How are the processing and nutrient dimensions of foods interconnected? an issue of hierarchy based on three different food scores

Worldwide, foods are scored with composition indices. However, processing scores are now emerging. The objective of this study was to study the interconnectedness of the degree of processing and composition for 28,747 industrially packaged foods (71.6% of ultra-processed foods, UPFs) representative of retail assortments. The Nutri-score and Traffic Light Labelling System (TLLS) were used to assess the composition, and the Siga index was used to assess the degree of processing. On average, the more nutritionally favourable Nutri-score and TLLS groups exhibited 56.5 and 50.0% UPFs, respectively. Among markers of ultra-processing non-additives mostly included added fat/sugar/fibre/vitamin, animal and/or plant protein isolates, and taste exhausters, while additives mostly included sweeteners and taste exhausters, suggesting that markers of ultra-processing (MUP) are added to foods to improve composition scores. In conclusion, both types of scores are not complementary as such but obey to a fundamental hierarchy: processing first, then composition if necessary.