Food processing, according to the Nova classification system, and dietary intake of US infants and toddlers

Authors: O'Connor, Lauren; MARTÍNEZ-STEELE, EURIDICE - Universidade De Sao Paulo; WANG, LU - Tufts University; ZHANG, FANG FANG - Tufts University; HERRICK, KIRSTEN - National Cancer Institute (NCI, NIH)

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/16/2023
Publication Date: 6/19/2023
Citation: O'Connor, L.E., Martínez-Steele, E., Wang, L., Zhang, F., Herrick, K.A. 2023. Food processing, according to the Nova classification system, and dietary intake of US infants and toddlers. Journal of Nutrition. 153:2413-2420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.020

Interpretive Summary: High intake of ultra-processed foods, as classified by the NOVA system, is associated with increased risk of chronic disease, thus it is important to understand intake patterns early in life. Our objective was to classify complementary foods and beverages according to NOVA for infants and toddlers in the US and estimate how NOVA groups (minimally processed foods, culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods) contribute to energy and select nutrients and food groups that are highlighted by the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for this age group. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, we found that foods and beverages classified as minimally processed according to NOVA are top sources of nutrient and food groups that are encouraged for infants and toddlers in the US. Foods classified as ultra-processed are top sources of sodium and added sugars, but also contribute meaningfully to nutrients and food groups that are under-consumed, particularly iron, zinc, and whole grains, of which ready-to-eat breakfast cereals was a top source. More research is needed to build a stronger evidence-base to inform future public health guidance focused on the implications of processing levels for foods and beverages developed for/targeted at infants and toddlers.

Technical Abstract: High intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is associated with increased risk of chronic disease; thus, it is important to understand how UPFs influence diet quality early in life. We describe complementary foods and beverages (CFBs) according to the Nova Classification System of Food Processing for infants and toddlers in the United States and estimate how Nova groups and subgroups contribute to energy and select nutrients and food groups. We used day 1 24-h recall from infants and toddlers aged 6–23 mo from the cross-sectional, nationally representative 2013–18 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n ¼ 1140). We estimated contributions of Nova groups and subgroups to energy and select nutrients and food groups consumed as CFBs (excluding human milk and formula) using the population ratio with weighted survey commands in SAS. For infants and toddlers in the United States, 42 _ 0.9% (mean _ standard error of the mean) of energy intake from CFBs came from unprocessed/minimally processed foods (U/MPFs) and 45 _ 0.8% from UPFs. U/MPFs contributed most to nutrient intakes (except iron, zinc, and sodium); _20% of all selected nutrients was from UPFs. UPFs contributed most to iron (75 _ 1.0%) and zinc (48 _ 1.3%); breakfast cereals were the top source. Most fruit, vegetables, and dairy were from U/MPFs. More than 80% of total grains, whole grains, refined grains, and added sugars were UPFs. U/MPFs support healthy dietary intake of infants and toddlers in the United States, whereas UPFs contribute meaningfully to nutrients and food groups to be encouraged (iron, zinc, and whole grains), as well as some that should be limited (added sugars and sodium). More research is needed to better understand the utility and sensitivities of using Nova for providing dietary guidance for infants and toddlers in the United States.