Resources for schools & parents
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Spot the ultra-processed food — a one-page guide
- 1
Count the ingredients
More than five, and lots of names you'd never keep in a kitchen cupboard? That's a strong ultra-processed clue.
- 2
Look for ingredients you can't buy
Emulsifiers (E471, E476), modified starch, maltodextrin, invert sugar syrup, flavourings — these are factory-only ingredients.
- 3
Check where sugar sits
Ingredients are listed heaviest first. Sugar in the top three means the product is mostly sugar.
- 4
Watch for 'flavouring' vs the real thing
'Vanilla flavouring' or 'vanillin' is not vanilla. Real ingredients are named plainly.
- 5
Health words aren't rules
'Natural', 'wholesome' and 'made with real fruit' are marketing. The ingredients list is the truth.
- 6
Use the NOVA level
NOVA 1 is whole food, NOVA 4 is ultra-processed. Every product page on Nutri-Insights shows it.
nutri-insights.com — free food transparency for everyone.
Quick classroom quiz
Five questions. Answers explain themselves as you go.
1. Which of these is the strongest sign a food is ultra-processed?
2. Ingredients on a label are listed in order of…
3. What does NOVA 4 mean?
4. A bread lists: wheat flour, water, yeast, salt. Is it ultra-processed?
5. A label says 'natural'. What does that tell you?
Classroom activity: bring in a packet
Ask everyone to bring one food packet from home. Search it or scan its barcode on Nutri-Insights, then compare NOVA levels across the class and talk about which ingredients caused the difference.