New tool lets you check how processed and unhealthy your food is

We all know processed food isn’t the best thing on the plate. But how do we navigate the confusing language of food labeling? A remarkable tool now helps consumers and policymakers understand the processing levels of over 50,000 different items.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham created this public database to promote informed food choices and advocate for better food regulation.

Understanding processed foods – the basics

Processed foods are those that have been altered from their natural state in some way, usually to make them last longer or taste better.

This includes things like freezing vegetables, canning beans, or adding salt and sugar to bread. These changes can be pretty simple and often retain most of the original nutrients.

For example, a jar of tomato sauce or a bag of roasted nuts are considered processed foods because they’ve been prepared or packaged, but they still contain ingredients you’d recognize and are generally healthy when eaten in moderation.

On the other hand, ultra-processed foods go through much more extensive manufacturing and contain ingredients you wouldn’t normally find in a home kitchen.

These foods often include artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and other additives designed to enhance taste, texture, and shelf life.

Think of things like sugary cereals, sodas, packaged snacks, instant noodles, and frozen dinners. Ultra-processed foods are usually higher in unhealthy fats, sugars, and salt, and they tend to be lower in essential nutrients.

Processed foods dominate grocery shelves

Highly and ultra-processed foods make up a significant portion of what is available in most grocery stores.

While they may be convenient or taste appealing, research has linked diets high in these types of foods to serious health issues, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Despite growing awareness about the risks associated with these foods, many shoppers struggle to determine how processed a particular food item is.

Ingredient labels and nutritional information can be overwhelming or unclear, making it difficult for the average consumer to make informed choices.

“There are a lot of mixed messages about what a person should eat. Our work aims to create a sort of translator to help people look at food information in a more digestible way,” said Dr. Giulia Menichetti, a lead researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

GroceryDB simplifies healthy eating

To address the challenge of understanding food processing levels, researchers applied machine learning to analyze detailed data from three major grocery retailers: Target, Whole Foods, and Walmart.

They examined ingredient lists, nutritional information, and pricing data to create a clear picture of the processing levels of various food items.

This effort led to the development of GroceryDB, a comprehensive database tool designed to empower consumers with easy-to-understand information about processed food ingredients.

GroceryDB provides each food item with a “processing score,” which indicates the degree of processing involved in the production of the food.

The database is accessible to the public through the TrueFood website, where users can explore essential details such as processing scores, ingredient breakdowns, and complete nutritional facts.

This innovative tool simplifies the often-confusing task of evaluating food processing, making healthier choices more attainable for everyone.

Not all grocery stores are the same

The researchers employed the FPro algorithm to analyze food processing levels across products from the three major grocery retailers. Their findings revealed that the majority of items available in these stores were classified as ultra-processed.

While Whole Foods stood out for offering a broader selection of minimally processed foods, Walmart and Target provided fewer options in this category.

For example, cereals at Whole Foods showed a wide range, spanning from minimally to ultra-processed. In contrast, all cereals available at Walmart and Target were categorized as highly processed.

This pattern extended beyond cereals to other product categories, including soups, milk substitutes, and cookies. Despite the apparent variety of brands and products on store shelves, the processing options remained strikingly limited.

These findings highlight the challenge consumers face when trying to access healthier, less-processed food options, even in stores that appear to offer significant variety.

“When people hear about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, they ask, ‘OK, what are the rules? How can we apply this knowledge?’” said Menichetti. “We are building tools to help people implement changes to their diet.”

AI enters the fight against processed foods

This initiative demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role in advancing public health.

By leveraging AI and data science, the research team created a scalable system for analyzing and categorizing the processing levels of food items.

The team plans to enhance this database further by incorporating geolocation data and temporal monitoring.

This expansion would provide insights into regional differences in food availability and how these variations influence social determinants of health, such as access to nutritious options.

“Most research activities in nutrition still depend on manual curation, but our study shows that artificial intelligence and data science can be used to scale up,” Menichetti emphasized.

The ultimate goal is to make this an internationally comparable, open-access resource to advance global nutrition security.

With the TrueFood database, consumers now have the tools to make better informed food choices and push for healthier options in their communities.

The study was published in the journal Nature Food.

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