NOVA Food Classification
Also known as: NOVA, NOVA classification, Ultra-Processed Food Classification, NOVA food processing classification
The NOVA classification groups foods not by their nutrient content but by the nature, extent, and purpose of the industrial processing they undergo, sorting all items into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. Developed by Carlos Monteiro and colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo, NOVA introduced ultra-processed foods (UPF) as a category — industrial formulations made largely from substances extracted from foods plus additives — and argued that this processing dimension, rather than nutrient profile alone, is central to diet and health. The 2019 paper Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them gives the operational definitions, and the share of dietary energy from ultra-processed foods has become a widely used exposure in nutrition and food-system research.
Key highlights
- Captures a dimension of diet — industrial processing — that nutrient-based classifications miss.
- Defines the ultra-processed food category that has become a major exposure linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Applicable to individual intake, household purchase, and national food-supply data alike.
- Provides a simple, communicable summary measure (the ultra-processed share) useful for policy and surveillance.
Intuition
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How it works
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When to use it
Use NOVA when the question concerns food processing rather than, or in addition to, nutrient content — for example when studying the health effects of ultra-processed foods, monitoring dietary transitions, or informing food policy, labeling, and dietary guidelines that target processing. It is appropriate when you have food-level data detailed enough to judge processing and can break down mixed dishes, and it complements nutrient-based and dietary-diversity metrics rather than replacing them. It is less suitable when the only available data are aggregated nutrients without food identities, when consistent classification of borderline or artisanal foods cannot be assured, or when the research question is purely about nutrient adequacy. Because group assignment can involve judgment, transparent rules and reporting are essential for comparability.
Strengths & limitations
- Captures a dimension of diet — industrial processing — that nutrient-based classifications miss.
- Defines the ultra-processed food category that has become a major exposure linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Applicable to individual intake, household purchase, and national food-supply data alike.
- Provides a simple, communicable summary measure (the ultra-processed share) useful for policy and surveillance.
- Group assignment, especially for borderline and mixed foods, involves judgment and can vary between coders.
- The 'purpose of processing' criterion is partly qualitative and harder to operationalize than nutrient cut-offs.
- Mechanisms by which ultra-processing affects health remain debated and are not fully explained by nutrient content.
- Requires food-level detail; aggregated or poorly described food data cannot be reliably classified.
Common pitfalls
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Applications
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Frequently asked
What are the four NOVA groups?
Group 1 is unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as fresh, dried, or frozen produce, grains, legumes, meat, fish, eggs, and milk. Group 2 is processed culinary ingredients extracted from group-1 foods or nature, such as oils, butter, sugar, and salt, used to season and cook. Group 3 is processed foods made by adding group-2 ingredients to group-1 foods, such as cheeses, freshly made breads, and canned vegetables or fish. Group 4 is ultra-processed foods: industrial formulations made mostly from extracted substances and additives, designed to be durable, convenient, and hyper-palatable.
How is the degree of ultra-processing in a diet measured?
The standard metric is the share of total dietary energy contributed by group-4 (ultra-processed) foods, expressed as a percentage. Some studies instead use the share of total food weight or grams. After every reported food is assigned to a NOVA group, the energy (or weight) from ultra-processed foods is summed and divided by the total to give the ultra-processed share, which serves as the exposure variable in analyses and as a population indicator in surveillance. It is a simple, communicable summary of how ultra-processed a diet is.
Is NOVA about nutrients or about processing?
About processing. NOVA deliberately classifies foods by the nature, extent, and purpose of their industrial processing rather than by nutrient content, on the argument that processing captures something about modern diets that nutrient profiles miss. Two foods with similar nutrition labels can fall in different NOVA groups. NOVA is therefore complementary to nutrient-based metrics: it is used alongside measures of energy, sugar, fat, and salt, not as a substitute for them, and the relationship between ultra-processing and nutrient quality is itself an object of study.
Sources
- 1.Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Levy, R. B., Moubarac, J.-C., Louzada, M. L. C., Rauber, F., Khandpur, N., Cediel, G., Neri, D., Martinez-Steele, E., Baraldi, L. G., & Jaime, P. C. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936-941.
- 2.Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Moubarac, J.-C., Levy, R. B., Louzada, M. L. C., & Jaime, P. C. (2018). The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutrition, 21(1), 5-17.
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Cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 23). NOVA Food Classification. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/food-agriculture-studies/nova-food-classification