Yuka gives a packaged food one score out of 100 (Yuka help), and we found no child or age setting in its help pages or App Store listing. Yuka's own help pages say the rating "does not strictly apply to children's products" for ages 0 to 2 (Yuka help). If you are scanning food for a child, you want a score made for your child. That is what Sito does.
- Yuka builds one score per food for everyone: 60% Nutri-Score, 30% additives, 10% organic label.
- Yuka says its rating does not strictly apply to children's products for ages 0 to 2, and Nutri-Score was built for the general population.
- Sito scores each food out of 100 for your own child's age, warns on their allergens, and logs the food into their day.
How Sito scores a food for your child
You scan a barcode, take a photo, or search a food. The score runs from 0 to 100 and reads "for Mia", with one of five words: Everyday, Most days, Sometimes, Once in a while, Rarely.
Nutrition counts up to 50 points from the Nutri-Score 2023 tables, and added sugars cost extra. Additives count up to 33 by risk class, from a public table of 253 additives at /additives. Processing counts up to 17 from the NOVA group. An organic label adds up to 4. The full method is at /score.
For a child under 6, additives flagged for young children move up one risk class. The child's age never leaves the phone. A line under the score compares one serving with your child's own daily limit. A declared allergen shows a warning before the score. Each child has a profile with goals based on their age, and a scanned food can be logged into that child's day.
Score a food for your child's age
Scan a barcode, take a photo or search. Sito scores the food out of 100 for your own child's age, with the additives, added sugar and processing behind the number.
How does Yuka score food?
Yuka's help pages lay out the recipe. Nutritional quality is 60% of the score, additives are 30%, and organic is 10% (Yuka help).
| Part | Share | What it looks at |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | 60% | Nutri-Score: sugar, sodium, saturated fat, calories, protein, fiber, fruit and vegetables |
| Additives | 30% | Four risk colors; one high-risk additive sets "the maximum score for the product" at 49/100 |
| Organic | 10% | A bonus for "an official national or international organic label" |
During what it calls a transition period, Yuka uses "the original Nutri-Score algorithm and not its latest updated version" (Yuka help). A table turns Nutri-Score points into a number out of 100, and a D or E cannot pass 49. One example row: 3 points become a C, which is 65 for a solid food and 49 for a drink (Yuka help).
Everything is judged per 100 g or 100 mL, and Yuka "does not calculate daily intakes" (Yuka help). Alcohol, sugar, infant formula, supplements, pet food and products without nutrition values get no rating (Yuka help).
In our test on 3 and 4 September 2026, Yuka gave Honey Nut Cheerios 8 out of 100 and plain Cheerios 30. The full six-product test is in our Yuka for kids review.
What does Yuka say about children?
Yuka's help page on infant food says: "the nutritional needs of children between 0 and 2 years of age are quite different from those of adults. Therefore, the rating does not strictly apply to children's products" (Yuka help). We found no child or age setting in Yuka's help pages or App Store listing.
The base of the score has the same limit. Santé publique France says Nutri-Score "was developed in regard to the needs of the general population" and "cannot be used" for infant formula or baby food (Santé publique France).
Here is where a child's needs differ from an adult's:
- Added sugar. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines say to "avoid added sugars during infancy and early childhood", from birth to age 4. For ages 5 to 10, "no amount of added sugars is recommended" (Dietary Guidelines). The AAP's parent page, updated in 2024, gives a different number. It says to aim for less than 25 grams a day from age 2, and to avoid added sugar under 2 (AAP).
- Sodium. The Dietary Guidelines say less than 1,200 mg a day at ages 1 to 3, 1,500 mg at 4 to 8, 1,800 mg at 9 to 13, and 2,300 mg from age 14 (Dietary Guidelines). The % Daily Value on a US label is based on 2,000 calories "for adults and children aged 4 years and older". Foods made for ages 1 to 3 use their own values (FDA, 21 CFR 101.9).
- Additives. The AAP notes that children "eat and drink more, relative to body weight, than adults do", and that artificial colors "may be associated with worsened" ADHD symptoms (AAP).
So Yuka's score starts from a system built for the general population, not for a child. That is the gap Sito was built to fill. If you are concerned about your child's diet, the AAP says to talk with your pediatrician (AAP).
What are the best Yuka alternatives?
Some "Yuka alternatives" in search results are skincare scanners. We cover food scanners only, and the question that matters for a parent: does the score change with a child's age?
| App | Scores | Made for a child's age? | Allergies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sito | Food, 0-100 | Yes: per child, stricter under 6 | Warning before the score |
| Yuka | Food and cosmetics, 0-100 | No child setting found; "does not strictly apply" at 0-2 | Premium; traces not counted |
| Open Food Facts | Nutri-Score, NOVA | None described | 14 allergens |
| Fooducate | A-D grade, diet tracker | No; rated 18+ | Paid add-on |
| Fig | Diet and allergy match | Profile per person, for diets and allergies | Core use |
| NHS Food Scanner (UK) | Sugar, salt, fat | Family swaps | Not described |
Open Food Facts is a volunteer-built open database that shows Nutri-Score and NOVA. Fooducate grades foods for adults tracking their own diet, and is rated 18+. Fig matches ingredients to diets and allergies. NHS Food Scanner is a UK app that flags sugar, salt and fat. We found none that scores a food for a child's age.
Which one fits a family with kids?
If you are choosing for a child, pick the app that knows the child. Sito scores each food for your child's age, is stricter for kids under 6, warns on the allergens in their profile, and keeps the food in that child's day. More on allergies in food allergy apps for kids, and our wider roundups at food scanner apps for kids and kids nutrition apps 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Yuka alternative for kids?
One that scores food for a child's age. Sito gives each food a score out of 100 for your own child, stricter under 6, with a warning for their declared allergens. Yuka's score is the same for everyone, and Yuka says it "does not strictly apply to children's products" for ages 0 to 2 (Yuka help).
Does Yuka have a kids mode?
We found no child or age setting in Yuka's help pages or App Store listing. Yuka's help says the rating "does not strictly apply to children's products" for ages 0 to 2 (Yuka help).
Do brands pay Yuka for a better score?
Yuka says no. Its scores are obtained "with absolutely no influence from outside brands or manufacturers", and "revenues come from users, never from brands" (Yuka).
Can a food scanner check for my child's allergies?
As a first check, yes. Sito warns on your child's declared allergens before it shows the score. In Yuka, allergen alerts are a Premium feature and do not count traces (Yuka help). Whatever app you use, read the pack.
Sources
- Yuka help: How are food products scored
- Yuka help: How the Nutri-Score becomes the Yuka rating
- Yuka help: What is the Nutri-Score
- Yuka help: Quantity consumed
- Yuka help: Infant food and formula
- Yuka help: Unrated food products
- Yuka help: Food preferences and allergens
- Yuka: Independence
- Santé publique France: Nutri-Score FAQ (2025)
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030
- AAP: How to reduce added sugar in your child's diet
- FDA, 21 CFR 101.9: Nutrition labeling
- AAP: Some common food additives may pose health risks to children
- AAP: Picky eaters
- App Store listings for Yuka, Open Food Facts, Fooducate and Fig, and the NHS Food Scanner page, read 17 September 2026.