##Yuka and Carrot Greenin' The Yuka app is making great strides in user base with a claimed 76 million users. It was launched in the US only a few years ago but now has more subscribers in the US than in France, its country of origin. The appeal of the Yuka app to consumers is a simple and easy to understand interface. It is also a free app with an option to upgrade for more features. Simplistic conclusions like "Bad, Good, Poor, and Excellent" make it ease for consumers to make quick decisions on what to buy and what to avoid. Food safety, however, is a complex issue and needs more in depth analysis than a "green, amber or red light" to make an informed decision.

It's bad enough that millions of consumers have come to rely on simplistic and superficial decision making tools such as Yuka. Now, we are told, that the US Secretary of Health and Human Services is a fan and a user of Yuka. This from an individual that does not know the difference between "carrot greenin" and "carrageenan". Sensational social media headlines such as "Food Brands Freak Out After MAHA App ‘Yuka’ Exposes Unhealthy Snacks" appeal to consumers while working on their fears. To be clear, Yuka is not a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) app. The headline appeared in a "Daily Caller, self described as Your Rebels in the Swamp" and referred to a Wall St. Journal article on Yuka and similar apps. The Daily Caller online link is HERE.

Yuka, and the like, seem more trusted by consumers than the regulatory bodies which over decades have tested and evaluated food ingredient safety. IMR will continue our efforts to connect with Yuka and similar apps to provide a more rational view on any hydrocolloid. Carrageenan, in particular, is suffering, unjustly in our opinion, a negative consumer image. Yuka lists kappa carrageenan (pure?) available from The Modernist Pantry, as "Excellent". Iota carrageenan (pure?) from the same online store is listed as "Bad". No food label declaring carrageenan distinguishes between, Kappa, Iota or Lambda carrageenan to the best of our knowledge.

The adage of "The poison is in the dose" is seemingly ignored as activists try to gain visibility through sensationalism. What can be done about it... Come to the next Global Hydrocolloid Conference in Valencia, April 26-28, 2026.

A couple of other tidbits from the Q3-2025 report:

False Advertising—Xanthan Gum Class Action Suit Xanthan gum is once again the focus of a class action suit filed in New York (details: link provided in report). The plaintiff alleges that Ken’s Foods misleads consumers by marketing its Simply Vinaigrette Italian dressing as free of artificial preservatives, despite containing xanthan gum. The suit claims xanthan gum is a synthetic preservative.

The suit describes xanthan gum as an “industrial additive,” produced by fermenting bacteria with glucose, sucrose, or lactose. This logic would also classify wine, beer, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, sauerkraut, and kimchi as “synthetic.” Importantly, xanthan gum does not function as a preservative: preservatives prevent spoilage by inhibiting oxidation or bacterial growth, which xanthan gum does not do. Three other lawsuits involving xanthan gum are described in the Q3-2025 report.

Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) Pricing Slow demand for much of 2023 led to downward pressure on CMC prices. Prices started to increase at the end of 2024, and expectations are that they will remain firm to rising through Q4 2025 and into 2026. This is primarily due to rising prices of raw materials. Both of the leading raw material suppliers, B**** and R****, have implemented price increases. These price increases were facilitated by the 2023 and 2024 closures of mills producing dissolving wood pulp (DWP), a critical raw material for carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Raw material prices have been slowly but steadily impacting CMC pricing, as illustrated in the table below:

25 year quarterly CMC Price History Chart

Softwood is a finite resource that is coming under increasing scrutiny with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This is a requirement for full traceability for forestry products, including cellulose from softwood used for CMC. Large manufacturers and buyers alike will need to maintain supply-chain records to sell into Europe, starting December 31, 2025. Many companies have already implemented this, but the additional paperwork will undoubtedly add some cost to the price of CMC.

An alternative raw material is cotton linter but this has GMO connotations which the clean label movement eschews. In any case cotton linter prices have also been increasing dramatically over the last couple of years.

Chinese CMC producers are making very competitive offers, averaging $-/kg, depending on the grade. Western-produced and more specialty grades range closer to $5.50-6.00/kg. The price difference between Western and Chinese CMC is much larger in Europe than in the US. Average prices for CMC today are about the same as they were 10 years ago. If inflation is considered, CMC is lower priced today than 10 years ago.

The above are only a small sample of the detailed and strategic information provided in these custom reports which are each 50-80 pages long. The table of contents for Q3-2025 is found HERE. If you are not already a subscriber, the subscription/confidentiality agreement is HERE.