I’m scanning the contents of my flat with my phone. An app has told me that the oat milk I buy carries a “suspected carcinogenic” additive. My organic porridge tests poorly and contains food colouring and sugar. The kids’ battered fish fingers are “high risk”, and contain a texturising agent that is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Then I discover that their spearmint toothpaste contains “titanium dioxide”, which has been banned in the EU as a food additive and is a potential carcinogen if taken orally. I quickly bin it.
I’m using the free mobile app Yuka, which scans the barcodes of food and cosmetic products before sending you in-depth intel on how healthy they are. It then suggests apparently healthier alternatives – sometimes inappropriately, though (swapping my kids’ toothpaste for a whitening one?). Like many other mums, I’ve become hooked on it, mainly to check if the food I feed my kids is any good for them.
