Intermarché Reformulates 3,000 Products, Displays Yuka Scores as 85 Million Users Pressure Food Brands
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 13
Intermarché Reformulates 3,000 Products, Displays Yuka Scores as 85 Million Users Pressure Food Brands
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 13
Summary
Intermarché says it has reformulated more than 3,000 own-brand recipes since 2017, removing 160 additives, after consumer scrutiny driven by Yuka ratings.
300 products were reworked last year alone, and in April the French retailer began showing Yuka scores on its online shopping site, extending the app's influence from shoppers to shelf presentation.
85 million people in 12 countries now use Yuka to scan products for nutrition and additives, with the app rating about 6 million items and adding roughly 1,200 new ones a day.
A 2024 Yuka survey of 20,000 users found 94% put products back when shown a red rating, helping explain why manufacturers and retailers are adjusting formulations.
France's wider food-labeling ecosystem — including Nutri-Score and Open Food Facts — has amplified that pressure, though researchers say such tools still reach mainly more engaged, better-off shoppers.
Yuka's red-light ratings are changing what we eat. Does this simple system truly make us healthier, or just more afraid of our food?
With a French app now petitioning the FDA, can consumer tech fix America's food safety system faster than government regulation?
How Yuka’s 80 Million Users Are Forcing Food Industry Reform: The App That Changed Consumer Power and Product Transparency
Overview
The Yuka app began with co-founder Julie Chapon’s discovery that her trusted cereal was much higher in sugar than she thought, revealing a gap in consumer trust and a need for transparency. This realization led to the creation of Yuka, which quickly became a powerful force, reshaping how people shop and pushing the food industry to change. Yuka’s influence has driven consumers to demand clearer product information and has encouraged retailers like Intermarché to adapt. As a result, both shopping habits and industry standards have shifted, showing how one app can spark widespread change.