When you rip open a bag of nacho-flavored chips or cheese puffs, it’s pretty clear you’re not choosing the healthiest snack. The bright, flavorful dust that sticks to your fingers is a sure sign it’s not the best choice. This is also true for other favorites like frozen pizza and chicken nuggets.
But what about seemingly healthier options like granola bars, applesauce pouches, string cheese, or flavored yogurt? It might surprise you to learn that these too can be considered ultra-processed foods, depending on their ingredients.
Ultra-processed foods are a category based on the level of processing rather than the type of food. This classification system, known as NOVA, was introduced in 2009 by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. It organizes food into four categories, from natural or minimally processed foods to those that are ultra-processed using industrial techniques and ingredients not typically found in home kitchens.
Dr. Marion Nestle, a food policy expert and professor emerita at New York University, defines ultra-processed foods as products that cannot be recreated at home due to the need for specific machinery and ingredients.
