Nutritional Value Score rates foods based on global health priorities

Abstract Nutrient profiling systems are used to rate foods by nutritional value or healthfulness using food composition data. Each nutrient profiling system has different purposes and limitations. Existing systems have not adequately addressed energy density and nutrient bioavailability. Recent publications have also called for developing nutrient profiling systems for global use and for assessing environmental impacts of foods. To address these needs, we developed the Nutritional Value Score (NVS), which is based on nutrients of public health priority and nutrient ratios predictive of noncommunicable disease risk. The NVS adjusts for nutrient bioavailability and quantifies nutrient density in terms of Calories and grams, to address limitations in existing systems. Using common foods from Indonesia and Bangladesh as examples, the NVS effectively highlights nutritious items within recommended food groups. It also enables more nutritionally equivalent comparisons in environmental impact assessments. The NVS is a flexible tool for researchers, program implementers, and policymakers in varied contexts to identify healthy and sustainable foods. Although further validation is needed, initial testing suggests the NVS is an adaptable nutritional metric with diverse global applications.