Almost all foods are processed to a certain extent, even as a preservation method. The NOVA system classifies foods into four groups according to the extent and purpose of the industrial processing they went through paying attention to the physical, biological and chemical methods used in this process.
To identify a heavily processed product check the list of ingredients to see if it contains one of the items characteristic of the NOVA ultra-processed food group.
These include:
Food substances never or rarely used in kitchens e.g.
High-fructose corn syrup,
Hydrogenated oils
Interesterified (IE) food
Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins (HVP) (precursor to MSG)
Additives designed to make the final product palatable or more appealing e.g.
Flavors
Flavor enhancers
Colors
Emulsifiers
Emulsifying salts
Sweeteners
Thickeners
Anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents
Other heavily processed foods include things like soya milk, cheese, tofu etc which have been altered but not in a way that’s bad for our health.
We encourage you to check heavily processed foods against the ZOE scores to check which are better or worse for you.