The most widely recognised classification of ultra-processed food (UPF) is the Nova classification system, developed in 2009 by Carlos Monteiro in Brazil. It’s Monteiro’s definition that has been relied upon to label UPF as unhealthy.
Ultra-processed food certainly has a reputation for being unhealthy, and much of it is. But not all UPFs have poor nutritional credentials. It’s not as black and white as the Nova classification suggests.
To help clear things up, scientists have come up with a new way of classifying processed foods. According to their system, some foods are now classified as ‘super ultra-processed’.
Inside the new UPF classification system
“We believe that there is most certainly a group of processed foods that may have a negative health impact over the long term, while there are other processed foods (which Nova would still classify as ultra-processed) that could contribute to a healthy diet,” says Richard Black, adjunct professor at the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Black also works with WISEcode, a company that’s built an app to share the new UPF scoring system with consumers.
So how do Black and his colleagues score processed food?
WISEcode’s more “granular” approach to differentiating food products is based on a scoring system with four main steps:
- Count the number of processed ingredients
- Evaluate each one based on amount of processing and known health risks
- Factor in how much of the food’s energy comes from added sugars
- Flag foods that contain banned or high-risk additives
Depending on a food’s score, it will be classified as either minimal, light, moderate, ultra, or super-ultra.
What is a ‘super ultra-processed food’?
The new classification system begs the question: What is a ‘super-ultra processed food’?
A ‘super-UPF’ is one made in a factory containing multiple ingredients, including additives almost never found in the kitchen. A super-UPF has a long shelf life and is developed for convenience.
A more ‘nuanced’ UPF approach for consumers
The new classification system has been applied to a database of more than 650,000 foods and 5,500 food ingredients. Black and his colleagues then compared those findings with the Nova classification system.
Compared to Nova, the WISEcode system is significantly more “nuanced” when food undergoes higher levels of processing, but less differentiation was observed among minimal, light, and moderate processed foods.
Foods considered ultra-processed under Nova were more evenly distributed between classifications under WISEcode; between 16-23% of foods were classed in each grouping.
The hope is that by using the WISEcode system, consumers will be able to draw the distinction between two ultra-processed food products (under Nova) with varying nutritional credentials. According to Nova, both a confectionery bar and a fortified sugar-free wholegrain breakfast cereal would be classed as ultra-processed. But under WISEcode, just the former would fall under ultra- or super-ultra categories.
Consumers can use the WISEcode app in-store to work out which processed products are healthier than others. “For consumers, it can provide a clear method for assessing processed foods and selecting healthier options, even within heavily processed food categories,” says Black.
There are also benefits for industry, says the adjunct professor. “For manufacturers, this allows easy comparison of your food products with your competitors, based on ingredients used and potential health impact of those ingredients.”
What other processed food classifications exist?
Nova is the most widely used classification system for processed foods. The framework places food into one of four food groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods; processed culinary ingredients; processed foods; or ultra-processed foods.
But as WISEcode has demonstrated, Nova is not the only classification system.
- Food scanning app GoCoCo has developed an algorithm that combines the level of processing with nutritional content to differentiate between what it considers 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' UPFs.
- Health app Zoe has developed its own UPF scale, known as the Food Risk Scale, which splits processed food into four categories: no risk, low risk, moderate risk, and high risk.
- Pharma giant Novo Nordisk - maker of GLP-1 weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy - is backing a two-year project to develop a 'next generation' processed food classification system via its charity arm.