Free Ultra-Processed Food Checker
Is it ultra-processed? Check any food's NOVA score.
Ultra-processed foods are NOVA Group 4. Look up any of 80+ common foods below to see its NOVA group (1-4) and why. Want to check a specific product? Scan its barcode or score a full recipe.
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What are ultra-processed foods?
Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations built mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, sugars, starches, protein isolates) plus additives you would never use in a home kitchen: emulsifiers, artificial flavors, colors, and non-sugar sweeteners. In the NOVA classification they are Group 4. They are engineered to be hyper-palatable, shelf-stable, and cheap, and they now make up more than half of the calories in the average American diet. For the first time, the 2025-2030 USDA Dietary Guidelines name ultra-processed foods and advise limiting them.
This checker answers "is it ultra-processed?" for any food by placing it in one of the four NOVA groups, and showing why. Read the full NOVA score explainer or the complete ultra-processed foods list.
The 4 NOVA groups explained
Whole foods with no added substances, or minimal processing that does not change the food's nature. Examples: fresh fruit, plain vegetables, eggs, plain meat, plain oats, plain milk, plain yogurt, dry legumes.
Substances extracted from whole foods used in cooking. Not eaten alone. Examples: olive oil, butter, flour, sugar, salt, honey, vinegar. Not considered ultra-processed.
NOVA 1 foods preserved or enhanced with NOVA 2 ingredients. Salt, sugar, oil, vinegar, or fermentation used. Examples: natural cheese, canned fish, artisan bread, cured meat, natural peanut butter (peanuts + salt only).
Industrially formulated products with additives not used in home kitchens: emulsifiers, artificial flavors, modified starches, dough conditioners, synthetic preservatives. The 2025-2030 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting these. Examples: chips, soda, commercial cereal, instant noodles, hot dogs, flavored yogurt.
Examples of ultra-processed foods
The most common ultra-processed (NOVA 4) items in a typical grocery cart:
- Soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks
- Packaged chips, flavored crackers, and most granola or protein bars
- Most breakfast cereals and instant flavored oatmeal packets
- Commercial sandwich bread, flour tortillas, and instant noodles
- Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and flavored deli meats
- Flavored yogurt, processed cheese slices, and coffee creamers
- Most jarred pasta sauces, canned soups, and bottled salad dressings
Search any of these in the checker above to confirm its NOVA group and the additives that place it there.
Is cheese, bread, or pasta ultra-processed?
There is no blanket answer, because it comes down to the ingredient list:
- Cheese - a block of natural cheddar (milk, salt, cultures, rennet) is NOVA 3. Processed cheese slices with emulsifying salts and modified starch are NOVA 4.
- Bread - artisan sourdough (flour, water, salt, starter) is NOVA 3. Commercial sandwich bread with dough conditioners and emulsifiers is NOVA 4.
- Pasta - plain dried pasta (durum wheat plus water) is NOVA 1. A boxed pasta-and-sauce kit is NOVA 4. See the full pasta breakdown.
- Peanut butter - peanuts plus salt is NOVA 3. Versions with hydrogenated oil and added sugar are NOVA 4.
How to spot and avoid ultra-processed foods
You do not need to memorize a list. Read the ingredients and look for substances that never show up in a home kitchen: modified starch, maltodextrin, high-fructose corn syrup or invert sugar, protein isolates, hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers (lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, polysorbate 80), and artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. If you see them, it is ultra-processed.
The simplest swaps: choose foods with short ingredient lists you recognize, buy single-ingredient staples, and cook one more meal a week from scratch. Scan a product barcode or score a full recipe to see its processing level in seconds.
Ultra-processed food FAQ
What are ultra-processed foods?
Industrial formulations made mostly from extracted substances (oils, sugars, starches, isolates) plus additives not used in home cooking, such as emulsifiers, artificial flavors, and sweeteners. In NOVA they are Group 4: soda, chips, most cereals, instant noodles, hot dogs, flavored yogurt.
What is considered an ultra-processed food?
Any food whose label lists substances you would not cook with: modified starch, maltodextrin, high-fructose corn syrup, protein isolates, hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers, or artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. If any appear, it is NOVA Group 4.
Why are ultra-processed foods bad for you?
They are engineered to be hyper-palatable and easy to overeat, and they tend to be high in refined starch, sugar, sodium, and additives while low in fiber. Diets high in them track with worse health outcomes, which is why the 2025-2030 USDA guidelines advise limiting them. The goal is to make them the smaller part of your plate, not to ban them.
How do I avoid ultra-processed foods?
Choose foods with short, recognizable ingredient lists, buy single-ingredient staples, cook one more meal a week from scratch, and check packaged products before they go in the cart. Shift the ratio toward NOVA 1-3; you do not have to be perfect.
How do I know if a food is NOVA 4?
Scan the ingredients for kitchen-foreign substances: modified starch, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, DATEM, artificial flavors, BHT, TBHQ, or high-fructose corn syrup. If the label has any of them, it is ultra-processed. The checker above classifies it for you.
Learn More
Scan your groceries in easyChef Pro
This checker is a list. easyChef Pro is the tool: scan a barcode or paste a recipe and it classifies every ingredient by NOVA group, flags the ultra-processed ones, and shows the one swap that lowers the processing most. Not an opinion, classified by NOVA.