Researchers, consumers, and the government are more focused on nutrition labels — which present metrics such as serving size, total calories, grams of saturated fat and other nutrients, and the percentage of your total Daily Value of such nutrients (i.e., the recommended amount to consume per day) (U.S. FDA, 2024) — rather than on ingredient lists and ingredient processing. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 80% of adults in the U.S. reference the Nutrition Facts label on food items while shopping. Cooper et al., found that 75% of consumers use ingredient lists to inform their purchasing decisions, and they also highlighted the lack of research on ingredient label use by consumers.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed a rule that would require companies to include a front-of-package nutrition label displaying saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar content, as well as a “Low,” “Medium,” or “High” designation for each nutrient. Their aim is to “help consumers quickly and easily identify how foods can be part of a healthy diet” (FDA, 2025).
This is a prime example of how our focus skews toward the numbers, that is, percentages of certain nutrients in our food. While this new rule is a good step in the right direction when it comes to consumer education and helping consumers make more informed decisions about their diets, it obscures other important factors to consider (e.g., where these nutrients are coming from and how they are processed).
For example, one serving of grapes (approximately a half cup) contains a similar amount of sugar as a small handful (~20 pieces) of grape Skittles, yet the nutritional value of these two products varies substantially. Skittles get their sweetness from refined sugar and corn syrup (an ultra-processed ingredient) with few other nutrients, while grapes have natural sugar and contain Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and a small amount of fiber. Looking at the ingredient list in addition to the numbers on a nutrition label reveals important information that can help you assess the level of processing your food has undergone.
Understanding the word “processed”
The word “processed” tends to get a bad rap because it implies unnatural modifications to food. But there are actually multiple levels of processing, many of which are not necessarily harmful.
In the 1980s, Carlos Monteiro, a Brazilian epidemiologist and professor at the University of Sao Paulo, introduced the NOVA system for categorizing processed foods based upon the amount of processing they undergo:
Non-processed, unprocessed, or minimally processed food
e.g., fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, etc.
Basic or primary processed food
e.g., sugar, flour, canned goods with no additives, concentrated fruit juice
Moderately processed food
e.g., canned tuna in oil/with added salt, crackers, whole wheat bread
Highly or ultra-processed food
e.g., condiments, sauces, sweetened beverages, candy, salty snacks
There is some variability in how different countries and different organizations within the same country define these categories, but we have summarized the general distinguishing factors for the U.S.:
The term “processed” can thus mean lots of different things. Returning to our grape example, both washed grapes and grape Skittles are processed, but grape Skittles are considered ultra-processed due to the use of industrially formulated ingredients (e.g., food colorings, hydrogenated oil, and corn syrup) (Skittles, n.d.). There is a growing body of evidence that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute to adverse health effects, and the ingredient list can often reveal the use of industrially processed ingredients in a way that the nutrition label cannot.
Case Study: Xanthan Gum
You may have seen various emulsifiers, thickeners, or stabilizers on ingredient lists. Xanthan gum is a common functional ingredient in everything from ice cream to sauces to gluten-free flour.
Which NOVA group do you think xanthan gum fits into? Feel free to take a guess before you see our analysis below!
Check your answer here!
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