#Nova definition driver#
#Nova definition plus#
#Nova definition free#

Thus, there is little consistency either in the definition of ultra-processed foods or in examples of foods within this category. The present manuscript demonstrates that since the inception of the NOVA classification of foods, these examples of foods to which this category applies have varied considerably.

Because of the difficulty of interpretation of the primary definition, the NOVA group and others have set out lists of examples of foods that fall under the category of ultra-processed foods. The present paper explores the definition of ultra-processed foods since its inception and clearly shows that the definition of such foods has varied considerably. Of these, the category “ultra-processed foods” has been widely studied in relation both to diet quality and to risk factors for noncommunicable disease.

#Nova definition driver#

We conclude that the ever-increasing production and consumption of these products is a world crisis, to be confronted, checked and reversed as part of the work of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its Decade of Nutrition.ĭecade of Nutrition Food processing NOVA Sustainable Development Goals The Anthropocene Ultra-processed food.Four categories of foods are proposed in the NOVA food classification, which seeks to relate food processing as the primary driver of diet quality. Ultra-processed products are also troublesome from social, cultural, economic, political and environmental points of view. The evidence so far shows that displacement of minimally processed foods and freshly prepared dishes and meals by ultra-processed products is associated with unhealthy dietary nutrient profiles and several diet-related non-communicable diseases. Studies based on NOVA show that ultra-processed products now dominate the food supplies of various high-income countries and are increasingly pervasive in lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries. Their formulation, presentation and marketing often promote overconsumption. Ultra-processed products are made to be hyper-palatable and attractive, with long shelf-life, and able to be consumed anywhere, any time.

#Nova definition free#

All together, they are energy-dense, high in unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, free sugars and salt, and poor sources of protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients.

#Nova definition plus#

These are not modified foods, but formulations mostly of cheap industrial sources of dietary energy and nutrients plus additives, using a series of processes (hence 'ultra-processed'). A singular feature of NOVA is its identification of ultra-processed food and drink products. Evidence that NOVA effectively addresses the quality of diets and their impact on all forms of malnutrition, and also the sustainability of food systems, has now accumulated in a number of countries, as shown here. The present commentary outlines the NOVA system of food classification based on the nature, extent and purpose of food processing. For these initiatives to succeed, it is necessary to know which foods contribute to health and well-being, and which are unhealthy. Given evident multiple threats to food systems and supplies, food security, human health and welfare, the living and physical world and the biosphere, the years 2016-2025 are now designated by the UN as the Decade of Nutrition, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.