UPF Score Calculator

What counts as UPF

The NOVA classification system, developed by Monteiro and colleagues¹Public Health Nutrition · 2019Monteiro CA et al. — Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them, defines ultra-processed foods (Group 4) as industrial formulations of food substances with little or no whole foods, typically containing additives, preservatives, and emulsifiers not used in domestic cooking. Examples: packaged snacks, breakfast cereals (most), sugary drinks, frozen ready meals, reconstituted meat products, mass-produced bread.

Why this matters mechanistically

The Hall 2019 Cell Metabolism inpatient trial²Cell Metabolism · 2019Hall KD et al. — Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake remains the most consequential piece of nutrition research of the last decade. Adults randomized to ad-libitum UPF eating consumed ~500 kcal/day more than the same adults on a matched minimally-processed diet — and gained 0.9 kg in two weeks. The Dicken 2025 UPDATE trial³Nature Medicine · 2025Dicken SJ et al. — Ultra-processed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on cardiometabolic health (UPDATE trial) extended this finding: even UPF aligned with national dietary guidelines drove more weight gain than minimally processed equivalents. The Lane 2024 BMJ umbrella review⁴BMJ · 2024Lane MM et al. — Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses aggregated 32 health outcomes and found convincing evidence for UPF link to cardiovascular mortality, T2D, depression, and certain cancers.

What this tool isn't

We use a keyword heuristic, not a full ingredient parser. We can't see what you don't describe. If you write "sandwich" we don't know if the bread is artisan or mass-produced, if the meat is whole or restructured, or what condiments. The score is directional — useful for spotting the obvious culprits, less useful for fine distinctions. For maximum signal, describe each meal at the brand or ingredient level ("Wonder bread" vs "sourdough from local bakery").

If you score high

Don't try to fix everything at once. Identify the highest-frequency UPF category in your day (snacks? breakfast? takeout?) and replace one anchor meal at a time with a whole-food alternative. The Hall studies suggest dropping UPF from 80% to ~40% of intake produces ~500 kcal/day spontaneous reduction without calorie counting. That's the lever.