My trash can inventory is as follows: a bottle of Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures conditioner, the leftover oat milk, and a pack of Extra Sugar Free gum.
They are all at least half full. I doubt there are four slices of brown bread. This is a bit annoying; it is not even old. And it is from Waitrose!
But I have no choice. They have too low scores to pass in my household. So I throw the offenders out.
Why do I throw away perfectly good food? Because an app told me to. Hi, my name is Olivia and I am addicted to Yuka.
Launched in 2017 by three French techies to help people eat and live better, the app has since gained 50 million users in 12 countries.
Launched in 2017 by three French techies to help people eat and live better, Yuka has since grown to 50 million users in 12 countries.
Scan the barcode of a food or cosmetic product and you will receive a score from 1 to 100 based on the amount of chemicals and additives it contains (pictured: Yuka app)
Scan the barcode of a food or cosmetic product and you will be given a score out of 100 based on the amount of chemicals and additives it contains and, in the case of food, its nutritional value.
The ratings range from “Excellent” to “Poor.” (I was given a “Poor” rating for a bottle of seemingly harmful shampoo, but was given zero points, which makes you wonder if a stronger word should have been used, or if a siren was sounding.)
I admit that I have an obsessive nature and that the quality of the food I eat has been an obsession for me ever since Chris van Tulleken’s book Ultra Processed People opened my eyes to how full of nasty stuff many of our favorite foods are and the serious health consequences of eating them.
A recent study by the World Health Organization found that ultra-processed foods (UPFs), along with tobacco, alcohol and fossil fuels, are responsible for the annual deaths of 2.7 million people in Europe.
The resulting craze for whole foods (as close to their natural state as possible) has spread like a virus among my 20-something friends. One of them, a lawyer, now gets up at 5:30 to bake sourdough bread.
So with my organic spinach and green juices I was a perfect target for Yuka, with his seeming authority on all things healthy. I now religiously scan everything before I buy.
Since downloading Yuka, the cost of my weekly shop has gone up by a not inconsiderable £15 (archive photo)
Yuka is independent, her analysis is not based on affiliation with any brand, making it relatively reliable (stock photo)
I’m not the only one; a colleague confessed that she finds it stressful to visit other people’s homes, as it is considered rude in polite society to ‘yuka’ your host’s hand soap.
However, getting a good score for your stuff is quite a status symbol. It’s no surprise that cheaper products often score lower, full of inferior ingredients that cost you valuable points.
I’ve calculated that since downloading Yuka, the cost of my weekly shop has gone up by a not insignificant £15.
And if you’re not careful with Yuka before you head to the checkout, it can lead to some unforgivable food waste. I was shocked to see that even the small bags of Chocolate Orange dipped almonds from mid-range health queen Deliciously Ella were a ‘bad’ snack (35/100), and would therefore be a waste of £2.90.
Yuka is independent, its analysis is not based on brand affiliation, which makes it relatively reliable. But it is certainly not infallible. The database contains information on five million products, but that information comes exclusively from app users who contribute data about their weekly shop and from the brands themselves.
And the viewing figures were met with some skepticism.
For example, the previously mentioned zero-points shampoo contains ‘dangerous’ methylchloroisothiazolinone, a preservative in cosmetics. It is harmful to marine life and allergenic to humans.
Yuka’s database contains information on five million products
In other words, it deserves its abysmal score. But scan Tesco’s Orange and Mango juice, which contains just orange juice and mango puree, with no preservatives, and you’ll still get a ‘poor’ verdict of 30/100. The breakdown shows it to be ‘too high in calories’, with 50kcal per 100ml, and ‘too sweet’, with 9.7g of naturally occurring sugars.
Those with a little perspective will see that the health benefits here far outweigh the drawbacks. But at first glance, this one-size-fits-all system makes a healthy choice seem like a vodka Red Bull for breakfast.
Beauty experts also point out that Yuka does not take into account the concentration or amount of ingredients, as these are usually not listed on products. Therefore, it rates UV filters as possible hormone disruptors and ‘dangerous’.
Still, they are essential for sun protection and are permitted in both the EU and the US in concentrations of up to 10 percent.
Yet I continue to zap everything I see. It’s gotten so bad that my roommate had to have a conversation with me about Yuka Boundaries; who knew some people didn’t want to know the score of their Oreos? (18/100, in case you were wondering.)
She herself indicated that she did not buy the cookies, chocolate or chips in the hope that they would have a high nutritional value.
So I have to keep my habit a secret and keep my eyes open when no one is looking, and smugly remind myself that it’s better than being addicted to UPFs.