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Yuka alternatives in the UK: food scanner apps compared

Published 29 October 2026

The main Yuka alternatives in the UK are the NHS Food Scanner, The Food App and The Better Basket. Each one checks food in a different way, so the best one depends on what you want to know.

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Yuka gives a score out of 100. The NHS app shows sugar, fat and salt. The Food App looks at how processed food is. The Better Basket checks the ingredients against a strict list, and shows swaps that pass.

What is the Yuka app?

Yuka is a food and cosmetics scanner. You scan a barcode, and it gives the product a score out of 100.

Yuka says its food score is made up of three parts:

  • 60% nutrition, using the Nutri-Score method
  • 30% additives
  • 10% whether the food is organic

If a food has an additive that Yuka rates as high risk, Yuka says the score can't go above 49.

Is the Yuka app free?

Yes, Yuka is free to download and scan with. There's also a paid Premium version with extra features. You can see the details on the App Store page.

Does Yuka identify ultra processed foods?

Yuka explains its score as nutrition, additives and organic. It doesn't list "ultra processed" as one of those three parts. Features can change, so check the app for the latest.

If ultra-processed food is your main worry, The Food App is built around that idea.

What is the NHS Food Scanner?

The NHS Food Scanner is a free app from the NHS. You scan a barcode, and it shows:

  • traffic light colours for sugar, saturated fat and salt
  • a "Good choice" badge on some products
  • swap ideas in the same type of food

The NHS says its data comes from Brandbank and FoodSwitch. It doesn't score additives or oils.

What is The Food App?

The Food App is a UK scanner focused on ultra-processed food. You scan a barcode, and it shows how processed the food is. It also shows allergens, E numbers and Nutri-Score.

Scanning is free. There's an optional paid Plus subscription that adds search and swaps.

What is The Better Basket?

The Better Basket is a free web app made in the UK. Instead of scanning a barcode, you take a photo of the label.

We check every ingredient against our ruleset. It leaves out:

  • all seed oils, including rapeseed, sunflower and palm
  • gums, like xanthan, guar and carrageenan
  • emulsifiers, like lecithin and E471
  • flavourings and yeast extract
  • nitrites and nitrates
  • added sugars and most sweeteners

Then we show swaps from UK shops that do pass. Every swap has been checked label by label. Here are a few:

How do the apps compare?

| | Yuka | NHS Food Scanner | The Food App | The Better Basket | |---|---|---|---|---| | How you check | Barcode | Barcode | Barcode | Photo of the label | | Main focus | Score out of 100 | Sugar, fat, salt | How processed | Ingredients vs strict rules | | Checks seed oils | Not as a rule | No | Not as a rule | Yes | | Checks gums and emulsifiers | As additives | No | As E numbers | Yes | | Shows swaps | Yes | Yes | With Plus | Yes | | Free to use | Yes, with Premium extras | Yes | Yes, with Plus extras | Yes |

Why do the apps give different answers?

Because they use different rules. One app may score a yoghurt well for nutrition. Another may flag a gum in it. A third may count it as processed.

None of these is "right" or "wrong". They answer different questions. So pick the app that matches the question you care about.

  • Want a quick score? Yuka.
  • Watching sugar, fat and salt? NHS Food Scanner.
  • Avoiding ultra-processed food? The Food App.
  • Avoiding seed oils, gums and flavourings? The Better Basket.

Do I need a barcode?

For Yuka, the NHS app and The Food App, yes. If a product isn't in their database, you may need to add it.

With The Better Basket, you take a photo of the ingredients list. So it works on farm-shop and bakery labels too.

Find products that pass

FAQ

Is Yuka accurate? Yuka follows its own scoring method. Other apps use different methods, so the same food can score differently.

What is the best food scanner app in the UK? It depends on what you want to check. See the table above.

Is the NHS Food Scanner free? Yes. It's free from the NHS.

Does The Better Basket scan barcodes? You take a photo of the label instead. That way we can read the full ingredients list.

Sources

  • Yuka, How are food products scored?: https://help.yuka.io/l/en/article/ijzgfvi1jq-how-are-food-products-scored
  • App Store, Yuka (UK): https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/yuka-food-cosmetic-scanner/id1092799236
  • NHS, NHS Food Scanner app page
  • App Store, NHS Food Scanner: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-food-scanner/id1182946415
  • The Food App: https://thefood.app

Curious how your favourite snack does? Take a photo of the label in The Better Basket, and see what we find.

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