Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen developed the Ultra-processed food (UPF) categorization for adults according to the NOVA classification using the Food Frequency Questionnaire Sum scores from the heart of the FFQ flower (1A Questionnaire 2). (sections: Nutrition and secondary & linked variables).

The UPF food categorization can be requested in the Lifelines catalogue or by mail (data@lifelines.nl). When this data has been used in your research, you will have to include a reference to the the following paper:

• Duan, M. J., Vinke, P. C., Navis, G., Corpeleijn, E., & Dekker, L. H. (2022). Ultra-processed food and incident type 2 diabetes: studying the underlying consumption patterns to unravel the health effects of this heterogeneous food category in the prospective Lifelines cohort. BMC medicine, 20(1), 1-11.

From the paper of Duan et al. (2022)
Research on UPF has been facilitated by the development of the NOVA classification. The NOVA classification is a frequently used method to categorize food and drinks based on the nature, extent, and purpose of food processing. The NOVA classification comprises four categories, ranging from un-processed/minimally processed food to UPF. According to the NOVA classification, UPF is mostly formulated from food substances and industrial ingredients that undergo a series of chemical and physical manufacturing processes. The resulting food products are often pre-packed, contain little or no intact (un-processed) food, and are considered microbiologically safe, convenient, and palatable.

Using the NOVA classification, the 110 food items from the FFQ heart were categorized in four proposed categories:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed food: for example fresh vegetables or fruits and unprocessed meat
2. Processed culinary ingredient: for example butter or oil for cooking, sugar, and salt
3. Processed food: for example canned vegetables or fish and fruits in syrup
4. Ultra-processed food: for example processed meat, soft drinks

1. The current categorization doesn't specifically handle the Betrouwbaarheid of energy intake (provided in the Food Frequency Questionnaire Sum scores). This could be a decision for other researchers using the UPF classification data.
2. According to the NOVA classification, some alcohol products should also be characterized as ultra-processed food. However, we did not do this because alcohol may have separate health effects. Therefore, we analyze alcohol intake always as a separate covariate. This is also practiced by other papers from other cohorts.
3. Additional calculations can be made. However, since there is no “golden standard” the researchers leave this up to the interpretation of users. Examples of additional calculations: high sugar content-ultra-processed food, Glycemic Index food, and quartiles/quintiles.