Worked Example: How a Strawberry Yogurt Scores 28 (Super-Ultra)

Source: The WISEcode Standard v1.0, Section 6.4.

Why a worked example

Reading about the Wc-UPF formula in the abstract is one thing — watching it run on a real-looking product makes it concrete. The Standard includes a published sample calculation for a "Strawberry Flavored Yogurt" in Section 6.4, and the math here matches it line for line.

The ingredient list and weights

A Strawberry Flavored Yogurt with the following label:

Ingredient	Processing Level	Weight
Cultured Milk	Level 1	0
Sugar	Level 2	1
Strawberries	Level 1	0
Modified Starch	Level 3	2
Natural Flavor	Level 3	2
Red 40	Level 4 (UIC)	3
Potassium Sorbate	Level 3	2

Step 1 — Sum of weights

0 + 1 + 0 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 10

Step 2 — Sugar penalty

The product contains 32% energy from added sugar. From the Sugar Penalty Table (Section 5.4), 30%–39% maps to a penalty of 2.

Step 3 — Check the SUPF trigger

Red 40 is a Level 4 ingredient on the UIC list. Per Section 6.3, this activates the Super-Ultra Flag, adding 16.

Final score

Sum of Weights + Sugar Penalty + SUPF Trigger
= 10 + 2 + 16
= 28

Classification

A score of 28 places the product in the Super-Ultra tier (Score > 15).

What this teaches us

The yogurt's ingredient weights alone would have placed it in the Moderate tier (Score = 10).
The 2-point sugar penalty alone would not change the tier.
A single UIC ingredient — Red 40 — is what pushes the score from 12 (Moderate) up to 28 (Super-Ultra).

That's the Standard working as intended: a categorical concern about a specific ingredient produces a categorical change in the rating.

Try it on your own pantry

You can use this same three-step process — sum the weights, add the sugar penalty, check for any UIC — on any product label. The WISEcode App handles this for you automatically when you scan a barcode.