We live in a world of wellness culture, influencers, and social media promoting clean living and conscious eating. This fuels us to be more proactive in these areas in our own lives.
If we have a health concern, chances are we’ve googled symptoms or products that might help us. If we have dry skin, we are searching social media for products endorsed by our favourite influencers or celebrities. Unlike previous generations, we have access to instant information, and we thrive on it.
But what if there was an app on my phone that could make it even easier for me to dismiss or fall in love with a product without having to filter information or opinions?
I am increasingly seeking trustworthy brands that prioritise my health as I become more aware of the long term effects of ultra processed foods and drinks on my body. Those like me, with health concerns, or those who are just trying to be more conscious of what they are consuming, will conduct in-depth research to find products that support their bodies and reduce the risk of unwanted symptoms.
Ingredient scanning apps simplify this process for us. We no longer need to scour forums or scrutinise ingredient lists on websites. Just whip out your smartphone and scan the barcode to see beyond the pastel tones and eye-catching, Instagram-worthy packaging.
The pressure is on for brands to not only make their products visually appealing on the shelf, but also to substantiate any health claims and influencer endorsements with solid factual evidence. Buzzwords like ‘calm’, ‘natural energy’, or ‘added this and that’ flood the packaging, but once scanned, does the product truly deliver?
A quick scan with my smartphone reveals every ingredient. With tools like Yuka, I can see a score out of 100, which indicates how healthy or risky a product might be for me. The score considers factors such as sugar, saturated fat, calories, and additives. All of which are becoming more important to me as a consumer.
I scanned 34 products within the functional drinks sector, and the results were eye-opening. Some brands scored well - 60 or 70 out of 100 - suggesting their claims are justified, while others plummeted as low as 25, with one scoring just 9/100! For perspective, the zero-calorie edition of the nation’s favourite orange soda scores about 39. Not only are some of these ‘good-for-you’ products scoring such low scores, but many also contain additives that the app lists as ‘risky’ or ‘to avoid’. That doesn’t sound very ‘good-for-you’ to me.
How accurate is it?
The scan economy is growing despite debates over the accuracy of the calculations. Whilst the majority, if not all, of the scanning apps on the market use similar algorithms, let’s focus on Yuka here, given that it is my chosen app.
I have read about many nutritionists contesting Yuka’s calculations. The prime argument is that the results don’t always make sense. In some contexts, that’s definitely true. For example, an organic product will automatically score higher than a non-organic product even though organic does not mean healthier.
One nutritionist took to Instagram to discuss how a pack of functional flavoured yoghurts scored highly on the app, despite containing 3.5 teaspoons of sugar, whilst a jar of 100% sesame seed puree scored low due to its calories and fat content, despite being a very nutritious product. This has taught me that there are things to consider before trusting my Yuka scan results entirely.
Yuka was founded in 2017 and currently has over 80 million users worldwide. With 16.4 million downloads in 2025, over 2 million scans are carried out every day.
But it’s not only Yuka that we are downloading in our masses. The Codecheck app has had over 10 million downloads worldwide, and Food Scan Genius has had over 30 million downloads. This shows that regardless of nutritionists’ opinions, consumers like me rely on food-scanning apps daily to help make purchase decisions, and brands can’t ignore it.
Chances are, if a product can pass my scan, it earns a place in my fridge. If not, it’s staying on the shelf.
To all functional food and drinks brands, fix up. Don’t get left on the shelf.
About the author
Lauren Peters in the marketing manager for Heaven Soda, a drinks brand designed to be low in sugar and calories and high in fibre.
