Decade-long Transformation: Food Classification Alters Nutritional Parameters Worldwide
The NOVA classification divides foods into four groups: fresh and minimally processed foods; processed culinary ingredients; processed foods; and ultra-processed foods. Published in 2010, the guide was developed by researchers from the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (Nupens) at USP, becoming a global reference in dietary guides and widely used in scientific research around the world.
According to Renata Levy, researcher at the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and member of NUPENS, “until the beginning of the 21st century, the teaching and practice of Nutrition, as well as public policies in the area, focused only on the nutrients present in food and drinks, a reductionist logic that we call ‘nutritionism’. Thus, they ignored the quality of the food and also the combinations between foods.”
The professor points to the food pyramid as a symbol of this “nutritionism”. “The foods were grouped because they were sources of protein, carbohydrates and lipids and, therefore, in the same group were sweet potatoes and cookies, for example. Today we know that it makes no sense to put these two foods in the same category. The NOVA classification values food cultures, culinary practices and the pleasure of eating. It sheds more light on processes that go beyond the plate, such as food production and the division of household tasks,” she highlights.
Types of food
Fresh foods are obtained from plants or animals and purchased for consumption without having undergone processing. However, according to the professor, almost all the foods we consume today are industrialized, as those that have undergone some type of industrial processing are called that.
Processed foods, according to classification, are those manufactured by the food industry using traditional processing techniques, such as the addition of salt, sugar or other culinary ingredients to fresh or minimally processed foods, such as fruit in syrup or cheese.
On the other hand, ultra-processed foods have an extensive list of ingredients in their composition, often composed of parts of food and exclusively industrial cosmetic additives, used to give color, flavor, smell and texture and containing little or no recognizable food.