Is French Food Culture Influencing Eating Habits in the U.S.?

Marché de la Place Richelme, Aix-en-Provence, France

By Ghislain Journé

Trends usually travel across the Atlantic from West to East.

But when it comes to food, and despite France’s own rise in ultra-processed products, it seems that French soft "healthier" power is now quietly influencing U.S. habits.

French Food Culture’s Growing Influence in the United States

A striking example is the meteoric success of Yuka, the French food-rating app described by The New York Times as the tool “Trying to Change How Americans Eat,” and praised by the U.S. Secretary of Health as “invaluable.”

Launched in the United States only in 2020, Yuka has already made America its largest market, counting 24 million users, compared with 22 million in France and 75 million worldwide.

It’s not hard to see why. In a country often labeled from abroad as “the land of junk food,” the rise of ultra-processed products — combined with sedentary lifestyles — carries a staggering societal cost.

Ultra-Processed Food, Obesity, and the American Health Crisis

A Lancet study warns that obesity in the U.S. continues to climb, to the point where by 2050 more than 80% of adults and nearly 60% of teenagers could be overweight or obese. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) even refers to an “invisible catastrophe” affecting children, with obesity among the “obvious immediate causes.”

Heating Habits in France

In France, obesity rates have risen much more gradually — though the trend is far from negligible.

As journalist Julia Belluz recently summarized in The New York Times:

“The French spend more time cooking, eating, and — dare I say — savoring their meals than Americans do. (…) France has one of the lowest obesity rates in Western Europe. In 2020 — the latest available data — 17% of adults were obese, and in the region that includes Paris, the rate is even lower (14%). In the United States, adult obesity is nearing 40%. About a quarter of French people report meeting national recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. In the U.S., that number hovers around 10%.”

She notes as well that the French cook more because public policy has made it easier to do so — by strengthening local food networks, banning snack vending machines in schools, regulating school meals, taxing sugary drinks, investing in nutrition education campaigns, and introducing the Nutri-Score front-of-pack label (now displayed on 62% of food products). Add to this the cultural resilience of open-air markets and fresh produce, and the French context becomes clearer.

In the end, even the smartest tech innovation — Yuka included — is just a tool in the hands of consumers, helping them make better choices.

Its success points to something deeper: a systemic reflection on a society’s way of living.

From Yuka to Picard: How French Food Standards Are Shaping U.S. Expectations

The rise of Yuka, along with the 2024 slogan MAHA — Make America Healthy Again, signals a growing concern among Americans about what they eat, and more broadly, about their health. On this topic, the French — modestly — have some credibility.

Back in a 2017 Les Échos piece titled “Why Picard Never Succeeded in the United States” For context, Picard is France’s beloved frozen-food chain — known for its high-quality prepared dishes, raw vegetables, pastries, and ingredients. It’s a staple for busy households and urban professionals, combining convenience with a standard of quality rarely associated with frozen food elsewhere.

Picard’s refined frozen-food model clashed with American perceptions, habits, and market dynamics—making a U.S. expansion highly unlikely at the time.

The journalist imagined the cry of a frustrated French expat in an American frozen aisle:

“Where are the Picard products?!”

It’s a question some U.S. readers of The New York Times article ‘The French Secret to Healthier Eating’ — which also cites Picard as a symbol of France’s higher food standards — might now be asking themselves.

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