"WhichProduct" is poisoning us? UFC-Que Choisir launches its app to find out

Yet another initiative that will please the food giants (no). The consumer protection association UFC-Que Choisir is launching the QuelProduit app this Wednesday. It allows consumers to scan the barcodes of food, cosmetic, and household products to access information on their composition and environmental impact.

As part of its #StopAuxSubstancesNocives campaign, the UFC will also mobilize its volunteers to " meet consumers" in some 80 cities across France, and inform them about the "dangers of harmful substances" contained in everyday products.

A demonstration was also organized at Place de la République in Paris on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The aim, according to their press release, is to denounce "certain industrial foods, detergents, and cosmetics [which] contain highly allergenic substances, potentially toxic to bodily functions, or suspected of being endocrine disruptors."

Among these products, UFC -Que Choisir cites Coca-Cola Zero, sugar-free Orangina, Wrigley's Airwaves menthol and eucalyptus chewing gum, Garnier UV ski SPF 30 sunscreen and Soleil des Iles Monoï de Tahiti SPF 50 sunscreen, believing that they contain potentially problematic substances.

The association wishes to "call on public authorities to ban the most worrying substances" , to "establish a truly independent assessment of food, cosmetic and household components" and to make labelling "finally understandable" .

Free from solutions

The UFC also wants the display of the Nutri-Score, often threatened , to become mandatory on all food products - as recommended in mid-April by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) - "while 40 % of foods, particularly the most calorific, still do not indicate it" .

Its free application, QuelProduit, allows, according to the association, to check the composition of more than 370,000 food, cosmetic and cleaning products, to "instantly identify the presence of harmful substances" and to "discover healthier and more responsible alternatives" . It also allows "to report problematic products to increase pressure on manufacturers and authorities."

"Every day, our children, our loved ones and we ourselves are exposed to invisible risks," said Marie Amandine Stevenin, president of UFC -Que Choisir, quoted in the press release. She believes it is "urgent that public authorities finally take concrete measures to protect our health and our environment."