At least for German products many which belong to the NOVA group 4 are missed and are only NOVA 3.
- “modifizierte Stärke” = “modified starch” = chemically or physically treated plant (wheat, corn) starch to modify its properties
- “Glukosesirup” = “glucose syrup” = plant (wheat, corn) starch treated with enzymes (amylases and amyloclucosidases) to split it in shorter chains up to glucose
- “Glucose-Fructose-Sirup” = “glucose-fructose-syrup”, also known as “high fructose corn syrup” (HFCS), from enzyme treated starch as before, “Glukose” (glucose) and “Fruktose” (fuctose) in products are in many cases produced in this way, and should be also added
- “*extrakt” e.g “Gewürzextrakt” = “*extract” e.g. “spice extract” = “100% natural” raw materials, from whatever sources, which has been fractional extracted and optionally mixed to form the declared extract, used as “natural” aroma in most cases
- “*erzeugnis” e.g. “Milcheiweißerzeugnis” = catch-all declaration for all kinds or industrial proccessed “100% natural” raw substances
- “whey protein concentrate” or “WPC” = size-fractionated whey protein as waste from cheese production, filtered by size by pressing it through menbranes
I think the better solution is to compute the NOVA-group as float by the percent content of “traditional food” still present in products. Many ingredients must not be declared (e.g. the ones which have only a in-factory-function, while they are may be still present in the final product) or enzymes or the long list of FL-numbers for flavours, allowed in the EU which exist as a refenrence for the manufacturers only. The (incomplete) integredient lists are still there, so the comsumer feels informed, but is not in reality.