As the Trump administration looks to create a federal definition of ultra-processed foods, the question of the best way to differentiate products within a category that can lump packaged whole-wheat bread together with soda and cheese puffs has been the subject of much debate.
The most widely used definition is drawn from the Nova classification system developed by Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro, which says that ultra-processed foods use industrial manufacturing to break down whole foods and contain cosmetic additives, like flavoring agents and emulsifiers, to increase their palatability. California’s recent law banning ultra-processed foods from school lunches, meanwhile, says that foods are ultra-processed if they contain those types of additives as well as high levels of ingredients like sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat.
