Scoring guide
Levels & Limits
Last updated: August 20, 2026
These are the thresholds and deduction amounts behind Nutriva letter grades. Unlike lab-based product guides, Nutriva does not measure analytes in a laboratory. Every limit below applies to declared ingredients and nutrition values on the label (typically per 100 g).
Read How we score for the overall methodology.
Ingredient concern tiers
Flagged ingredients deduct points by concern tier. Caps prevent a single severity from wiping out the entire grade.
| Tier | Deduction each | Maximum from this tier |
|---|---|---|
| High concern | −12 | −48 |
| Medium concern | −5 | −20 |
| Low concern | −2 | −8 |
Tier assignment comes from our ingredient risk library (additives, preservatives, and other substances we track). Unrecognized ingredients without a risk status do not deduct points on their own.
Nutrition thresholds (per 100 g)
Sugar
| Product type | Moderate (−6) | High (−12) |
|---|---|---|
| Solid foods | > 11.25 g | > 22.5 g |
| Beverages | > 13.5 g | > 27 g |
Salt
- Moderate (−5): more than 0.75 g salt / 100 g
- High (−10): more than 1.5 g salt / 100 g
Saturated fat
- Moderate (−5): more than 2.5 g / 100 g
- High (−10): more than 5 g / 100 g
Fiber & protein
- Low fiber (−4): less than 3 g fiber / 100 g (when fiber is listed)
- Low protein (−5): less than 3 g protein / 100 g on solid foods (not applied to beverages)
Processing
Ultra-processed products (NOVA group 4, or flagged as ultra-processed) receive −8 points. Milder processing levels do not deduct under this rule.
Baseline and bands
Baseline is always 100. After all deductions, remaining points become the letter grade bands listed on the scoring page (A through F).
What these limits are not
- They are not lab detection limits for pesticides, heavy metals, PFAS, or other contaminants.
- They are not legal maximums set by regulators for every market.
- They are Nutriva’s transparent rules for turning label data into a comparable letter grade.