Data for: Nutritional Value Score (NVS) – Regional Food Composition and Nutrient Profiling for Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa
Domain:
healthcareRecord type:
dataset
Creator:
DamOrtBea
Editor:
GloBea
Publisher:
Har
Host:
The Nutritional Value Score (NVS) is a nutrient profiling system designed to holistically capture the nutritional value of foods, meals, and whole diets. It incorporates both nutrients of global health priority and dietary factors linked to noncommunicable disease risk. The NVS was developed to: (a) identify nutritionally valuable foods for prioritization in policies and programs, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries (though adaptable globally); and (b) serve as a functional unit for environmental impact and affordability analyses.
The NVS is scaled from 1 (least nutritious) to 100 (most nutritious) and combines seven weighted components: eleven vitamins (20%), five minerals (20%), three nutrient ratios (22.5%), quality-adjusted protein (12.5%), n-3 fatty acids (10%), calories (7.5%), and fiber (7.5%). The three nutrient ratios are sodium:potassium, saturated:unsaturated fat, and carbohydrate:fiber. Nutrient density is quantified per unit mass (231 g) and per unit energy (300 kcal). Three additional scores are provided: (1) grams of food required to achieve an NVS of 100, (2) kilocalories required to achieve an NVS of 100, and (3) NVS per 1,000 kcal.
This dataset accompanies Beal and Ortenzi (2026) and provides regional NVS values for local foods consumed in Latin America (LA), South and Southeast Asia (SA_SEA), and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Version notes (v1.0): Region-specific scores were derived by adjusting component weights in the global algorithm to reflect the nutritional priorities of women and girls aged 15–49 years in each world region (gainhealth.org). This work was supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The NVS is scaled from 1 (least nutritious) to 100 (most nutritious) and combines seven weighted components: eleven vitamins (20%), five minerals (20%), three nutrient ratios (22.5%), quality-adjusted protein (12.5%), n-3 fatty acids (10%), calories (7.5%), and fiber (7.5%). The three nutrient ratios are sodium:potassium, saturated:unsaturated fat, and carbohydrate:fiber. Nutrient density is quantified per unit mass (231 g) and per unit energy (300 kcal). Three additional scores are provided: (1) grams of food required to achieve an NVS of 100, (2) kilocalories required to achieve an NVS of 100, and (3) NVS per 1,000 kcal.
This dataset accompanies Beal and Ortenzi (2026) and provides regional NVS values for local foods consumed in Latin America (LA), South and Southeast Asia (SA_SEA), and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Version notes (v1.0): Region-specific scores were derived by adjusting component weights in the global algorithm to reflect the nutritional priorities of women and girls aged 15–49 years in each world region (gainhealth.org). This work was supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.