Just How Processed Is Your Food? A New Database Helps Consumers Make Better Choices

Ultra-processed foods have been enemy No.1 in nutrition over the past decade, but it can be tough to know which products fall into this category when you’re staring at grocery store shelves. Now, researchers at Mass General Brigham in Boston are trying to make the process of avoiding ultra-processed foods easier.

The scientists used an algorithm to analyze a range of foods from Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market. Each product was assigned a score based on its level of processing and then put into a food category. The results were published in the journal Nature Food.

However, the researchers also took things a step further, creating a website called TrueFood, where everyday consumers can search for foods by name or by category. The goal is to help people make better-informed choices without simply designating foods as ultra-processed or not.

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“The current food processing classification takes a huge chunk out of the food supply,” says study co-author Giulia Menichetti, PhD, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and investigator in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. “But more research is showing that not all of these foods are equally bad for our health.”

Here’s what the study found, plus how to use the site while you shop.

What are ultra-processed foods and why should you avoid them?

Foods are classified by their level of processing based on a system called the NOVA scale. The scale divides foods into one of four categories, including unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.

Here’s a breakdown of each category:

• Unprocessed and minimally processed foods include foods that are in their natural state or are barely altered. Fresh produce and milk fall into this category.

• Processed culinary ingredients are foods made through minimal processing, such as pressing, grinding, refining, or milling. Examples include almond flour, butter, and olive oil.

• Processed foods are altered from their natural state. They usually contain sugar, oil, salt, or other ingredients and include bagged frozen vegetables, sweetened fruit juice, and tinned fish.

• Ultra-processed foods are processed with added ingredients like artificial colors, flavors, additives, and preservatives to maintain their texture and shelf life. These foods are usually packaged — such as sodas, energy drinks, sweetened cereals, and flavored potato chips.

What did the study find?

For the study, Menichetti and her fellow researchers gathered and analyzed the ingredient lists, nutrition facts, and prices of foods at Target, Whole Foods, and Walmart. These stores were chosen because they are all among the top 10 most popular places people buy groceries across the country, Menichetti explains.

The researchers then took the data and created GroceryDB, a database with more than 50,000 food items. The researchers then used their own FPro algorithm, which uses AI technology to determine the degree of processing for foods, to create a “processing score” for each product.

With the processing score, the larger the number, the more ultra-processed a food is. “The majority of the time, something close to zero will be products like milk, fresh produce, and eggs,” Menichetti says.

Overall, the researchers found that Whole Foods provides more minimally processed products than the other two stores, although the majority of foods all of these stores sell are in the ultra-processed range. In some locations, some food categories only offered highly processed foods.

How does the TrueFood site work?

The results of the study are published on the TrueFood website, which categorizes the foods and displays the processing score of each, along with a list of nutrition facts. There’s even an ingredient tree that shows what goes into the different foods. Meaning, if a product has a high or low level of processing, you can see why.

To use the site, you can type in a product’s name to see its score, or you can search by category to see which foods are the least and most processed.

Menichetti says the site’s goal is to provide consumers with more information. By assigning foods a number score versus simply saying if they’re ultra-processed or not, it’s easier for customers to make their own informed judgment about whether to purchase a product.

The categories can also help consumers search for alternatives if, say, a go-pasta ends up having a high score, and you want something less processed.

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The team didn’t find an overall least processed and most processed food across all categories, though. “It’s way more important to work at the category level,” Menichetti says, noting that this allows consumers to make better-informed choices around the foods they want.

It took the team several years to create this database, but Menichetti says they plan to expand the data over time. “We’re hoping to create a really robust definition of food processing and health consequences,” she says. “The more data, the better.”

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