Is NOVA Good for Sustainable Diets? Exploring 15 Years of Research

It's been around 15 years since the introduction of the NOVA food-processing classification. Originally designed to pinpoint ultra-processed foods linked to noncommunicable diseases, NOVA has a broader scope that aligns with sustainable nutrition. But how well does NOVA fit with other indicators of a sustainable diet? That's what a recent review aimed to find out. The review, following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, looked at studies from 2009 to 2023. They collected 1612 studies from databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Out of these, 77 studies used NOVA alongside other sustainable diet indicators.

These indicators included healthiness, environmental pressure, affordability, and other processing classifications. The analysis showed that in most cases (70 out of 93), NOVA was synergistic with health indicators. But when it came to environmental pressure, the results were mixed. NOVA was mostly in line with greenhouse gas emission indicators (8 out of 13) but not with fresh water use (8 out of 12). Economic affordability also seemed to clash with NOVA in most studies (10 out of 16). The review suggested that combining NOVA with nutrient profiling could help identify healthier diets. Additionally, controlling for environmental pressure and economic affordability could lead to better trade-offs for sustainable diets. As NOVA becomes more relevant, adapting its methodology for sustainable nutrition research is essential.

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