(OR13-05-26) Ingredient-Level Processing Scores (WISEcode-UPF) Positively Correlate With Energy Density and Negatively Correlate With Nutrient Density in Packaged Foods

Objectives: Debate continues regarding the relevance of the Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) concept in nutrition and public health. This study evaluated whether the WISEcode Ultra-Processed Food (Wc-UPF™) score, an ingredient-level assessment quantifying the process level of a food based on the degree of processing of each ingredient, is associated with nutritional attributes such as energy density and nutrient density, in a broad sample of store-brand packaged foods.

Methods: Approximately 8,500 store-brand foods from three major retailers were obtained from the WISEcode packaged foods database. Foods with complete nutrient records (all 40 essential nutrients) were included. The dataset was further restricted to solid foods classified as NOVA 4 (ultra-processed), yielding 5,727 foods.  Each was scored using the Wc-UPF method (score range: 0–137; scores > 10 indicate UPF). Energy density was calculated as kcal/g. Calorie Quality was defined as the number of essential nutrients providing greater than 10% Daily Value per 100 kcal. Fiber density, sugar density, and protein density (g per serving) were also calculated. Associations between Wc-UPF score and these metrics were evaluated using correlation analysis.

Results: For all retailers, higher Wc-UPF scores were positively correlated with kcal/g (r = 0.35, 0.28, 0.30, all p < 0.001 for stores A, B and C) and negatively correlated with nutrient density (r = -0.43, -0.41, -0.41, all p < 0.001 for stores A, B and C). Fiber density showed a strong negative correlation with increased Wc-UPF score (r = -0.24, -0.38, -0.23, all p < 0.001 for stores A, B and C). Protein density and sugar density did not show any consistent patterns. Since all of these foods were classified as NOVA 4, no correlation could be determined between the NOVA classification and these measures of nutrient and energy density.

Conclusions: Even though the Wc-UPF does not include a measure of energy density, fiber density or calorie quality, these attributes are significantly correlated with Wc-UPF scores. The findings support the view that foods with higher levels of ingredient processing tend to be more energy dense and less nutrient dense.  Degree of ingredient processing as a measure of processing for a finished packaged food provides insight into those aspects of highly processed foods that are most concerning in the public health debate.

Funding Sources: WISEcode funded