I’ve been requested many occasions over the previous few years to do a evaluation of the Yuka app. It’s all the time attention-grabbing seeing apps that purport to assist individuals make higher decisions with their meals, as a result of inevitably these apps cut back these decisions 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 line 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 choice that they deem to be ‘higher’.
For this Yuka app evaluation, we’ll stick with the meals and diet aspect of the Yuka app.
Once you scan a product, it provides you an total rating and score after which breaks down the constructive and detrimental attributes of a product primarily based on the Yuka app scoring system, which we are going to get to.
The app additionally classifies meals as “good” or “unhealthy” primarily based on the general rating.
Yuka additionally prides itself on being unbiased and never influenced by meals firms. There’s a premium, paid model of the app and that’s how they generate profits.
How does the Yuka app rating merchandise?
The Yuka app scores merchandise primarily based 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 line 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 relies on a technique adopted by a number of European nations known as Nutri-Rating. Nutri-Rating grades the dietary high quality of meals merchandise primarily based 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 primarily based on diet high quality. The system charges meals from ategory A to E, the place A signifies greater dietary high quality and E is decrease.
The classes are given a coloration primarily based on a visitors gentle, the place the upper classes are inexperienced, descending to yellow after which purple, relying on the general rating.
There’s analysis on Nutri-Rating however as I’ve mentioned many occasions, simply because analysis exists, doesn’t imply it’s good analysis. This examine discovered associations (not causations) that utilizing this technique has advantages on well being and decreased mortality, however these findings have been weak total, and plenty of elements similar to genetics and environmental elements weren’t considered. The examine 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 individuals can change their consuming habits and way of life habits over time, so making conclusions primarily based on one survey at one cut-off date doesn’t inform us a lot.
I’ve written about the way to interpret diet analysis right here.
Once you use the Yuka app to scan a meals merchandise, it provides you a numerical rating out of 100 and a score of both “glorious,” “good”, “poor,” or “unhealthy.” For instance, the goldfish crackers I scanned got a rating of seven/100 (unhealthy) as a result of that they had components that Yuka says must be prevented, and an excessive amount of sodium and energy in keeping 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 will probably create guilt and disgrace round meals and consuming, and it’s fully arbitrary. There aren’t any good or unhealthy meals. Any meals can match right into a different weight loss program, 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 diet. Peanut butter has plenty of wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins and minerals. This isn’t the 80’s once 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 diet (and low in saturated fats!). High quality of energy issues!
Labeling meals nearly as good or unhealthy also can create worry and anxiousness round meals, and lead individuals to develop orthorexic sort habits the place they turn out to be overly targeted on making wholesome decisions. 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.
When you’re consuming a weight loss program stuffed with complete and minimally processed meals, you shouldn’t need to care in regards to the ‘rating’ of your crackers or peanut butter or no matter.
The Yuka app ranks meals with greater quantities of saturated fat as “unhealthy,” or not less than lowers their rating. Dairy merchandise are notably affected by this score system as a result of they’re naturally greater in saturated fats. Tips for saturated fats consumption are to maintain it at lower than 10% of our complete calorie consumption. Once I scanned cheese, it received 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 quite a lot of vitamins, and whereas cheese could 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 individuals to be confused about making wholesome decisions.
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 greater 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 fully ludicrous.
It informed me that the monocalcium phosphate in Goldfish Crackers was “hazardous,” however the clarification 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 when you’re going to touch upon the risks of random components, you must 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 constantly refutes that. The 14 research that Yuka cites to again up their claims aren’t convincing and seem like cherrypicked to go well with their narrative. Rodent research, cell research, outdated research, horribly accomplished research, even a examine that discovered no adversarial results of MSG on people.
Perhaps Yuka thinks the common individual isn’t going to verify their citations, however I positive as heck am.
I reviewed the analysis round MSG. Learn my publish about whether or not MSG is protected, right here.
This complete factor can result in chemophobia round meals, making individuals assume that what they’re consuming is poisonous. In actuality, all meals are completely protected. Meals components are nicely regulated in Canada and the US, and there are limits on how a lot can be utilized.
Ought to your weight loss program be comprised solely of Froot Loops? In fact not. However let’s method our diets with some nuance and science right here.
PS: Froot Loops received a better 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 weight loss program and states that natural meals are greater in antioxidants. Yuka states that individuals who eat extra natural meals have a decreased threat of most cancers, diabetes, and of being chubby 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 aren’t any direct hyperlinks between natural meals and improved markers of well being. None.
I’ve really written in regards to the examine they cited that reveals that individuals who eat extra natural meals have a decrease threat of most cancers. There was a media frenzy when this examine 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 existence total in addition to higher entry to medical care, greater socioeconomic standing, and extra time for bodily exercise. These are all elements that may impression illness threat way over simply consuming natural meals over standard.
When the Yuka app suggests a “more healthy” various to a product, it’s normally an natural model that’s going to be dearer and this could lead individuals to really feel unhealthy about their meals decisions, and we don’t want any extra of that going round.
Natural meals aren’t nutritionally superior to standard 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 standard, and I don’t purchase natural meals myself.
There are many natural meals which can be ultra-processed, similar to cookies, crackers or frozen entrees. Whether or not natural or not, we must be consuming much less of those.
There’s completely no justification for Yuka to provide an automated 10% level bonus to natural meals, and this can be a lifeless giveaway that the app is mainly non-evidence primarily based rubbish.
Yuka app evaluation: can Yuka assist us make higher meals decisions?
With regards to 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 various for the individual primarily based on their preferences, funds, and many others?
For instance, the Goldish cracker’s top-rated various was an natural, gluten-free cracker that in my view, tastes like demise and likewise prices much more. What number of youngsters need Mary’s crackers? Significantly, even I don’t need these issues. Can we should be guilting mother and father into shopping for dearer options when the unique is completely protected?
If the app suggests, for instance, selecting an natural cookie that’s made with natural sugar, it could have a better rating, nevertheless it isn’t a better option. Your physique goes to digest that sugar the identical means as standard 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. Probably the most nutritious meals don’t sometimes include a barcode that may be scanned, however not all the things we eat must be bodily nourishing. A nutritious diet has quite a lot of meals….and no guilt connected.
Consuming extra complete meals and fewer ultra-processed ones is all the time ultimate, 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 may possibly create round meals, outweigh any profit it could have.
I wouldn’t suggest the Yuka app to anybody.
