There are three apps that I have found helpful over the years. All three mentioned are not just free, but manufacturers cannot pay to be part of the data bases. That means you get the truth without manipulation.
We’ve had EWG.org with a very good app. We’ve also had ThinkDirty.com that offers a lot of information. Both are quality resources that have worked hard to bring us facts about foods and personal care products that are safer, safest and just plain not good for us.
Now the bar has been raised. My newest app for checking the market aisles is Yuka.io. The data base is huge and the range of products is outstanding. Another cool feature is that it is fast so you can manage shopping without taking a lot of extra time.
Membership cost $15 a year. For that extra money you are able to scan products offline, set up alerts for ingredients, food or chemicals, that you prefer not to use, search products by name without scanning and maintain an unlimited history of your searches.
Here is how food is scored. Food quality is 60% of the score. Calories, sugars, sodium, saturated fat, protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables make up the content of the food quality rating. The presence of additives makes up 30% of the score and 10% of the score is for organic ingredient use.
Ratings are obvious with a colored dot rating. Green is safest and considered excellent. Yellow has a limited amount of issues and is considered good. Orange is a poor rating and not as safe as yellow. Red is hazardous and should be considered unsafe. Because this is a European based app, the standards are European. For the US consumer that should be an upgrade from many FDA standards.
Cosmetics and personal care items are also included. They are rated with the same color coding and truly make choice selection easy.
Personally, I stay in the aisle until someone asks what I’m doing. Once they see the power of the Yuka app, they connect and get it for themselves. It's hard not to have fun with it.
The video will tell you everything you might want to know about the Yuka app.