01
The 5 Quick Checks
There is no single front-of-pack symbol that tells you whether a food is ultra-processed. The most useful first step is to ask what the product is made from and what the extra ingredients are doing.
CHECK 1
Is it an industrial formulation?
Does the product look assembled from refined ingredients, extracts, additives and flavour systems rather than ordinary recipe ingredients?
CHECK 2
Are there ingredients rarely used at home?
Look for things such as maltodextrin, modified starches, protein isolates, hydrolysed proteins or unusual sugar forms.
CHECK 3
Are there cosmetic additives?
Flavourings, colours, sweeteners, emulsifiers, thickeners and glazing agents can be signs that the food has been engineered for taste, texture or appearance.
CHECK 4
Is it ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat?
Convenience alone does not prove a food is UPF, but many NOVA Group 4 foods are designed to be eaten or heated with little preparation.
CHECK 5
What does the whole formulation suggest?
ne ingredient can be a clue. The final verdict comes from the full pattern: product type, ingredient list, additive function and processing context.
No More UPF shortcut
If the ingredient list reads more like a factory formulation than a recipe, the product needs a closer look.
02
Common UPF Markers to Look For
NOVA identifies many ultra-processed foods by the presence of food substances rarely used in kitchens or additives used to make products more palatable, attractive or convenient.
TEXTURE
Emulsifiers, stabilisers and thickeners
These can help hold a product together, improve mouthfeel or create a consistent texture.
- Emulsifiers
- Stabilisers
- Thickeners
FLAVOUR
Flavourings and flavour enhancers
Look for flavouring, natural flavouring, smoke flavouring or flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate.
- Flavourings
- Flavour enhancers
- Smoke flavouring
SWEETNESS
Sweeteners and unusual sugar ingredients
Sweeteners, glucose-fructose syrup, dextrose, invert sugar, fruit juice concentrates and maltodextrin can all be relevant clues.
- Sweeteners
- Maltodextrin
- Glucose-frustose syrup
STRUCTURE
Modified starches and protein isolates
Modified starch, hydrolysed protein, soya protein isolate, whey protein and added gluten can indicate a more industrial formulation.
- Modified starches
- Protein isolates
- Hydrolysed protein
03
Things That Do Not Automatically Mean UPF
This part matters. A useful UPF guide should make shopping clearer, not make every label feel suspicious.
NOT AUTOMATIC
Long ingredient list
Spices, herbs, seeds, grains and ordinary recipe ingredients can make a list longer without making the product ultra-processed.
NOT AUTOMATIC
Frozen, tinned and pasteurised
Freezing, tinning and pasteurising can preserve food. They are not the same thing as industrial formulation.
NOT AUTOMATIC
Rapeseed oil or added oil
Oil can be a culinary ingredient. It may matter nutritionally, but it does not automatically make a product NOVA Group 4.
NOT AUTOMATIC
Added vitamins or minerals
Fortification does not decide the whole classification. Check the full formulation before making a call.
NOT AUTOMATIC
Organic or high protein
These claims do not prove a food is non-UPF, but they also do not classify it by themselves. The ingredient list still matters.
NOT AUTOMATIC
One unfamiliar ingredient
One unfamiliar word can be a clue, not a verdict. Look at what the ingredient is doing and how the product is made.
04
Quick Examples
These examples are simplified. Real products should still be checked against their full ingredient lists.
Plain oats
Oats as the main ingredient, with no flavour systems, sweeteners or texture modifiers.
Simple bread
Flour, water, salt and yeast or starter is usually a simpler formulation. Added emulsifiers, preservatives or treatment agents change the picture.
Dessert-style yoghurt
Milk, sugar, modified starch, flavouring, colour, sweetener, stabiliser and live cultures would need a closer NOVA check.
05
What To Do With Grey Areas
Some products are genuinely difficult. Ingredient labels do not always reveal every processing step, and manufacturers do not always explain why an ingredient is used.
Use a cautious process
- Check the full ingredient list.
- Look for clusters of UPF markers, not just one ingredient.
- Compare the product with a simpler version in the same category.
- Use “needs more information” when the label is not enough to make a fair call.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Go Deeper When You Need To
METHOD
See how we classify products
INGREDIENTS
Look up common label terms
AUDITS
See labels applied to real products
SOURCES
Further Reading & References
This guide is based on the NOVA classification system and the institutional and methodology sources listed below.
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, Moubarac JC, Louzada MLC, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition. 2019.
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Lawrence M, Louzada MLC, Machado PP. Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification system. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2019.
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. SACN statement on processed foods and health. GOV.UK. 2023.
- Martinez-Steele E, Khandpur N, Batis C, Bes-Rastrollo M, Bonaccio M, et al. Best practices for applying the Nova food classification system. Nature Food. 2023.