Stories

Mon, 13 Jul 2026

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 Is tracking your food purchases good for your health?

Food tracking apps are popular, but are they a good way to make us eat a healthier diet?
The Yuka app, developed in France, has gained popularity worldwide for its ability to scan barcodes and provide immediate health ratings for millions of products. Users like Nathalie, who was shopping with her son at a Hyper U supermarket west of Paris, can see whether their favorite foods are healthy or not. The app uses a traffic light system, with green indicating good, red indicating bad, and yellow indicating room for improvement. Nathalie's experience highlights the app's features: she scans a packet of biscuits and sees that it scores 0/100, marked in red lettering. She discovers that the product contains four additives, including one that can lead to health problems if consumed excessively. The app suggests alternative products with better ratings, and Nathalie puts them back on the shelf. Yuka's CEO, Julie Chapon, says that revenue comes from users who pay for a premium version of the app, not from advertising or sponsored content. She claims that 94% of users put products back on the shelf when they receive a red rating, indicating that the app is having an impact on shopping habits. The app's influence extends beyond individual consumers: Intermarché, a French supermarket chain, has reworked formulations for over 3,000 own-brand products due to their Yuka scores. The company also displays product ratings on its online shopping site. However, critics argue that food tracking systems like Yuka and Nutri-Score labeling only benefit the more affluent population, leaving those most at risk of health problems behind. Julie Chapon acknowledges these limitations but emphasizes the importance of sharing information to promote healthy choices.