In the grand theater of consumer-packaged goods, a new protagonist has emerged, and it’s not another artisanal kale chip. Enter Yuka, the app that’s transforming smartphones into health advocacy tools.
Imagine having a nutritionist and a chemist in your pocket, ready to dissect the contents of your shopping cart and reveal their impact on health. That’s Yuka for you. Launched in France in 2017, the app is both 100% independent and ad free, making it void of brand influence, sourcing its revenue from premium subscriptions.
The app allows users to scan the barcodes of food and cosmetic products, instantly providing a health rating score out of 100 based on 3 key criteria:
- Nutritional quality – such as calories, sugar, fats, sodium, fiber content (60%)
- Presence of additives (30%)
- Organic certification, for which a product receives additional points (10%)
It’s like having x-ray vision for your grocery and personal care purchases – and it’s both empowering the growing number of shoppers embracing healthier choices and pushing brands to recognize that they need to respond.
From Awareness to Action
Yuka doesn’t stop at merely informing consumers about a product’s health value – it offers solutions. For example, if a scanned product scores poorly, the app offers up independent suggestions for healthier options – opening the door to consumer trial for brands dedicated to better choices. It also hands app users a megaphone. With the introduction of its “Call-out the Brand” feature, users can directly email manufacturers when Yuka flags products for health concerns. Feeling extra feisty? Yuka also allows users to share their concerns on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with more integrations on the horizon.
“But we don’t want to be the score that matches consumer expectation. We want to be the score that represents if a product is good or not for human health.”
– François Martin, Yuka CEO and co-founder
The Ripple Effect: Brands Feeling the Heat and Listening
Yuka’s impact on the market has been notable. With a user base of 68 million users across 12 countries, the app is especially surging in the U.S, with nearly 600,000 new ones joining monthly. The app also boasts an impressive database of 5 million profiled products – 3 million food | 2 million cosmetics. The result – a trend-setting movement leading consumers to healthier choices and placing pressure on brands.
Take Intermarché, a French supermarket chain that reformulated 900 products, eliminating 140 additives in response to consumer feedback via Yuka. That’s not just a drop in the bucket; it’s an emerging wave of transformation. And the momentum didn’t stop there. Yuka’s influence has extended beyond reformulations into the realm of regulation and public health policy. In 2023, aspartame found itself in the app’s crosshairs. Although the JointExpert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA) of the WHO and EFSA reviewed aspartame and deed it safe, Yuka mobilized consumers – gathering 40,000 signatures in a petition to ban aspartame across Europe.
Consumer Empowerment: A Force to Reckon With
The message is clear: consumers are no longer passively sitting back. They’re scanning, sharing and shifting. Armed with information and direct channels of communication, they are demanding transparency and healthier options. According to the Food Industry Association and NielsenIQ, 72% of shoppers prioritize transparency when choosing food brands. Yuka’s own data shows that 92% of its users have been buying fewer ultra-processed foods since using the app. And according to Julie Chapon, Yuka’s Managing Director, 95% of Yuka users claim that thanks to the app, they have stopped purchasing products containing controversial additives.
Consumers are no longer just buying—they’re benchmarking. No doubt about it, Yuka is quickly becoming the “consumer’s new best friend” and placing pressure on brands and resulting in real change.
Adapt or Become Obsolete
The landscape is shifting, and brands that fail to adapt risk becoming relics of the past. Embracing transparency isn’t just good ethics – it’s good business. Consumers are watching, scanning, and ready to hold brands accountable.
Yuka has ushered in an educational resource and era where consumers wield new-found, unprecedented power. The days of opaque ingredient lists and unpronounceable additives are numbered. Brands that listen, adapt, and prioritize consumer health will not only survive but thrive. The revolution is here and being scanned by a consumer near you.
At Ignite2X, we believe in more than just driving sales for our clients – we’re dedicated to harnessing the power of their assets with distinctive, purposeful branding and contextual ways that create lasting loyalty. It’s not just about staying relevant, it’s about delivering meaningful, transformational strategies and tactics across sales channels – leading with inspirational, innovative solutions that connect with shoppers. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and start crafting a fresh narrative to help make your brand soar. And the best part? Your audience will notice the change and they’ll love it.
SOURCES: Food Navigator, Greenbot, Food Industry Association, NielseIQ
