In this paper, Ty Beal and Flaminia Ortenzi introduce their Nutritional Value Score (NVS), a system designed to rank foods based on nutrient density and factors associated with chronic disease risk. Their model evaluates foods using several components—including vitamins, minerals, protein quantity and quality, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, calorie density, and nutrient ratios—and also applies a penalty to ultraprocessed foods. When applied to nearly 300 foods across several countries, the highest scores were given to foods such as dark leafy greens, organ meats, fish, and seafood, while soft drinks and ultraprocessed snacks ranked lowest. The framework offers an interesting way to compare food quality, though some aspects of its design do not fully align with the MetFix perspective on nutrition—for example, the scoring favors unsaturated fats over saturated fats and does not distinguish between different types of polyunsaturated fats. In addition, because the system primarily evaluates micronutrient density rather than overall macronutrient intake, it cannot be used to design a complete diet. However, it can still be useful for identifying nutrient-dense ingredients to prioritize once the impact of macronutrients is understood.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316626000921?viaihub