Understanding the labels
NOVA sorts foods into four groups according to how much they were processed before reaching you, from raw products to industrial formulations. It says nothing about calories or nutrients: it is about the process.
Foods eaten as they come from the plant or animal, or only lightly changed: washed, cut, dried, frozen, pasteurized or fermented, with nothing added.
For example: fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, milk, plain yogurt, dried beans, rice, fresh meat and fish
Ingredients taken from group 1 foods or from nature, used at home to cook and season. They are rarely eaten on their own.
For example: vegetable oils, butter, sugar, salt, honey
Group 1 foods to which group 2 ingredients were added, mainly to make them keep longer or taste better. They usually have two or three ingredients.
For example: canned vegetables in brine, cheese, fresh bakery bread, fruit in syrup, canned fish
Industrial formulations made mostly of substances extracted from foods or made in a laboratory, with additives rarely found in a kitchen: flavourings, colourings, emulsifiers, sweeteners.
For example: soft drinks, packaged snacks and biscuits, industrial sliced bread, reconstituted meat, instant noodles, many breakfast cereals
NOVA was created by researchers at the University of São Paulo, led by Carlos Monteiro. It is used in many scientific studies on diet and health.
For the products in Bouff'app, the group comes from Open Food Facts, which reads the ingredient list and looks for markers of ultra-processing, such as some additives or ingredients that are not used in home cooking.
Groups provided by Open Food Facts
