For decades, nutritional guidance focused almost exclusively on macronutrient ratios and caloric energy balances. However, contemporary nutritional epidemiology increasingly demonstrates that industrial food processing exerts a profound independent effect on metabolic health, gut microbiota, and satiety signaling.
The NOVA classification system, developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, categorizes all foods into four distinct groups based on the extent and purpose of industrial processing:
• **NOVA Group 1 — Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods:** Edible parts of plants or animals that have undergone physical processes like cleaning, freezing, milling, or fermentation without the addition of salt, sugar, oils, or industrial additives.
• **NOVA Group 2 — Processed Culinary Ingredients:** Substances obtained directly from Group 1 foods or from nature by processes such as pressing, refining, and mining (e.g., cold-pressed olive oil, butter, table salt, honey).
• **NOVA Group 3 — Processed Foods:** Relatively simple food products made by adding sugar, oil, salt, or other Group 2 substances to Group 1 foods to increase preservation or enhance palatability (e.g., canned fish, artisanal cheese, freshly baked sourdough).
• **NOVA Group 4 — Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs):** Industrial formulations typically comprising five or more ingredients, characterized by substances not commonly used in culinary preparations (e.g., high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, and artificial colorings).
Satvora AI's barcode scanner references NOVA classification data from open nutritional datasets, helping users understand food processing levels beyond calorie counts.
