Why classify food by processing instead of nutrients?
Nutrition labels show you fat, protein, fiber, and calories. What they don't show you is how the food was made - which turns out to matter enormously for how your body responds to it.
In 2009, a group of Brazilian nutrition researchers led by Carlos Monteiro noticed something puzzling: Brazilians were consuming less sugar, fat, and salt than in previous decades, but obesity rates kept climbing. The thing that had actually changed was the proportion of industrially manufactured foods in the diet.
Their proposed explanation - and the insight behind NOVA - is that the degree and nature of industrial processing changes how food behaves in the body in ways that aren't captured by a standard nutrition label. Ultra-processed foods tend to be hyperpalatable, calorie-dense, fast to digest, and stripped of structural properties that regulate hunger. Those are properties of the processing, not the nutrients.
The four NOVA food groups
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
Natural foods in their whole state, or foods that have been cleaned, peeled, chilled, frozen, pasteurized, vacuum-packed, or dried without adding anything. The defining feature is that nothing has been added to change the original food's nature.
Examples: fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, plain yogurt (no added ingredients), eggs, unprocessed meat and fish, dried legumes, plain nuts, plain oats, fresh herbs, plain milk, rice, pasta made from flour and water.
Processed culinary ingredients
Substances derived from NOVA 1 foods - or from nature - through pressing, refining, grinding, or milling. These are the building blocks of cooking, not foods you would eat on their own. They exist to enable preparation of NOVA 1 foods.
Examples: vegetable oils, butter, lard, olive oil, flour, starches, sugar, salt, honey, vinegar, maple syrup. Also includes fats from rendered animal tissue.
Processed foods
Foods made by adding NOVA 2 ingredients (salt, sugar, oil, vinegar) to NOVA 1 foods, or by fermentation. These are still recognizable as foods. The purpose of processing here is preservation and to develop flavor and texture - not to produce something structurally unrecognizable from its source ingredients.
Examples: canned fish and vegetables (in brine or oil), salted or sugared nuts, cured meats (ham, bacon - if made with just meat and salt), cheese, bread made from flour/water/yeast/salt, wine, beer, pickles, smoked fish.
Ultra-processed foods and drink products
Industrial formulations manufactured from substances derived or extracted from foods - oils, fats, starches, protein isolates - combined with additives that exist to imitate the sensory qualities of real food (colors, flavors, emulsifiers, thickeners) or to extend shelf life. The product typically has no recognizable whole-food counterpart. NOVA 4 foods contain ingredients you would not use in home cooking and that are not themselves foods.
Examples: soft drinks, packaged sweet or savory snacks, ice cream, mass-produced bread with dough conditioners, breakfast cereals, flavored instant noodles, reconstituted meat products (chicken nuggets, hot dogs), plant-based meat analogs with long additive lists, flavored dairy drinks, infant formulas that replace breastfeeding.
Key distinction: Not all Group 3 foods are inherently healthy, and not all Group 4 foods are nutritionally empty. The NOVA classification is about processing, not a direct health endorsement. Aged cheese is NOVA 3; a sweetened whey protein shake is NOVA 4. Neither statement alone settles whether either is good for a particular person. What the classification captures is a structural difference in how these foods are made - and that structural difference is what researchers believe drives the health associations with NOVA 4.
The key signals that indicate NOVA 4
Since foods aren't labeled with a NOVA score, you have to read the ingredient list. Certain ingredients almost always indicate NOVA 4 because they exist specifically for industrial manufacturing and are not used in home cooking:
- Emulsifiers: lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, DATEM, carrageenan, polysorbates, xanthan gum when used as a primary structural ingredient
- Protein extracts and isolates: soy protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed protein, casein
- Modified starches: modified corn starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate
- Flavor compounds: "natural flavor" used to reconstruct taste lost during processing, artificial flavors, flavor enhancers like yeast extract or hydrolyzed vegetable protein in manufactured form
- Synthetic colorings: Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, and similar FD&C dyes
- Non-sugar sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-K, stevia extract in manufactured products
- Interesterified or hydrogenated fats: partially hydrogenated oils, interesterified soybean oil
A useful shortcut: if a food's label lists five or more ingredients that you wouldn't find in your kitchen, it's almost certainly NOVA 4. If the label reads like a recipe you could reproduce at home, it's more likely NOVA 1–3.
What the research says about NOVA 4
The most direct evidence comes from a 2019 NIH controlled-feeding trial led by Kevin Hall. Participants were fed either an ultra-processed or a minimally processed diet for two weeks each, with both diets matched for total calories offered, sugar, fat, fiber, and macronutrients. The result: people eating the ultra-processed diet voluntarily consumed about 500 more calories per day and gained an average of 2 pounds. On the minimally processed diet, they lost the same amount. Both groups reported similar hunger and appetite ratings - suggesting the overconsumption was driven by properties of the food itself, not conscious choice.
Observational evidence reinforces this. The French NutriNet-Santé cohort (more than 100,000 adults) found that each 10% increase in the share of ultra-processed food in the diet was associated with a 12% higher risk of cancer overall. The UK Biobank study of more than 60,000 adults (Bonaccio et al., 2022) found associations between ultra-processed food consumption and higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Separate UK Biobank analyses also link high UPF intake to common mental health disorders.
These are observational associations, not controlled proof of causation except for the overeating finding. But the consistency across populations and the biological plausibility - hyperpalatability, disrupted satiety signaling, displacement of nutritionally adequate NOVA 1–3 foods - has led researchers and some governments to take the NOVA framework seriously in policy.
NoJunk scans barcodes and ingredient lists to flag ultra-processed ingredients so you can see what's actually in your food - no manual label-reading required.
Common foods that are NOVA 4 despite seeming healthy
The most common confusion in applying the NOVA score is assuming that "healthy-sounding" products are NOVA 1–3. Several commonly purchased items that position themselves as health foods are NOVA 4 by ingredient composition:
- Most flavored yogurts - plain yogurt is NOVA 3, but flavored varieties often contain modified starch, artificial flavors, and synthetic colors
- Plant-based milks - many contain emulsifiers and stabilizers (carrageenan, gellan gum, sunflower lecithin) that classify them as NOVA 4; plain oat or almond milk with just oats/almonds and water is NOVA 3
- Whole wheat bread from the grocery store - contains dough conditioners (DATEM, azodicarbonamide), emulsifiers, and preservatives that push it into NOVA 4, even though the base grain is whole wheat
- Protein bars and shakes - almost universally NOVA 4 due to protein isolates, sweeteners, and emulsifiers
- Plant-based meat alternatives - typically rely on methylcellulose, soy protein isolate, modified starches, and flavor compounds; generally NOVA 4 even when organic
- Commercial granola - often contains glucose syrup, natural flavors, and emulsifiers that place it in NOVA 4 despite whole-grain oats as the base
How NOVA relates to other food classification systems
NOVA is not the only way to classify food, but it fills a gap that traditional systems leave open. Nutrient-based scoring systems like NutriScore (used in France and several EU countries) rate foods by their fat, sugar, fiber, protein, and fruit/vegetable content per 100g. These systems are useful for comparing similar foods within a category, but they can produce counterintuitive results - a diet cola scores well under NutriScore despite being NOVA 4, while extra-virgin olive oil scores poorly because of its high fat content even though it's NOVA 2.
NOVA and nutrient-based systems answer different questions. NutriScore asks: how does the nutrient composition of this food compare to similar foods? NOVA asks: how was this food made, and does it fall into the category of industrial formulations that research associates with overconsumption and adverse health outcomes?
Neither is complete alone. The most useful approach is probably to default to NOVA 1–3 foods as the foundation of your diet, and then use nutrition labels to make choices within that space.
Frequently asked questions about NOVA food scores
Quick answers to the questions people search most often about NOVA classification.
What is a NOVA score for food?
A NOVA score is a classification from 1 to 4 that indicates how industrially processed a food is. NOVA 1 = unprocessed or minimally processed. NOVA 2 = culinary ingredients (oils, salt, sugar). NOVA 3 = processed foods (cheese, canned vegetables, bread). NOVA 4 = ultra-processed formulations. The classification is based on what was done to the food during manufacturing, not its calorie or macronutrient content.
Who created the NOVA food classification system?
Carlos Monteiro and colleagues at the University of São Paulo developed NOVA, first publishing the framework in 2009 and formalizing the four-group structure in a 2016 paper in Public Health Nutrition. The name NOVA is not an acronym - it references "new" in several languages, indicating a new way of thinking about how to classify food.
What is the difference between NOVA 3 and NOVA 4?
NOVA 3 (processed) foods are made by adding salt, sugar, oil, or fermentation to natural ingredients - canned tuna, aged cheese, sourdough bread, wine. These are recognizable combinations of real ingredients. NOVA 4 (ultra-processed) foods are industrial formulations that rely on substances extracted from foods (protein isolates, starches) plus additives that don't appear in home cooking: emulsifiers, synthetic colors, flavor enhancers, modified starches. The practical test: if the ingredient list reads like a chemistry panel rather than a recipe, it's NOVA 4.
Is a higher NOVA score worse for you?
The research concern is specific to NOVA 4. A controlled NIH trial found people ate about 500 extra calories per day on an ultra-processed diet versus a minimally processed one with matched macronutrients - and gained weight. Large cohort studies link high NOVA 4 consumption to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and higher all-cause mortality. NOVA 1–3 are not associated with these outcomes. NOVA 2 foods (oils, sugars) warrant attention in quantity but are used in cooking NOVA 1–3 foods, not consumed as formulations.
How do I find the NOVA classification of a food?
There is no official NOVA label on food packaging. You classify a food by reading its ingredient list and applying NOVA criteria. Key NOVA 4 signals: emulsifiers (lecithin, carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides), modified starches, protein isolates, artificial or reconstructed "natural" flavors, synthetic colorings, and non-sugar sweeteners. Apps like NoJunk automate this - scanning a barcode or ingredient label flags ultra-processed ingredients so you don't have to decode the chemistry yourself.
Is bread NOVA 3 or NOVA 4?
It depends on the bread. Traditional bread made from flour, water, yeast, and salt is NOVA 3. Most mass-market supermarket bread - which contains dough conditioners (DATEM, azodicarbonamide), emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides, soy lecithin), added sugars, and preservatives - is NOVA 4. The ingredient list determines the classification, not the category "bread."
Does the NOVA classification apply to drinks?
Yes. Water and plain teas are NOVA 1. Freshly squeezed juice is NOVA 1 (minimally processed). Most packaged fruit juices with added flavors, colors, or sweeteners are NOVA 4. Soft drinks are almost universally NOVA 4. Beer and wine are NOVA 3 (fermented). Energy drinks with multiple additives are NOVA 4. The same classification criteria apply: what was done to it and what was added.
The bottom line
The NOVA food classification system provides something nutrition labels don't: a way to assess how a food was made, not just what nutrients it delivers. Foods with a NOVA score of 4 - ultra-processed formulations - are the category that research consistently links to overconsumption, weight gain, and worse long-term health outcomes.
The simplest version of applying NOVA in daily life: build your diet around NOVA 1–3 foods, and treat NOVA 4 as the exception rather than the default. That means prioritizing whole or minimally processed foods, cooking with basic ingredients, and reading ingredient lists - not to count calories, but to notice when a food contains substances that wouldn't appear in a home kitchen.