Nutri-Score, NOVA and environmental impact: what each food score really tells you
One score can't answer every question about a food. Here's what Nutri-Score, NOVA and an environmental score each measure — and why you need all three to judge a product honestly.
If you've compared food apps or label systems, you've probably noticed they don't agree — because they're often measuring completely different things. A product can be nutritionally decent, heavily processed, and environmentally costly all at once. No single letter can carry all of that. Here's what the three main systems actually measure, and where each one stops.
Nutri-Score — the nutrition question
Nutri-Score answers "how does this compare nutritionally, per 100 g, within its category?" It rewards fibre, protein, fruit/veg/legume content and penalises calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt, producing an A–E grade. It's useful for comparing two products on a shelf — a cereal against a cereal. What it does not tell you is how processed the food is or what it cost the planet. Our Nutri-Score guide walks through the 2023 update in detail.
NOVA — the processing question
NOVA ignores nutrients entirely. It classifies food by how much it's been industrially processed, from Group 1 (unprocessed/minimally processed) to Group 4 (ultra-processed). A product can score well on nutrition and still be Group 4 — think a "high-protein" bar built from isolates, emulsifiers and sweeteners. If ultra-processing is what you're trying to cut down on, Nutri-Score alone won't show it; NOVA will. See our guide to NOVA and ultra-processed food.
Environmental impact — the planet question
An environmental score measures something neither of the above touches: the greenhouse-gas emissions, land and water behind a product, typically using life-cycle data. Two products can be nutritionally identical and have wildly different footprints — a plant protein versus a red meat, for instance. This is a separate axis, and it's the one most nutrition labels ignore completely. Forkin's version is documented in the methodology, and the environmental score is free on every product.
Why you need all three
| System | Answers | Blind to |
|---|---|---|
| Nutri-Score | Nutritional quality | Processing, environment |
| NOVA | Degree of processing | Nutrition, environment |
| Environmental score | Climate & resource cost | Nutrition, processing |
Judging a product on one score is like judging a car on top speed alone. The reason Forkin shows all three from a single barcode scan — plus allergens, additives and price — is that real decisions sit at the intersection, not on any one axis. None of the scores is for sale: no brand can pay to change one.