Understanding the WISEscore: 0–100, Three Pillars, 15 Metrics

The WISEscore is the cornerstone of WISEcode Intelligence — a single 0–100 number that captures how a product (or your full portfolio) performs across nutrition, ingredient quality, and health outcomes. This article explains what the score means, how it's calculated, and how to read it.

What the WISEscore is

The WISEscore is a 0–100 composite score that condenses fifteen food-intelligence metrics into one number — at the product level and at the portfolio level. It's designed so brands can quickly see how a product (or their catalog) stacks up, and where to focus reformulation or marketing effort.

Every Studio Brand sees:

• A Product WISEscore for every claimed product
• A Portfolio WISEscore rolled up across the whole catalog
• A brand-average benchmark that lets you see which products are above or below your norm

The three pillars

The 15 metrics are grouped into three pillars. Each pillar contributes to the overall WISEscore:

1. Nutrient Quality

Measures the nutritional composition of the product — including Carbohydrate Quality, Fat Quality, Fiber Density, Protein Density, and Sugar Density.

2. Ingredient Quality

Measures the quality of the ingredients themselves — including UPF status, Clean Label compliance, Banned/Unsafe ingredients, Emulsifiers of Concern, and Seed Oils of Concern. This pillar ties directly back to the Ingredient Quality reports in Portfolio.

3. Health Outcomes

Measures alignment with specific health-outcome frameworks — including Anti-Inflammatory, Diabetes-Friendly, Gut Health, Heart Healthy, and Muscle Health profiles.

All three pillars combine into the single 0–100 WISEscore using WISEcode's standardized weighting.

How to read the score

• 80–100 — Strong performer across all three pillars. Marketing-ready proof points.
• 60–79 — Solid product with room to improve in one or two pillars. Reformulation candidates.
• 40–59 — Mixed performance. Likely failing at least one pillar. Strategic review warranted.
• Below 40 — Weak across multiple pillars. High-priority reformulation or repositioning.

These are rough heuristics. The absolute score matters less than:

• How the score compares to your brand average — products well below your average drag the portfolio down
• Which pillar is dragging the score — a 65 driven by weak Ingredient Quality is a different fix than a 65 driven by weak Health Outcomes

Benchmarked to your brand average

Every Product WISEscore is displayed alongside your brand average. This is the most actionable view — it tells you whether the product is pulling the portfolio up or down.

• A 78 in a portfolio averaging 82 is a below-average product worth a closer look
• A 78 in a portfolio averaging 65 is a category leader worth marketing harder

What to do with the score

• Identify reformulation candidates — low-pillar products with clear improvement paths
• Spot marketing leaders — high-score products to feature in retailer pitches and investor decks
• Track progress over time — re-run scores after a reformulation to validate the lift
• Set internal targets — "every product above 70" or "portfolio average above 80" as a team OKR

Common questions

Is a 100 achievable? In theory, yes — but it's extremely rare. Most strong portfolios average in the 70s and 80s. The score's job is comparative, not absolute.

Why does my score change after I update ingredients? Studio reads from Portfolio. When you update an ingredient list via the data ingestion chat, the metrics across all three pillars refresh, and the WISEscore is recalculated.

Can I see the metric-by-metric breakdown? Yes. The Product Insights Report shows all 15 metrics with their individual scores and how each contributes to the overall WISEscore.

Is the WISEscore the same as Non-UPF Shield Verification? No. The WISEscore is a multi-dimensional 0–100 measure. Non-UPF Shield Verification is a binary pass/fail standard that earns the on-pack Non-UPF Verified Shield. Ingredient Quality (which includes UPF status) is one of the three pillars that feeds the score.

Does the WISEscore differ by product category? The metric framework is the same across categories, but each metric is benchmarked against category norms — so a snack and a beverage aren't being held to identical absolute targets. The score reflects how the product performs for its category.

Next steps

• Understanding the Product Insights Report (Per Product) — see the 15-metric breakdown behind any score
• Understanding the Product GRAS Report — the safety layer that pairs with the score
• Exporting and Sharing Studio Reports — how to use the score externally

Need help?

For toolkit access, asset specifications, or shield usage questions, submit a request and a member of the WISEcode team will get back to you.