When you tear open a bag of nacho-flavored chips or munch on some cheese puffs, it’s obvious these aren’t the healthiest options. The bright, artificial powder on your fingers is a dead giveaway that these snacks might not be the best choice for your health. The same goes for other popular items like frozen pizza and chicken nuggets.
But what about foods that seem healthier, like granola bars, applesauce pouches, string cheese, or flavored yogurt? You might be surprised to find out that these could also be considered ultra-processed foods, depending on what’s in them.
Ultra-processed foods are classified not by the type of food, but by how much they’ve been processed. This classification system, called NOVA, was developed in 2009 by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. It sorts foods into four groups, ranging from natural or minimally processed foods to those that are ultra-processed with industrial methods and ingredients you wouldn’t typically use in your kitchen.
Dr. Marion Nestle, a professor emerita at New York University and an expert in food policy, describes ultra-processed foods as products that you can’t easily replicate at home because they require specialized equipment and uncommon ingredients.
