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Yuka, the French food-scanning app, claims 85 million users in 12 countries
Sport Desk · · 30s summary · 3 min read
The essentials
French app Yuka, which scans food and cosmetic product barcodes to provide a 0–100 health score, claims 85 million users across 12 countries, according to the BBC. The United States is its largest market with 28 million users, followed by France (6 million) and the United Kingdom (approximately 5 million). Co-founder and CEO Julie Chapon relocated to the United States three years ago to lead the app's expansion. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, has publicly stated that Yuka is his favorite app.
- Yuka claims 85 million users across 12 countries since its 2015 launch in France
- The United States is Yuka's largest market, with 28 million users, far surpassing France and the U.K.
- RFK Jr., U.S. Health Secretary, publicly declared Yuka his preferred health app
- Open Food Facts, a collaborative database, supplies much of Yuka's product data
- Research shows nutrition-tracking tools primarily reach affluent populations, not vulnerable groups
What we know
Launched in France in 2015, Yuka is a mobile app that scans the barcode of a food or cosmetic product. It instantly assigns a health score from 0 to 100, displayed in green, yellow, or red, along with information about additives. According to the BBC, Yuka claims 85 million users across 12 countries—including several European nations, the United States, Canada, and Australia—and a database of 6 million food products updated with approximately 1,200 new items daily.
The United States comprises its largest market with 28 million users, followed by France (6 million) and the United Kingdom (approximately 5 million). Co-founder and CEO Julie Chapon relocated to the United States three years ago due to the app's success there, while maintaining the company's headquarters in France.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, has publicly stated that Yuka is his favorite app.
United States28
France6
United Kingdom5
Background
Yuka relies partly on Open Food Facts—a collaborative project designed to create a free and open database of food products sold worldwide. Founded in 2012 by French developer Stéphane Gigandet during Food Revolution Day organized by British chef Jamie Oliver, it lists over 4 million products.
Two months after Yuka's launch, the French government introduced the Nutri-Score, a voluntary front-of-package label. Created by researcher Serge Hercberg of Paris-Sorbonne University and inspired by the British Traffic Light system, it has been adopted by companies like Danone and Nestlé—though brands whose products would receive poor scores tend to avoid it.
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