Latest news with #Yuka
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Yuka app helps users scan food and products for health risks
What if your phone could tell you which foods to skip and which ones to trust — with just a scan? That's the idea behind Yuka, a mobile app gaining popularity in the U.S. for its ability to rate food and personal care products based on their health impact. With more than 20 million American users, the app is catching on with health-conscious families like Michelle Vasco. "That's very important to me — making sure that everything I eat is pretty much on the healthier side," Vasco said. Yuka allows users to scan barcodes on everyday items. Each food product receives a score based on three categories: 60% from nutritional value, 30% from the presence of additives, and 10% from how organic the product is. A color-coded scale, from green to red, gives users instant feedback. "I think I'm pretty much addicted to it by scanning everything, but I love it," Vasco said. The app also suggests healthier alternatives when a scanned item scores poorly. Julie Chapon, who co-founded Yuka in France in 2017, said the app is designed to make health data more accessible. "When people tried to pay attention to what they were buying, it was very complicated to understand the food composition," Chapon said in an interview with CBS News Miami. Yuka's analysis is based on current scientific research and public health guidelines, she said. "We detail all the risks associated with each additive or ingredient, as well as the scientific sources we base our analysis on," Chapon added. After strong adoption in Europe, U.S. growth took off in 2022. Chapon said Yuka adds 25,000 new users in the U.S. each day — all through word of mouth and media coverage. "This is totally organic. We don't do advertising," she said. Some health professionals are urging users to treat the app as a general guide, not a medical tool. "It's really hard to cast that wide of a net and say, 'Oh, you're gonna be great, just do this,'" said registered dietitian Monica Auslander Moreno. "Health care has to be individualized." Moreno said she's especially concerned about people with food allergies, specialized diets, or eating disorders who may take Yuka's scoring too literally. When asked about those concerns, Chapon said Yuka's terms of use specify the app is not intended for people with eating disorders and does not replace advice from a medical professional. For users like Vasco, the app has simply become part of daily life. "I feel like I am taking a little bit more better steps into my health, you know, in the long run," she said. There has been online speculation about possible partnerships between Yuka and food manufacturers, raising concerns about biased ratings. Chapon denied those claims and said Yuka is completely independent — both from politics and industry — and makes money solely through its optional paid subscription service.
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Love And Deepspace pop-up exhibition to be held at Resorts World Sentosa from July 18-31
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The ticket-free exhibition will feature five themed installations inspired by key moments in the game's latest update. SINGAPORE - Love-struck fans of the popular 3D romance game Love And Deepspace are in for a treat at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) this July. A collaboration exhibition between Infold Games - the global brand of the game's developer Papergames - and RWS, has been announced. It coincides with the game's latest update, Love And Deepspace 4.0 (Witnessed By Deepspace). It will also be South-east Asia's first and only pop-up exhibition dedicated to the mobile game since its release in January 2024 . In a statement on July 11, Infold Games said that the ticket-free pop-up exhibition will feature five themed installations inspired by key moments in the latest update - one for each of the love interests in the game, along with their life-size standees that fans can pose with for photos. The installations will be at ave8 at RWS from July 18 to 31. Entry to the pop-up exhibition will only be available between Fridays and Sundays (July 18-20 and July 25-27), from 11am to 7pm. Event-goers will also stand a chance to be among 50 lucky winners of an exclusive official merchandise set via a lucky draw after completing the designated event activity. The grand prize offers a one-night stay at Hotel Ora - a five-star hotel located in RWS. Business analyst Yuka, who is among a group of fans running the Deepspacebb_and_me Instagram account dedicated to the game, said that she has been anticipating the event since its announcement online. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore S'pore boosts nuclear viability, safety research with new institute and $66m in additional funding Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term Singapore More than 14,300 people checked during 7-week-long anti-crime ops Singapore More than 150 e-bikes and other non-compliant mobility devices impounded in last 2 months: LTA Life Anti-smoking advisory in new plaque for controversial samsui woman mural Singapore Over 12,000 lower-income households to receive $60 in transport vouchers by end-July Business CEO salaries: At Singapore's top companies, whose pay went up and whose saw a drop? Singapore NDP 2025: Leopard tank transmission fault identified, vehicle to resume role in mobile column 'I cheered along with my friends in excitement when we saw it... I'm looking forward to the decorations and meeting fans in the event,' the 28-year-old excitedly told ST. 'This event means a lot to the community,' said 36-year-old Faustine, an admin executive who asked to be known only by her first name and started playing the game just one week after its launch. 'I'm really glad that Singapore is finally hosting large-scale exhibits like the ones I used to only see on social media.' In this free-to-play 3D simulator mobile game launched by Chinese developer Papergames, players take on the female lead's perspective and navigate a sci-fi fantasy world - battling monsters, clearing tasks, and romancing any of the five virtual eligible bachelors. Unlike its predecessors in the genre of otome games ('maiden' in Japanese), Love And Deepspace is known for its unique features including an in-built menstruation cycle tracker, real-time reminders, and a tete-a-tete function that allows players to have more personal conversations with the love interests. A popular feature in the game's latest update lets players toggle an augmented reality filter for various functions - including 'workout' and 'sleep' - making it appear as if the love interests are performing these actions in real-world environments. Since its launch, Love And Deepspace has earned more than US$500 million (S$667.5 million) worldwide on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, reported AFP. The game boasts some 50 million users worldwide, with a growing number of fans locally.
CNET
10-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Can AI Decode Food Labels and Cosmetic Ingredients? Here's What This Platform Offers
If you're part of the alternative milk craze, I have some news to offer you: They often contain gums and oils to make their texture more like cow's milk and you could end up with a coated tongue that makes your coffee, cereal or oatmeal a little less enjoyable. I feel like I annoy baristas with the question of whether their milk contains gelling agents so I set out to find a way to analyze products in my own shopping rotation, to be informed and to choose items for something beyond their brand appeal. This is how I found Yuka, a mobile app that allows you to scan barcodes across food labels and cosmetic products and receive artificial intelligence evaluations and suggestions in response to its health score (0–100). What is Yuka, and how does it use AI? Yuka's logo is a smiling carrot. Yuka / Screenshot by CNET Yuka was founded by French siblings Benoît and François Martin and their friend Julie Chapon, who won a "Food Hackathon" event in 2016, and launched the company in 2017. Interestingly, Yuka's brand icon is an orange carrot, which represents Yuka's first iteration, a magnetic, carrot-shaped device for the refrigerator. That's since morphed into a mobile app available on iOS and Android, which features a free and premium version of its product starting at $15 a year. Yuka stands out for its ability to use AI to combine nutrition, additives and organic status quickly. This could potentially help manufacturers re-formulate or improve their products, in addition to customers being able to quickly tell if it's a product suited to them. Yuka's AI implementation starts with a scoring system across its three key factors, then provides an ingredient analysis -- informed by peer-reviewed studies and updated by a team of researchers and toxicology experts -- and then concludes with recommendations for healthier options. (Gotta love the simplicity of a three-part framework!) How to use Yuka to scan and analyze items' health impact Get your phone ready -- you'll need it to download and use Yuka. First, download Yuka, available for iPhone and Android, and sign in by making an account with an email address and a new password. Find some products wherever you're shopping and point your camera to focus on the barcode. This will generate a color-coded score (green or red) out of 100. I tried Yuka out with some new zinc sunscreen (poorly rated) and almond milk yogurt (highly rated), which surprised me, as I thought these scores would be backward due to the gums in my almond milk yogurt. Tap the product at the bottom of your screen for a breakdown on why a product got its score. This includes details on nutrition, additives, whether it's considered organic and any linked studies for more information. Here you can also explore AI-powered recommended alternatives and save your scan history for quick, future access. In my case, Yuka gave my almond milk yogurt a high rating because of its nutritional content. The additives that I was particularly concerned about didn't warrant a lower score than 78/100. As for my $40 mineral sunscreen, it was rated poorly because it contained phenoxyethanol and aluminum stearate -- two allergens that may have toxic effects and were labeled as moderate risks. This sunscreen was highly rated on multiple mineral sunscreen-focused listicles (which influenced my purchase) so I was surprised to see it rated 34/100. But, also thankful for the additional information. If you purchase or upgrade to a premium account, you have the option to use Yuka in offline mode. For more information on this, Yuka has a dedicated Help section on its website with FAQs for free and premium member-specific questions. Should you use Yuka? I was pleasantly surprised by Yuka's strong data ethics -- and ethics in general -- across its site and product. Product info comes from other people's uploads and brands' images instead of scraping from other sites, and its Terms & Conditions disallows scraping, bots or bulk data collection. Additionally, Yuka receives no influence from brands and does not give companies access to change scores or edit recommendations offered. They also can't pay Yuka to advertise alongside a multi-level responsible funding resource to eliminate conflict of interest. The breakdown Yuka provided on my yogurt. Yuka / Screenshot by CNET Some of the pushback about Yuka is that its scoring system isn't transparent enough. It currently only shows you a nutritional breakdown for food items, though below it there is a scoring method button that showcases a framework that explains how Yuka scores your product. While I agree there is room for improvement with a filtering system based on individual needs, I didn't have an issue with this as I'd use it primarily with food -- and I know what specific ingredients I'm looking to avoid. However, Yuka's good/bad rating system can lead to disordered eating so you should be careful if that's a potential issue for you. Another pitfall is that some experts also think its rating system could be improved, along with some of the studies it uses as backing for its information. You must also be mindful that this is an application that uses artificial intelligence (though prompted by humans), which means there's room for error (and improvement). It's important to note that double-checking ingredients yourself is the most efficient way to stay abreast of toxins, allergens and what you do or don't want in and on your body. That said, I respect Yuka's business model and approach to human-centered design and output, which may help combat some of the anxiety that surfaces around digital content. I think Yuka is a reliable choice for educating yourself on what's going on and into your body, especially with its firm stance against brand advertising.
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Suncream is safe - here are the facts, and five of Sally Foran's faves
Misinformation around sunscreen has unfortunately become more widespread on social media. Given that false news spreads up to six times faster and reaches more people than truthful content online (according to a 2018 study), this is extremely worrying. For younger people, it is more worrying still, as many rely on social media as a source of health information. A recent study from DCU found 57% of Gen Z are influenced by or frequently adopt nutrition trends they've found on TikTok and of those influenced, 67% said that they adopt at least one of these trends a few times a week. As melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young adults, we need to ensure our children aren't taking their health advice from wellness influencers or celebrities who are sharing damaging and inaccurate myths, including that cancer rates rose with the advent of sunscreen use and, even, that suncreams themselves cause cancer. The misinformation largely seems to stem from a mix of misinterpretations of lab studies, conspiracy theories and even apps like Yuka which can confuse people by demonising substances that toxicologists (scientists who study the harmful effects of chemicals) deem safe in regulated amounts. What do the experts say? It's important to note that, to date, no sunscreen ingredient, mineral or chemical, is classified as carcinogenic by any major health authority, including the Irish Cancer Society and the FDA. Skin cancer rates are likely increasing due to improved screening and diagnosis and significantly stronger UV radiation. UV rays, NOT sunscreen, are the actual carcinogen; they're classified as a group one carcinogen by the WHO, right next to plutonium. Thankfully, many dermatologists are now using their social media platforms to debunk this dangerous misinformation and help people make evidence-based choices for their skin health, including dermatologist Caitriona Ryan. Professor Ryan said one of the "growing myths" she's witnessed online is that chemical sunscreens cause cancer. "This [myth] is driven by misinterpreted studies. A recent FDA sponsored study did find that some chemical ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone are absorbed into the bloodstream at levels that warrant further testing, but absorption doesn't mean harm. There's no evidence that these ingredients cause cancer or health risks at the levels absorbed." Professor Ryan also points out that the FDA advised consumers to continue using sunscreen as "the proven benefits outweigh any of the theoretical risks'. A spokesperson for the Irish Cancer Society's website added; "we're often asked if chemicals in sunscreens are harmful, and if they increase your risk of developing cancer. Sunscreen has been used by a large portion of the population for a number of decades and there is no evidence that users come to harm. The research on the chemicals in sunscreen (oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate and parabens) does not show that they cause cancer. None of these chemicals has been classified as a cancer-causing substance by any major scientific organisation." Sunscreens we love Modern formulas have become more advanced, lightweight, invisible and comfortable to wear. Here are five of our favourites. Beauty of Josean Relief Sun: Rice & Probiotics, €17 Beauty of Josean Relief Sun: Rice & Probiotics €17, Beauty Features A gorgeous, lightweight gel cream ideal for breakout-prone skin or during hot weather. This Korean favourite feels like a weightless moisturiser, is fast absorbing, leaves no white cast and sits beautifully under makeup. What's not to love? Skingredients Skin Shield Moisturising and Priming SPF50 PA+++ Skingredients Skin Shield €57, The Skin Nerd A primer, moisturiser and sunscreen all in one. It has a gorgeous universal peachy tint (I love it on no makeup days) leaves no chalky white cast or photo flashback. It contains allantoin to soothe, niacinamide to help reduce redness and vitamin E, an antioxidant, to help protect against premature ageing. It protects against UVA, UVB, infrared light, pollution and blue light. CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF 50 CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion €19, LookFantastic A lightweight, facial moisturiser with SPF 50+ UVB/UVA protection, plus three essential ceramides, to help protect the skin's natural barrier and provide hydration, making it ideal for dry or mature skin. It hydrates for up to 24 hours, plays well under makeup and is the only SPF I can get my kids to use! Lacura Sun Sensitive Face Sun Lotion SPF 50+ Lacura Sensitive Face SPF €2.99, Aldi Ideal for those of a sensitive disposition. It has broad spectrum protection, is water resistant, dermatologically tested and best of all, is only €2.99! It's been a huge hit with my partner, so it's ideal for any menfolk in your life. Garnier Super UV Invisible Serum Garnier Super UV Invisible Serum €12, CH Tralee One of the lightest SPFs I've ever tried. Perfect for anyone who hates sticky or oily sunscreens. It works on every skin type and doesn't pill under makeup.
The Star
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
This app is trying to change how people eat
Cheez-Its used to be one of Marissa Gradei's go-to snacks, in part because she thought of them as 'healthier' alternatives to other savory nibbles such as potato chips. That changed three months ago, when Gradei, 27, a social media manager in Fairfax, Virginia, started using a smartphone app called Yuka. The app prompts users to scan the bar codes of food and personal care items – in grocery stores and at home – and then offers a score out of 100 to indicate how 'healthy' it thinks the item is for you or the environment. Gradei's trusty snacks scored a 2 out of 100 – 'bad' for health, according to the app. She hasn't purchased any since. After the Yuka app launched in the United States in 2022, more than 20 million people have downloaded it – a figure that has more than doubled since January 2024. In a recent interview with CNN, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he and his wife 'consider it invaluable'. 'You can go into any grocery store, flash it at any product, and you can get a 'go' or a 'no',' he said. But can the Yuka app accurately portray how good a given food is for your health? And should you rely on an app to guide your food choices in the first place? We asked four nutrition experts. How does it work? The Yuka app originally launched in France in 2017 as a tool to help people quickly understand the healthfulness of certain food and personal care products. It expanded to the United States in 2022. After scanning a product's bar code, the app assigns the product a health value out of 100 – with 100 being the best – and a corresponding colour score of excellent (dark green), good (light green), poor (orange) or bad (red). To generate these scores for certain foods, the app uses an algorithm based on three criteria: the food's nutritional quality (60% of the score), the presence of additives and whether the app deems the additives risky (30%) and whether the food is organic (10%). Yuka uses a European labeling system called Nutri-Score to assess a food's nutritional quality. High protein and high fiber are good, for example; high amounts of sugar, sodium, saturated fats and calories are bad. The company has two full-time employees – one with a toxicology background and one with a food engineering and human nutrition background – who sort through the scientific research on about 600 food dyes, preservatives, thickening agents, artificial sweeteners and other food additives. They classify them as 'high risk', 'moderate risk', 'limited risk' or 'risk-free' based on their potential links to health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and infertility. The app is free, although it offers a premium version for between US$10 (RM42) and US$50 (RM211) per year, said Julie Chapon, one of Yuka's co-founders. The premium version includes extra features such as the ability to use the app when your phone is offline. The company does not promote the app through paid advertisements, or take money from food and cosmetics industries, said Chapon, who has a marketing and consulting background. Kennedy's endorsement has most likely helped with awareness, she said, but the app isn't affiliated with the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement. What do nutrition experts think of Yuka? The app has hit on a real hunger for more clear-cut nutrition information, said Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University. 'The public is really confused about what defines a healthy food,' he said. And it can be valuable for people to use their smartphones to help them make better food choices, said Lisa Harnack, a professor of public health nutrition at the University of Minnesota. Anyone can flip over a product and read its nutrition label, she said, but for the average person, it can be burdensome to try to parse the healthfulness of dozens of foods at a time. Scanning a product and glancing at its ranking and color score is much simpler. That said, some experts worry that labelling food as either 'good' or 'bad' can lead to disordered eating. 'I don't like that,' Elaine Siu, a dietitian at the City of Hope cancer center in Duarte, California, said of the labeling system. Instead, she said, people should focus on following a balanced diet overall. This typically involves eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein and healthy fats. And keep in mind that your nutritional needs will vary depending on your health and activity levels, she said, which the Yuka app can't account for. Siu, for instance, advises cancer patients on how to eat. Many are undernourished and could benefit from consuming more calories. But the Yuka app deducts points for high-calorie foods. Several of Siu's patients have refused to drink the nutrition shakes or eat the protein bars she has recommended, she said, because the Yuka app has scored them poorly. Is its rating system trustworthy? The Nutri-Score system that Yuka uses to assess a food's nutritional quality is an 'OK' system, Mozaffarian said. He said he doesn't agree with the idea of penalising foods for calories, since many high-calorie foods can be nutritious. The app labels many nuts and nut butters, for instance, as 'too caloric'. And, Mozaffarian said, it's problematic that Yuka doesn't distinguish between natural sugars and added sugars – the latter of which are most concerning for health. Because there's still a lot we don't know about how food additives affect us, Mozaffarian said, it's 'a little excessive' to devote 30% of the score to their presence. Much of the research Yuka uses to assess the risk level of additives are either observational studies – which can't demonstrate cause and effect – or animal studies that use much higher doses of those additives than what you'd find in food. Animal study results also don't always translate to humans. Siu said she was surprised to see monosodium glutamate, or MSG, categorised as 'high risk'. Although some limited studies have linked the ingredient to conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, the amount we normally consume in food has not been shown to cause harm, she said. Siu said she recently used the app on a package of seaweed sheets that contained just 10 calories per serving, and it ranked the product as 'too high' in calories. 'The scoring system is very questionable,' she said. Of the four experts we consulted, none agreed with Yuka's decision to include a food's organic classification in its scoring system. There's no proof of any nutritional benefit from eating organic foods relative to conventionally grown foods, said Melanie Hingle, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona. What's the bottom line? The experts largely agreed that it could be beneficial to limit highly processed foods, to which the Yuka app typically gives low scores. Eating unprocessed, whole foods – such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains – is associated with reduced risks of various chronic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. But you don't necessarily need an app to help you do that. And whole foods typically don't have bar codes you can scan anyway. 'Ideally, the app would include foods that don't come in packages,' Harnack said. 'If these types of foods are missing, it might be easy to overlook some of the best choices in the supermarket.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
