TABLE 1.

Category definitions and criteria for classifying foods and beverages based on degree of industrial food processing¹

Category/definition	Beverages	Fruit, vegetables, legumes	Meat/meat dishes/eggs	Grain products	Dairy products	Fats/oils, sweets, other
Less processed
Unprocessed/minimally processed
Unprocessed/minimally processed:  single-ingredient foods with  no or very slight modifications  that do not change inherent  properties of the food as found  in its natural form	Fresh plain milk, coffee (whole or ground beans), bottled plain water, tea leaves or bags	Fresh, frozen, or dried plain fruit, vegetables, or legumes; plain nuts	Eggs; unseasoned meat (refrigerated or frozen)	Whole-grain plain hot cereal, brown rice, popcorn kernels	Cream	Honey, herbs, spices, pepper
Basic processed
Processed basic ingredients: single  isolated food components  obtained by extraction or  purification using physical or  chemical processes that change  inherent properties of the food	Unsweetened fruit juice not from concentrate	—	Egg whites	Whole-grain flour, whole-grain pasta	—	Oil, unsalted butter, sugar, pure maple syrup, salt
Processed for basic preservation  or precooking: single minimally  processed foods modified by  physical or chemical processes  for the purpose of preservation  or precooking but remaining as  single foods	Unsweetened fruit juice from concentrate or frozen concentrate, dry milk, instant coffee	Unsweetened/unflavored canned fruit, vegetables, or legumes; unsweetened/unsalted peanut butter	Unseasoned canned meat	Refined-grain pasta, refined-grain flour, white rice, instant rice, plain refined-grain hot cereal	Sour cream, plain yogurt, evaporated milk	—
Moderately processed
Moderately processed for flavor:  single minimally or moderately  processed foods with addition of  flavor additives for the purpose  of enhancing flavor; directly  recognizable as original plant/ animal source	Sweetened/flavored fruit or vegetable juice, tea, or soy milk; chocolate milk; cocoa mix	Sweetened/flavored canned, dried, refrigerated, or frozen fruit, vegetables or legumes; jam; potato chips; frozen French fries; salted peanut butter; nuts with salt or oil	Seasoned refrigerated, frozen, or canned meat; smoked or cured bacon, ham, or seafood	Sweetened/flavored hot cereal, flavored pasta, flavored popcorn (microwaveable or prepopped)	Cheese, sweetened/flavored yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream	Salted butter, flavored oil, seasoning salts
Moderately processed grain  products: grain products made  from whole-grain flour with  water, salt, and/or yeast	—	—	—	Whole-grain breads, tortillas, crackers, or RTE cereals with no added sugar or fat	—	—
Highly processed
Highly processed ingredients:  multi-ingredient industrially  formulated mixtures processed  to the extent that they are no  longer recognizable as their  original plant/animal source  and consumed as additions  (condiments, dips, sauces,  toppings, or ingredients in  mixed dishes)	—	Tomato sauce, salsa, hummus, jelly	—	Bread crumbs/breading with refined grains or added sugar/fat	Creamer, whipped topping, dairy-based chip/veggie dip, cheese dip/queso, Alfredo sauce	Margarine; mayonnaise; salad dressing; shortening; pancake syrup; artificial sweetener; baking chocolate; icing; ketchup, barbecue sauce, marinades, and other condiments; sauce/seasoning mixes
Highly processed stand-alone:  multi-ingredient industrially  formulated mixtures processed  to the extent that they are no  longer recognizable as their  original plant/animal source  and not typically consumed  as additions	Soda, alcohol, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored waters, coffee beverages	Fruit snacks; gelatin fruit salads; chocolate- or yogurt-covered dried fruit or nuts; vegetable-based soups; frozen vegetables in sauce; onion rings; entrée garden salads; restructured potato chips; tater tots, hash brown patties, re-formed French fries; RTH or instant potato dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffed baked potatoes); RTE potato salad; canned baked beans or beans with pork	Sausage; hot dogs; pressed/formed lunchmeats (bologna, salami) or ham; Spam; RTH meat dishes (meatloaf, crab cakes, buffalo wings, pot roast, barbecue); meat-based frozen meals (Salisbury steak); breaded meat (chicken nuggets, fish sticks); meat-based soups	Bread, tortillas, rolls, bagels, or RTE breakfast cereals with refined grains or added sugar/fat; pancakes, waffles, or biscuits (RTH, ready-to-bake, mixes); grain-based desserts (cookies, cake, pie, pastries; RTE, ready-to-bake, mixes); processed salty snacks (crackers, pretzels, tortilla chips, cheese puffs); frozen pizza; RTH or RTE grain-based dishes (burritos, sandwiches, pot pies); frozen or canned pasta dishes (lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs); pasta- or rice-based frozen meals; boxed macaroni and cheese; instant rice/pasta dish mixes; noodle- or rice-based soups; stuffing mix	Ice cream, frozen yogurt, pudding (RTE and mixes), processed cheese, cheesecake	Candy, chocolate, popsicles, sorbet, gelatin (RTE and mixes), broth, bouillon

¹Industrial food processing was defined as any procedure that alters food from its natural state and includes all processes and technologies that transform raw food materials and ingredients into consumer food products. Mutually exclusive categories of processing were defined based on the extent to which a food was altered from its natural state by industrial food processing and the purpose of these processes. Food processing was considered separately from product convenience. Food groups were defined broadly to classify all products into beverages or 10 mutually exclusive food groups. “Fruit, vegetables, and legumes” includes fruit/fruit products, vegetables/vegetable products, starchy vegetables/starchy vegetable products, and nuts/legumes. “Meat” includes beef, pork, poultry, and seafood. Fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh unseasoned meats were included in our study only if they were barcoded. “Plain,” “unseasoned,” and “unsweetened” indicate that the product contains no added sweeteners (natural or artificial), salt, flavors, fats, or oils. Whole-grain products were defined by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans criteria of primarily containing “whole-grain” wheat, rye, oats, corn, barley, or other grains labeled as “whole” brown rice; buckwheat; bulgur; millet; oatmeal; popcorn; quinoa; or rolled oats. “Sweetened/flavored” indicates that the product contains added sweeteners (natural or artificial), salt, flavors, fats, and/or oils. Fruit drinks are defined as beverages primarily composed of sugar or sweetener (as first or second ingredients) with fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate as a lesser ingredient. RTE, ready-to-eat; RTH, ready-to-heat.