NOVA is a food classification system developed by Carlos Monteiro and first published in 2009. NOVA divides food products and food ingredients into in 4 groups – Minimally Processed, Culinary Processed, Processed, Ultra-Processed. The groupings reflect the nature, degree, and purpose of processing.
The US 🇺🇸 is the global leader in food processing technology. As of 2024, the American supermarket dedicated over 70% shelf space to ultra-processed packaged food products.
About 2 years ago, I decided to use my own recipe collection to explore how many UPF products I use on a regular basis. Since then, I have added recipes from contemporary food magazines and websites as well as recipes that feature a branded product. It’s still a work in progress but here’s the breakdown that I’ve come up with:
🟢 Recipes that call for the usual list of traditional ingredients.
🟡 Recipes that use UPF products manufactured with ingredients that are acceptable to me. Like preservatives in my favorite Dijon mustard. Or my favorite whole grain health bread that is industrially formulated, sliced, and wrapped in plastic.
🔴 Recipes made with mostly ultra-processed ingredients or processes that are not acceptable to me. Like cosmetic additives. Or degraded food matrices.
For some background information on NOVA, check out this Dialogue I developed for the Digital Edition of the IFT Magazine “Are NOVA’s Critics Missing an Important Point”.
For a more comprehensive breakdown of both the classification system and healthy outcomes, check out “Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification system”.
