(P24-052-23) Nutritional Quality of Foods According to the NOVA Food Classification System After a Behavioral Economics Intervention in Food Pantries

Objectives: We aimed to identify whether nutritional quality of foods chosen by food pantry clients from a group-randomized intervention improved according to the NOVA food classification system.

Methods: We analyzed secondary dietary data from 187 clients' carts (85 intervention, 102 control) from 11 Minnesota food pantries. Each food item was categorized according to NOVA, which classifies foods based on level of processing in four categories: NOVA 1 (unprocessed or minimally processed foods), NOVA 2 (culinary ingredients), NOVA 3 (processed foods), or NOVA 4 (ultra-processed foods). We obtained the dietary share (% of total calories) of each NOVA food category and subgroups in each client cart and described the mean values by intervention arm. Mixed linear models were used to test the post-intervention differences in the dietary share of NOVA food categories between client carts from pantries in the intervention group and from pantries in the control group, adjusting for participants and food pantries characteristics and pre-intervention dietary share.

Results: On average, NOVA 1 foods represented 33.8% of the dietary share among client carts in the control group and 34.6% among carts in the intervention group, while NOVA 4 foods represented 43.5% and 41.13% of the foods in the control and intervention groups, respectively. The food subgroups with the highest dietary share among clients in both intervention and control groups were breads (NOVA 4), meats (NOVA 1), cakes, cookies and pies (NOVA 4); nut butters (NOVA 3), and pasta products (NOVA 1). In the adjusted models, no statistically significant differences in the dietary share of NOVA categories were found between foods selected by clients in the pantries in the two intervention conditions.

Conclusions: Neither a reduction in client selection of NOVA 4 foods nor an increase in NOVA 1 foods were among the benefits of the intervention. Future research should explore interventions targeting NOVA food categories and subgroups to improve the nutritional quality of foods in food pantries.

Funding Sources: Data analyzed were based on a study supported by the National Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.