Scanner comparison

Yuka vs BannedPantry: which food scanner is right for US shoppers?

Yuka is a 50M-user French app. BannedPantry is a US-focused scanner built around overseas-banned ingredients still legal here. Different methodologies, different missions. Here is the full side-by-side.

EU + US regulatorsNo App Store install neededFree 5 scans/day

Yuka is great. It pioneered the food-scanner category and is used by 50M+ people worldwide. But Yuka was built for EU shoppers, where the regulator standard is already strict. In the US, the regulator gap is the whole problem — and that is exactly what BannedPantry is built around.

Here is the honest comparison. Try both. See which one fits how you shop.

Scoring methodology
Yuka: 0-100 weighted toward nutrition (60%). BannedPantry: Safe / Caution / Avoid driven by regulator restriction status across 5 jurisdictions.
US ingredient focus
BannedPantry centers the regulatory gap (EU-banned / US-legal). Yuka treats this as a smaller part of the additive score.
Beauty + personal care
BannedPantry covers 1,600+ EU-restricted cosmetic ingredients with INCI photo-OCR support. Yuka also scans cosmetics with a similar methodology, EU-weighted.
No App Store required
BannedPantry is a PWA — open bannedpantry.com on your phone, tap Scan, done. No 100MB download, no iOS/Android version-locking.

What we flag that Yuka may treat as "neutral"

Frequently asked questions

What is Yuka?
Yuka is a French barcode-scanner app launched in 2017 that rates food and cosmetic products on a 0-100 scale based on nutritional quality (60%), additives (30%), and organic status (10%). Yuka has 50M+ users globally and is especially popular in France and the EU.
How is BannedPantry different from Yuka?
BannedPantry is US-focused and built around overseas-banned ingredients — the regulatory gap between FDA and EU/UK/Canada/Japan. We use a Safe/Caution/Avoid score driven primarily by ingredient restriction status at primary regulators (EFSA, Health Canada, FSANZ, California OEHHA Prop 65). Yuka uses a 0-100 score weighted toward nutrition. Different missions, different methodologies.
Is BannedPantry free?
Yes — 5 free scans/day with no signup. Pro tier ($9.99/month or $59/year) unlocks unlimited scans, pantry-audit PDFs, family profiles, photo-label OCR, and re-flag alerts when a product's safety status changes. Yuka is freemium with a paid tier around $20/year.
Does BannedPantry scan beauty products?
Yes. We cover food, beauty, supplements, and personal care. Our beauty coverage references EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 — 1,600+ ingredients restricted in EU cosmetics that the US FDA still permits.
Why use BannedPantry if Yuka exists?
Three reasons: (1) BannedPantry is built for US shoppers — Yuka's methodology and database are EU-first; (2) we surface the regulatory gap (banned overseas / legal in US) as the core feature, not a footnote; (3) we work as a free PWA — no App Store download required; just open bannedpantry.com on your phone and scan.

Try BannedPantry side-by-side with Yuka.

Scan the same product in both. See which one flags more US-relevant ingredients. Free. No signup.

Our scores are never influenced by brands. Data sourced from EFSA, FDA, Health Canada, and peer-reviewed research. Educational use only — consult your doctor for medical decisions.

Sign up free — 5 scans every day →
Yuka vs BannedPantry: Which Food Scanner Is Better for US Shoppers? (2026) | BannedPantry | BannedPantry