Yuka Reviews 

Products like Tortilla chips and cream crackers are high in trans fats, which aren't covered despite being the worst fat. These products are rated good to excellent???

The idea is great but a lot of information has been incorrect such as product stating ‘no additives’ but when double checking there is common additives that Yuka state as bad additives in other products .
Also had several items that have said excellent but are on the app twice and contradict each other

Great app to help people identify ingredients and the poison/toxic in the food industry.

I sent an email to YUKA:

"I spotted a few mistakes in the app that need changing rapidly. I saw a "healthy" product that had SEED OILS which is very very unhealthy and worser than sugar and I'd like to suggest please outline these ingredients correctly as this app is supposed to be showing unhealthy/toxic ingredients another thing is maltodextrin and dextrose which are the HIGHEST on the Gi and GL index and another is "natural flavorings" I request you to please correct these"

Their reply was:

"One of the main issues linked to consuming certain seed oils is their saturated fat content, which can sometimes be high. Yuka does take the amount of saturated fats into account in its product analyses: the higher the amount of saturated fats is in a product, the lower its grade will be.
Regarding Omega-6, which are part of the unsaturated fats group, you should certainly limit your consumption of these. The balance of our Omega-3 and Omega-6 intake is what will have the biggest effect on this: we should consume at most 5 times more Omega-6 than Omega-3.As for maltodextrines and dextrose, at this time, the information we have on file does not indicate any risks associated to it. The only ingredient we mark as risky (yellow) is polidextrose (E1200).

Finally, At this time, only "Artificial Flavors" are penalized in the app, as "Natural Flavors" under EU regulations must be derived from natural products and/or ingredients from natural sources.
However, we're currently reviewing the rating for Natural Flavors for the US market, assessing the legislation and scientific studies published on the health impact of this ingredient"

My reply was:

"I understand what you're saying but we need to intact up our omega 3 instead of 6. The best ratio is 1:1, having too much omega 6 can cause inflammation in the body among other health issues so when paired with omega 3 they balance each other out. Having a little too much of omega 3 is ok but having too much of anything isn't good whether it's healthy or not.

Regarding natural flavours, the company can put 100s of unknown ingredients in the food and just name it as natural flavours. For example, I have come across many foods/treats that shows in the ingredients list the natural flavours come from said fruit or something natural that's actually naturally derived and found in nature, not synthetic or artificial. If they can't state what it has come from there's something dodgy going on.

Regarding Maltodextrin and Dextrose, these themselves are worse than sugar. People with diabetes think they are eating sugar free foods/treats but they don't the the truth about Maltodextrin and Dextrose that is in that said food or treat, it will raise their blood sugars to the max and it certainly did for me. Just a very small amount of Maltodextrin sent my blood sugar to the roof whereas the same amount of sugar hardly had any effect. In my honest opinion the best sweeteners are stevia, xylitol, erythritol, monk fruit, chicory root fibre, inulin, allulose among many other naturally derived sweeteners and these are the one I personally use whose diabetic so it's a win win because there's no damage to oral health, gut microbiome, blood sugars/insulin and all the bad things that come from eating sugar/carbohydrates.

I am very much aware of the sneaky tactics the food industry use/add and I also have personal experience working there and just doing my own research. Another example I would like to add is cereals, the companies tout it as having your "daily vitamins and minerals" etc etc but unfortunately people don't know that food is FORTIFIED with synthetic vitamins and minerals... It literally says it on the box but people still won't know about it. Why can't we just eat something more healthier and natural for breakfast? Just have eggs that's more than enough nutrients to keep you going, but unfortunately people nowadays can't be bothered cooking or making breakfast which is as simple as 5-20 minutes. I sincerely hope you take my request into consideration and if you could also please cater this app for people who are following keto, paleo, carnivore diet and for the health conscious people as I think this will really work for everyone and will reach a wider audience and make the app grow. It is a very good app don't get me wrong, but just some information is critically incorrect"

The team themselves don't know a lot about how the food industry works so they really need to fix these ratings as it is false..

Thank you

Yuka is great and it should be public supported as it serves the Customers' Rights. Here's a review after years of use.

Pros:

- The app features a clear notation system with plenty of explanations and references to scientific data.
- It successfully identifies most products and allows for the addition of new products.
- It maintains a history of all scans and suggests alternative products when the score is low.
- The app offers filters to aid in the search process.
- A premium membership, starting at just 15 (10-20) euros per year, provides offline access, direct product search (without scanning), and pre-filters based on personal food preferences.

Cons:

- The app appeared to be not available for download in some countries. It can still be used there provided you have internet connection or premium access.
- The history feature has some minor drawbacks.

I'm a fitness trainer. I eat eat healthy. But these additives are new to me.. It has been very informative... I follow 98% and agree to it. I have kept a few items such as mustard.. because of it's other benefits..(helps prevent cancer)...This is the most useful, insightful, helpful app ever... I say this as a fitness trainer as trainer wanting and implementing health... It is VERY RARE I RATE A 5 ⭐.. On anything...Keep your knowledge independent and uncorrupted by $$. Influence

This is so easy to use and it’s free. I have returned all items that were rated below excellent. Thank God for this app! The US government is more concerned about corporate funding than its citizens. Sad but true.

Have made many great decisions about food & beauty products because of this app. Love it!

This app is awesome! it helps me and my kid be more mindful when we buy and use products. At first I was horrified to find out so many bad ratings on food I thought was safe and good but now I am glad I made many changes thanks to the app. I love that they are user funded and not bribed by big food and pharma like our regulatory agencies... that are not to be trusted anymore unfortunately. So grateful for yuka app

The ratings ride roughshod over scientific reason and fact about ingredients. I’m not sure how their algorithm works but it doesn’t take into account all the facts. It seems to hammer any product with a preservative - take Phenoxyethanol as an example which is scientifically proven to be a safe preservative in cosmetic products up to 1% inclusion and would never be in any product above this level. If you have a water based product and you don’t want unwanted bacteria in it and you want a good shelf life for the consumer you need preservatives. However, this app reduces the product score by circa 50% if one is included. Which is quite frankly ridiculous. It has a lot to do with testing why this problem exists, many substances can be tested at high levels and become an issue. The best analogy to bring this into context is Water. We need it to survive and when consumed at recommended levels keeps us healthy, but if it’s consumed at significantly higher levels it’s actually very toxic and will kill you!
Apps such as these are not developed by scientists or cosmetic professionals and should be taken with a pinch of salt and ignored.

My second year using this app now. I thought it was brilliant at first. But now I'm not that impressed because on several occasions the rating has been changed eg, before was rated good and a few weeks later rates as poor! So I don't feel I can trust what the YUKA app is saying anymore. It's actually annoying! Several times the exact same item comes up as poor and good when searched.. So which one is it 🤨... wish I never came across this app because its so inaccurate! When searching for items they show good/ excellent and then when I buy the item and scan it.... it comes up poor! Absolutely stupid!!!!

This app has helped me change several products I use to others that are much healthier. I had no idea how unhealthy certain products were until now. Brilliant, thank you.

Wow! I have never wanted to give 6 stars now I really do. I have been waiting forever for this app, and only just found it. It's amazing, I wish it covered vitamins and household chemicals too. For cosmetics and food stuffs it breaks down what's good and bad for you, and no surprises most things are badly made with no care for your health. So many hazardous and cancer causing chemicals in almost all products. But if in this crazy world if you care for your body and health. You definitely need this app. I honestly highly recommend it. It even tells you what to use instead, products that are not laden with killer chemicals and it's free! Thank you Yuka! You rock!

Yuka has informed so many of my choices when it comes to buying cosmetics and household products. I absolutely recommend the app as the few times I’ve had to contact them they have been incredible at providing me with sources to journal articles about specific ingredients. Absolutely fantastic!