption. After I scanned cheese, it obtained a low score as a result of it was too excessive in saturated fats and likewise misplaced factors for being too excessive in energy and sodium.

Meals include a wide range of vitamins, and whereas cheese might have extra saturated fats (in comparison with lower-fat milk or yogurt for instance), it’s a good supply of protein, calcium and different nutritional vitamins and minerals. Analysis additionally means that the saturated fats in dairy merchandise isn’t a threat issue for irritation or coronary heart illness.

Lowering the rating due to one side is problematic, and letting that decide the general dietary worth of the meals, simply leads folks to be confused about making wholesome selections. 

The calorie score system additionally appears a bit off to me. Cheese had 120 energy per serving and was deemed “a bit too caloric,” however 2% milk was thought-about “low energy” at 130 per cup. One meals could also be increased in energy than one other, however that meals may additionally be extra satiating. As soon as once more, this categorization can result in obsessive behaviours round meals and counting energy. Not wholesome.

Yuka app and components

Earlier than I say something, let me share that I discovered this a part of their score system to be utterly ludicrous.

It informed me that the monocalcium phosphate in Goldfish Crackers was “hazardous,” however the rationalization they gave doesn’t show something. It solely states that getting an excessive amount of phosphorous can result in issues. An excessive amount of of something generally is a unhealthy factor, however for those who’re going to touch upon the risks of random components, it’s important to qualify these feedback with the precise quantity of this additive within the product, and the way a lot of the product you would need to ingest to trigger hurt.

Extremely, the app additionally categorized the monosodium glutamate (MSG) in my daughter’s Takis as ‘hazardous,’ when science persistently refutes that. The 14 research that Yuka cites to again up their claims aren’t convincing and look like cherrypicked to swimsuit their narrative. Rodent research, cell research, previous research, horribly finished research, even a research that discovered no adversarial results of MSG on people.

Possibly Yuka thinks the typical particular person isn’t going to examine their citations, however I positive as heck am.

I reviewed the analysis round MSG. Learn my submit about whether or not MSG is protected, right here.

This complete factor can result in chemophobia round meals, making folks assume that what they’re consuming is poisonous. In actuality, all meals are completely protected. Meals components are properly regulated in Canada and the US, and there are limits on how a lot can be utilized.

Ought to your food plan be comprised completely of Froot Loops? In fact not. However let’s strategy our diets with some nuance and science right here.

PS: Froot Loops obtained the next rating than Multigrain Cheerios and Goldfish crackers.

Natural meals and Yuka app

After the entire Yuka app ‘additive’ state of affairs, I’m unhappy to say that I’m not shocked within the least by what they are saying about natural meals.

The web site cites the well being advantages of an natural food plan and states that natural meals are increased in antioxidants. Yuka states that individuals who eat extra natural meals have a decreased threat of most cancers, diabetes, and of being obese or overweight. They cite research to again up these claims, however these research solely present associations and never causation.

That’s as a result of there are not any direct hyperlinks between natural meals and improved markers of well being. None.

I’ve truly written concerning the research they cited that exhibits that individuals who eat extra natural meals have a decrease threat of most cancers. There was a media frenzy when this research got here out, however what they don’t say is that individuals who eat extra natural meals are likely to have more healthy diets and life general in addition to higher entry to medical care, increased socioeconomic standing, and extra time for bodily exercise. These are all elements that may affect illness threat way over simply consuming natural meals over typical.

When the Yuka app suggests a “more healthy” different to a product, it’s normally an natural model that’s going to be costlier and this could lead folks to really feel unhealthy about their meals selections, and we don’t want any extra of that going round.

Natural meals aren’t nutritionally superior to traditional meals. With costs of meals already being so excessive, most individuals can’t afford to eat natural meals. As a dietitian, I don’t suggest natural over typical, and I don’t purchase natural meals myself.

There are many natural meals which might be ultra-processed, similar to cookies, crackers or frozen entrees. Whether or not natural or not, we ought to be consuming much less of those.

There may be completely no justification for Yuka to offer an automated 10% level bonus to natural meals, and this can be a useless giveaway that the app is principally non-evidence based mostly rubbish.

Yuka app evaluation: can Yuka assist us make higher meals selections?

On the subject of processed or packaged snack meals that rating low on Yuka, the app will counsel “more healthy” options. The options could also be decrease in sodium or sugar, however are they actually going to be an acceptable different for the particular person based mostly on their preferences, finances, and so on?

For instance, the Goldish cracker’s top-rated different was an natural, gluten-free cracker that for my part, tastes like loss of life and likewise prices way more. What number of youngsters need Mary’s crackers? Critically, even I don’t need these issues. Can we should be guilting mother and father into shopping for costlier options when the unique is completely protected?

If the app suggests, for instance, selecting an natural cookie that’s made with natural sugar, it might have the next rating, nevertheless it isn’t a more sensible choice. Your physique goes to digest that sugar the identical manner as typical sugar, and scoring issues this manner is deceptive. Sugar is sugar, and natural sugar isn’t more healthy.

Most of us know what meals are nutritious and that make us really feel good. Essentially the most nutritious meals don’t sometimes include a barcode that may be scanned, however not all the pieces we eat needs to be bodily nourishing. A nutritious diet has a wide range of meals….and no guilt hooked up.

Consuming extra entire meals and fewer ultra-processed ones is at all times perfect, and we don’t want the app to inform us that. 

The dearth of science on this app’s scoring system, plus the worry, disgrace, and anxiousness it might create round meals, outweigh any profit it might have. 

I wouldn’t suggest the Yuka app to anybody.