Which category includes items like butter, salt, and sugar?

The correct classification for items like butter, salt, and sugar falls within NOVA category 2, which refers to processed culinary ingredients. This category consists of substances derived from unprocessed foods through physical processes without changing the food's nutritional profile significantly.

Butter, for instance, is made from cream that is churned to separate the fat, while sugar is extracted from sugar cane or sugar beet through refining. Salt is mined or evaporated from seawater and is a mineral rather than a food product. All these items are used primarily in cooking and food preparation, which is characteristic of processed culinary ingredients.

This classification differs from NOVA category 1, which involves unprocessed or minimally processed foods that do not undergo significant alteration from their natural state. Categories 3 and 4 include processed foods that are further modified with additional ingredients or formulations, such as ready-to-eat meals or ultra-processed food products, which do not apply to basic culinary ingredients like butter, salt, and sugar.