Weekly Tidbit
July 23, 2026
IMR Representation at Open Food Facts Forum - Paris Nov 13 & 14, 2026
Phone apps such as Yuka are a powerful influence on consumer decisions, albeit sometimes with misguided or ill-informed advice. A less well-known app, similar to Yuka, is openfoodfacts.org. A quick AI (Claude.ai) comparison of Yuka vs OpenFoodFacts ranks OpenFoodFacts as more objective than Yuka as follows:
start of Claude AI eval of OpenFoodFacts vs Yuka
Open Food Facts is more objective mainly because it shows its work — separate Nutri-Score, NOVA, additive, and exposure data you can weigh yourself — rather than compressing everything into one dramatic red/green verdict. Yuka is more consumer-friendly and quicker to act on, but its all-or-nothing additive penalty and single composite score make it structurally prone to overstating risk from small amounts of flagged ingredients. Both rely partly on crowdsourced or self-reported product data, so neither is immune to entry errors — that part is a shared weakness, not a Yuka-specific one.
end of Claude AI eval of Openfoodfacts vs Yuka
IMR (Dennis) will attend the 7th annual conference organized by "Open Food Facts" in Paris, on November 13 and 14. If time permits during the program, IMR is planning to make a brief presentation on the subject of carrageenan and why consumer concerns may be overrated and even unjustified. More details about this event HERE.
If you plan to be there, it would be a pleasure to meet.
If not, then perhaps Nesha and Dennis can meet you at the FIE in Frankfurt the following week.
We've written in the past about Novartis changing a critical ingredient in its Benefiber® brand from partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) to resistant maltodextrin. This important change was made without any indication to consumers that may well have been purchasing the same product for years. Same container, same logo, same 'Front of Label' declarations as before even if the small print ingredient list is different.
Another reason for consumer distrust is “shrinkflation.” Years ago, the traditional 8-ounce yogurt cup shrank to 6 ounces, sometimes disguised by reshaping the package or raising the bottom. Another classic example is the disappearing half-gallon of ice cream in the US. What was once a 64-ounce carton quietly became 56 ounces and, in many cases, 48 ounces, while the package looked much the same. Same shelf space, less product with packaging designed to make sure consumers need a moment to notice.
Recently, in a Geneva Co-op retailer, Dennis came across another example of 'attempting to fool consumers'. Interesting and telling, even if not hydrocolloid related: 1) Non-organic zucchini SF4.75/kg 2) Organic zucchini SF 3.40/450 gm
I initially made the same error which most consumers would inadvertently make, ie the non-organic is priced per kg and the non-organic per 450gm (nearly 1/2 a kg), so for simplicity and quick calculation's sake just multiply the organic price by 2 to arrive at the per Kg price and compare to the non-organic per kg price. This quick mental calculation would arrive at organic being SF6.80/kg, which is a 43% mark-up on the non-organic price.
If the consumer took the trouble of converting SF3.40/450 gm to a per kg price, it would be SF 7.56/kg and not the 'quick mental estimate of SF6.80/kg.'
C'mon Co-op, quit playing games with pricing. It's no justification to say "Virtually all, if not all, retailers play this game across a range of products."
With literally thousands of Hydrocolleagues, IMR is lucky to receive a constant stream of 'leads and suggestions' relating to hydrocolloids. Our thanks to a friend and Hydrocolleague for the youtube link to an excellent documentary about the role of gum arabic (acacia) in the Sudanese conflict.
Gum Acacia Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtso3a0u1bw
The Youtube documentary is in French but there are probably ways to translate it with today's technology. In any case, the images are telling in and of themselves.
Attempts were made by the documentary producers to interview Nexira and Alland & Robert. Wisely the CEO's of both companies declined to be interviewed on camera for a film whose objective was to link the gum arabic trade to the atrocities taking place in Sudan.
In IMR's view a more balanced objective of the documentary would be to also highlight the plight of the 10's if not 100's of thousands of Sudanese that rely on this trade for survival. These people have no link to either of the two opposing forces in the on-going conflict. They would be the ones to suffer the most from a cut-off of the gum arabic trade which the documentary producers seem to imply would be best.
