Table 3.
Details for the top quartile of nutrient dense, low-cost food categories, including nutrient density/100 kcal, cost/100 kcal, the nutrient density to cost ratio, and NOVA processing classification.
| Food Categories 1 | NRF9.3/100 kcal 2 | AUD/100 kcal | Nutrient Density-to-Cost Ratio 3 | NOVA Processing Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | ||||
| Orange/yellow vegetables | 302.2 (126.0) | 0.7 (0.1) | 492.3 (304.5) | Unprocessed |
| Other vegetables | 443.0 (160.6) | 2.2 (1.4) | 293.4 (171.9) | Unprocessed |
| Potatoes, unprocessed | 97.1 (4.6) | 0.5 (0.1) | 217.0 (73.2) | Unprocessed |
| Fruit | ||||
| Fruit juice | 273.7 (124.8) | 0.5 (0.2) | 650.1 (318.9) | Processed |
| Dried fruit | 28.6 (9.0) | 0.2 (0.1) | 171.0 (80.1) | Unprocessed |
| Cereals and grain foods | ||||
| Rice, grains and flours | 12.9 (4.6) | 0.04 (0.0) | 348.3 (196.5) | Unprocessed |
| Pasta and noodles, plain | 20.7 (9.0) | 0.1 (0.0) | 304.6 (43.6) | Unprocessed |
| Hot porridge | 22.6 (7.6) | 0.2 (0.1) | 290.9 (219.8) | Unprocessed |
| Breads, wholegrain and fortified | 25.1 (3.1) | 0.1 (0.0) | 213.0 (57.7) | Ultra-processed |
| RTE breakfast cereals, fortified, sugars ≤20 g/100 g | 25.3 (26.4) | 0.1 (0.0) | 200.1 (178.4) | Ultra-processed |
| RTE breakfast cereals, unfortified, sugars ≤20 g/100 g | 24.9 (10.8) | 0.2 (0.1) | 176.1 (117.8) | Ultra-processed |
| Dairy and dairy alternatives | ||||
| Dairy milk alternatives | 50.1 (30.7) | 0.3 (0.1) | 214.1 (161.3) | Ultra-processed |
| Dairy milk, reduced fat or skim | 58.0 (13.0) | 0.3 (0.1) | 209.9 (79.0) | Unprocessed |
| Meat and alternatives | ||||
| Legumes and legume dishes | 42.6 (5.6) | 0.2 (0.0) | 231.4 (50.0) | Processed |
| Discretionary foods | ||||
| Potatoes, processed | 37.3 (4.9) | 0.1 (0.0) | 403.5 (109.3) | Ultra-processed |
1 All data are mean (SD). 2 The NRF9.3 was calculated as described in references [16,36]. Food categories are defined as follows: ‘potatoes, unprocessed’, baked, boiled, grilled, or BBQ’d potatoes; ‘other vegetables’, all vegetables not otherwise categorized as potatoes, leafy green vegetables or orange/yellow vegetables; ‘breads, wholegrain and fortified’, commercial wholegrain breads fortified with iodine, Vitamin B1 and folic acid; ‘RTE breakfast cereals, fortified, sugars ≤20 g/100 g’, ready to eat breakfast cereals fortified with Vitamin B1, B2, B3, folic acid and iron, mean sugars content 10.5 g/100 g; ‘dairy milk alternatives’, commercial soy and rice-based milks; ‘potatoes, processed’, commercial oven-fries, wedges and hash-browns. 3 The nutrient density-to-cost ratio was calculated as the mean of the ratios for the representative foods chosen in each food category.