Source: The WISEcode Standard v1.0, Sections 2.1, 4–6, and 8.
How a tier is assigned
A product's Wc-UPF score has three inputs (Section 6):
- Sum of ingredient weights — every ingredient is mapped to one of four processing levels and contributes a weight of 0, 1, 2, or 3 (Section 5.1, Table 1).
- Sugar penalty — based on the share of total calories that come from added sugar.
- Super-Ultra (SUPF) trigger — a flat +16 penalty applied when any Level 4 / Unique Ingredient of Concern is present.
The four ingredient processing levels (Section 4)
- Level 1 (Weight 0) — Fortificant, unprocessed, or minimally processed. "No solvent (excluding water) extraction" and "no industrial functional modification." Examples: canned tomatoes, frozen berries, essential vitamins/minerals, FDA-recognized fibers.
- Level 2 (Weight 1) — Isolated or refined. Purified fractions of whole foods or bioidentical synthetics, "without significant health concerns beyond normal consumption." Examples: starch, sugar, refined seed oils, citric acid, vanillin, dextrose, malt extract.
- Level 3 (Weight 2) — Undisclosed, functionally modified, synthetic (non-bioidentical), or controversial. Chemical additives that affect color, flavor, or shelf-life and "are often associated with markers of toxicity and/or inflammation." Examples: modified starch, natural flavor, potassium sorbate.
- Level 4 (Weight 3 + SUPF Trigger) — Ultra-processed ingredients of concern. Ingredients tied to severe health risks or "banned, restricted, or heavily regulated" in the USA/UK/EU/Canada/Australia/NZ. Examples from the Standard: brominated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated oils, titanium dioxide, aluminum lake pigments, propylparaben, BHA, BHT, azodicarbonamide, bromated flour.
The five tiers (Section 8)
Minimal — Score 0 to 3. Whole foods, simple culinary ingredients, and at most one or two slightly processed ingredients. Examples: plain rolled oats; frozen vegetables with no additives; canned beans containing only beans, water, and salt.
Light — Score 4 to 6. Typically at least six ingredients but not more than about twelve, with no more than two additives; some added sugar may be present. Examples: a basic whole-grain bread; a yogurt with cultured milk, fruit, and a small amount of sugar.
Moderate — Score 7 to 10. Typically around ten ingredients, with one to three additives. Added sugars may contribute anywhere from 0% to 60% of calories. May contain zero-calorie artificial sweeteners, natural flavors, emulsifiers, or a single artificial color. Examples: many mainstream snack crackers and flavored dairy products.
Ultra — Score 11 to 15. At least a dozen ingredients, often including artificial colors and/or flavors and frequently added sugars. May contain zero-calorie artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and artificial preservatives. Examples: many conventional breakfast cereals, ready-meals, and packaged snacks.
Super-Ultra — Score above 15. Similar in formulation to Ultra but with at least one Unique Ingredient of Concern (UIC) from Schedule 1. Per Section 4.4, Level 4 ingredients "contribute both a standard processing weight (3) and activate the Super-Ultra Flag (+16)." A single UIC pushes the product into this top tier.
Tier boundaries are reformulation opportunities
A product with a Wc-UPF of 10 versus 11 sits on the line between Moderate and Ultra. Brands frequently use this granularity (one of the express purposes of the Standard under Section 2.2 — "reformulation benchmarks for food manufacturers") to identify SKUs that are close to a cleaner classification and prioritize them.
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