# Ultra-processed food (NOVA group 4)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/ultra-processed-food/  
OnCo record `ultra-processed-food` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Industrially formulated products made mostly from extracted or synthesised ingredients (soft drinks, packaged snacks, reconstituted meats, ready meals). High intake is linked with obesity and, in cohort studies, with more cancer, though the evidence is graded only 'suggestive' because of classification and confounding problems.

## Summary

NOVA classifies foods by degree and purpose of processing rather than nutrient content; group 4 products typically contain additives, are energy-dense and hyper-palatable, and displace whole foods. Cohort associations with cancer are replicated but graded 'suggestive'; criticisms include classification unreliability and confounding by socioeconomic status. Policy interest is high (front-of-pack warnings in Chile and Mexico, school food rules).

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: UPF; NOVA classification

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-processed_food
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-processed_food

## Connected records

- technologies: [Red and processed meat reduction](https://onco.cc/technologies/red-processed-meat-reduction/), [Ultra-processed food and sugar-sweetened drinks](https://onco.cc/technologies/ultra-processed-food-ssb/)
- terms: [Dietary pattern scores (Mediterranean, HEI, AHEI, DASH, WCRF/AICR)](https://onco.cc/terms/dietary-pattern-scores/), [Obesity-related cancers (IARC list of 13)](https://onco.cc/terms/obesity-related-cancers/)
- bottlenecks: [Prevention we already have is not deployed](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-prevention-adoption/)
- ideas: [Controlled feeding trials to separate ultra-processing from calories](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-upf-controlled-feeding-trial/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/ultra-processed-food.json