The Metric That Moves Beyond The Calorie.

The FoodHealth Score is a 1 to 100 scoring system that identifies which foods align more closely with dietary patterns shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

The methodology synthesizes principles from the Mediterranean Diet — the dietary pattern with the most consistent clinical link to chronic disease prevention — and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

What Makes the FoodHealth Score Unique?

There's a lot happening on a nutrition label, so our score synthesizes it for you. We assess the healthfulness of a food item, factoring in:

Nutrient Density

Ingredient Quality

Nutrient density evaluates the balance of beneficial nutrients vs. those to limit.

Our Nutrient Density Score (NDS) scales each nutrient's impact relative to globally and nationally recognized intake recommendations, and is expressed per calorie or, when appropriate, as nutrient ratios (e.g., fiber per gram of carbohydrate).

What Defines Nutrient Density?

Beneficial nutrients are those that tend to be under-consumed, meaning most of us would benefit from increasing our intake.

Nutrients to limit are those that are often over-consumed, and reducing their intake can help lower the risk of chronic disease and support overall health.

THE SCIENCE- What defines ingredient quality (2).png

The Ingredient Quality Measure (IQm) accounts for the type, quality, and preparation of ingredients beyond what nutrient numbers capture. Foods are assessed using a standardized taxonomy of ingredient “boosters” and “detractors”.

Each booster and detractor carries a weighted value based on the strength of evidence linking it to health outcomes. Stronger evidence = more weight.

What Defines Ingredient Quality?

Beneficial nutrients are those that tend to be under-consumed, meaning most of us would benefit from increasing our intake:

Nutrients to limit are those that are often over-consumed, and reducing their intake can help lower the risk of chronic disease and support overall health.

Nutrient density evaluates the balance of beneficial nutrients vs. those to limit.

Our Nutrient Density Score (NDS) scales each nutrient's impact relative to globally and nationally recognized intake recommendations and expressed per calorie or, when appropriate, as nutrient ratios (e.g., fiber per gram of carbohydrate).

What Defines Nutrient Density?

The Ingredient Quality Measure (IQm) accounts for the type, quality, and preparation of ingredients beyond what nutrient numbers capture. Foods are assessed using a standardized taxonomy of ingredient “boosters” and “detractors”.

Each booster and detractor carries a weighted value based on the strength of evidence linking it to health outcomes. Stronger evidence = more weight.

What Defines Ingredient Quality?

*A representative sample of the complete set of 30+ Boosters and Detractors.

Nutrient density evaluates the balance of beneficial nutrients vs. those to limit.

Our Nutrient Density Score (NDS) scales each nutrient's impact relative to globally and nationally recognized intake recommendations and expressed per calorie or, when appropriate, as nutrient ratios (e.g., fiber per gram of carbohydrate).

What Defines Nutrient Density?

Beneficial nutrients are those that tend to be under-consumed, meaning most of us would benefit from increasing our intake:

Nutrients to limit are those that are often over-consumed, and reducing their intake can help lower the risk of chronic disease and support overall health.

The Ingredient Quality Measure (IQm) accounts for the type, quality, and preparation of ingredients beyond what nutrient numbers capture. Foods are assessed using a standardized taxonomy of ingredient “boosters” and “detractors”.

Each booster and detractor carries a weighted value based on the strength of evidence linking it to health outcomes. Stronger evidence = more weight.

What Defines Ingredient Quality?

Cooking oils and fats primarily contribute fat to the diet. We apply a special adjustment to high-fat products to highlight differences between their fat profiles. See the table below for how and why this rule comes into play in our algorithm.

A Real-World Example

THE SCIENCE- Which categories have special considerations.png

Special rules are applied where a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate. These rules prevent distortions in categories with unique nutrient characteristics.

For example, zero-calorie foods and beverages are evaluated per standard serving size instead of per calorie.

Special Considerations

Cooking oils and fats primarily contribute fat to the diet. We apply a special adjustment to high-fat products to highlight differences between their fat profiles. See the table below for how and why this rule comes into play in our algorithm.

A Real-World Example

Special rules are applied where a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate. These rules prevent distortions in categories with unique nutrient characteristics.

For example, zero-calorie foods and beverages are evaluated per standard serving size instead of per calorie.

Special Considerations

To calculate the FoodHealth Score, we take the NDS and the IQm, add them up, and scale the value to fit the 1-100 scoring format, giving us:

The Final Calculation

FHS = NDS + IQm

How Do We Make Scores Comparable Across Foods?

Foods come in many serving sizes and formats. ‘Serving size’ is the standard for U.S. nutrition labels, and represents the amount people typically consume in one sitting.

But because serving sizes aren't standardized across products, they aren't always a fair basis for broader comparisons. One 'single-serve' bag might be 1 ounce and another 2 ounces, which means big differences in sodium and carbs.

For consistent comparisons,
the FoodHealth Score standardizes nutrients per calorie. This approach normalizes for differences in serving size, energy density, and water content, providing a fair comparison across products.

Why Numbers & Colors?

The higher the number, the more nutritious the food.

The 4-color scale guides users without oversimplifying.

We make healthy eating simple with our numeric and color-coded system:

Unlike other 3-color systems, our approach allows for more nuance. For example, if two cereals are both yellow, the numeric score helps you pick the healthier option. This system empowers you to make small, incremental changes that lead to healthier habits.

The FoodHealth Score combines innovation and expertise to deliver better health outcomes through better food choices—because when it comes to food, every decision matters.

Created by Food, Nutrition and Data Experts

The FoodHealth Score was created by the FoodHealth Company's team of data scientists, registered dietitians and public health professionals. The score has its own external oversight committee, called the FoodHealth Score Review Board.

Mallory Bobzien, MS, RD

FoodHealth Co.

Caitlin Updyke, MS, RD

FoodHealth Co.

Laura Brown, MS, RDN, LDN

The Kroger Co.

Sarah Ludmer, RD

WK Kellogg Co.

Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LN, FAND

(Former) NuVal, Target, General Mills

Megan Callahan, RD

Hy-Vee, Inc.

Don’t Just Take It From Us...

The FoodHealth Score is FoodMed certified by the Validation Institute.

Evidence by Real Impact:

Improving your aggregate score by just 10 points can lead to positive shifts across seven key health outcomes–cholesterol, blood pressure, and A1C, to name a few.

Download The Study

The FoodHealth Score is built on a comprehensive review of global nutrition science, drawing from:

Research on chronic disease prevention and management – including both long-term population studies and clinical interventions.

Proven dietary patterns – such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and plant-forward diets, consistently linked to better health outcomes.

Nutrient recommendations – from trusted authorities like the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, WHO, FAO, and EFSA.

Guidance from expert organizations – including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Whole Grains Council, American Heart Association, and International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Ingredient quality frameworks – with attention to the impact of processing and additive use.

Existing food scoring systems – such as the Healthy Eating Index, NutriScore, NOVA, Food Compass, Guiding Stars, and Yuka.

Together, this evidence base ensures the FoodHealth Score is grounded in internationally recognized standards and the scientific consensus on what drives long-term health.
The FoodHealth Score has been validated across multiple dimensions:

Face Validity:

The Score classifies foods in ways that align with consumer and expert expectations. Whole, minimally processed foods reliably score higher, while ultra-processed, sugar- or sodium-heavy products score lower. This intuitive alignment builds user trust and credibility.

Predictive Validity (NHANES Analysis, 2005–2018):

Using a nationally representative sample of ~26,917 U.S. adults, a 10-point improvement in the FoodHealth Score was statistically associated with improvements in biomarkers including cholesterol, blood pressure, HbA1c, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio. This demonstrates that the Score predicts meaningful health outcomes.

Behavioral Validity (Consumer Behavior Study, 2025):

In a controlled online grocery environment (n=1,000), 27% of shoppers switched to a higher-scoring product after seeing the Score, even when it meant spending more. 85% reported that the Score improved their decision-making, and 80% said they would use it regularly if available at their store. This confirms the Score’s practical effectiveness in driving healthier consumer choices.

Benchmarking with Existing Systems:

The FoodHealth Score has been compared against established indices such as the Healthy Eating Index and NutriScore to ensure internal consistency, fairness across food categories, and interpretability across contexts.

The Science That Shapes the Score

Our nutritional intelligence is based on scientific evidence and academic research.

The Metric That Moves Beyond The Calorie.

The FoodHealth Score is a 1 to 100 scoring system that identifies which foods align more closely with dietary patterns shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

The methodology synthesizes principles from the Mediterranean Diet – the dietary pattern with the most consistent clinical link to chronic disease prevention – and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.