Yuka, the French food-scanning app, claims 85 million users in 12 countries

Herz — Sport Desk · 14 July 2026 at 00:57 · 30s summary · 3 min read

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.

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.