How to Classify Food in a Supermarket?

December 28, 2025 •

4 min read

Food can be classified in more than one way, including by its chemical properties, function in the body, or processing level. To understand how to classify food in a supermarket, one must look at how grocery stores intentionally organize products based on merchandising strategies and consumer psychology to maximize sales.

Quick Summary

This guide breaks down the methods used to categorize food in supermarkets, explaining common retail layouts, inventory logic, and health-based classifications. It summarizes the principles behind store organization and contrasts them with dietary-based groupings, offering insights to navigate your next shopping trip more effectively.

Key Points

Strategic Layout: Supermarket layouts are intentionally designed to direct customer flow, often placing fresh, high-margin foods around the perimeter and staples like dairy at the back to increase exposure to inner aisles.
NOVA Processing System: Foods can be classified into four groups based on their level of industrial processing—from unprocessed (Group 1) to ultra-processed (Group 4). Public health guidance often recommends prioritizing lower-processed foods.
Merchandising vs. Nutrition: Retail classification is based on product type and placement to encourage spending, which often conflicts with nutritional groupings like the USDA's MyPlate, emphasizing the importance of informed shopping.
Inventory Logistics: Inventory management for retailers classifies food as perishable or non-perishable to control stock flow and reduce waste, with high-value items often receiving stricter control procedures.
Diverse Classification Methods: Other methods for classifying food include nutrient content (macronutrients, micronutrients), usage (baking needs, condiments), and cuisine type, which also inform retail placement and customer behavior.
Informed Shopping: Consumers can use their knowledge of these various classification systems to navigate supermarkets more effectively, make healthier choices, and avoid impulse purchases triggered by merchandising strategies.

Understanding Supermarket Layouts and Merchandising

Supermarket layouts are not random; they are strategically designed to influence customer behavior and maximize purchases. By understanding the logic behind a typical store's design, shoppers can navigate more efficiently.

The Store Perimeter: The Fresh Zone

Most supermarkets place fresh, perishable foods around the store's perimeter, a layout choice supported by decades of retail research. This strategy draws shoppers through the entire store. Key departments include:

Produce: This section is often near the entrance to provide a fresh, healthy first impression with its vibrant colors. Items are typically grouped by type, such as leafy greens, root vegetables, and fruits.
Bakery: The warm, comforting smell of fresh bread is a well-known merchandising tactic designed to draw customers further into the store. Products range from freshly baked loaves to pastries and cakes.
Deli, Meat, and Seafood: Located towards the back, these sections feature high-margin, fresh items. Quality control and freshness are crucial here for customer loyalty. Products include sliced meats, cheeses, and various cuts of fresh protein.
Dairy and Refrigerated Goods: Often located in the farthest corner, this section houses staples like milk and eggs, ensuring shoppers must pass other aisles to reach them. Varieties include milk, cheeses, yogurts, and butter.

The Inner Aisles: Packaged and Shelf-Stable Goods

The center aisles contain shelf-stable items, with products categorized logically to aid in a systematic shopping experience.

Canned Goods: Soups, beans, fruits, and vegetables are grouped together.
Pasta, Rice, and Grains: Dry goods like pasta, different types of rice, and cereal are found here.
Condiments and Spices: Ketchup, mayonnaise, olive oil, and a wide array of spices occupy these shelves.
Baking Needs: Flour, sugar, baking powder, and cocoa are typically in a dedicated baking section.
Snacks: The popular snack aisle holds chips, pretzels, and crackers, often encouraging impulse purchases.

Classifying Food by Processing Level (NOVA System)

Another way to classify food is by its level of industrial processing, a method promoted by public health experts. The NOVA classification system categorizes foods into four groups.

Group 1: Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods. These are natural foods like fruits, vegetables, eggs, and plain milk. Processing methods include drying, freezing, and pasteurization, but no added sugar, salt, or oil.
Group 2: Processed Culinary Ingredients. These are derived from Group 1 foods through processes like pressing or grinding to create substances such as sugar, oil, salt, and butter. They are not meant to be eaten alone.
Group 3: Processed Foods. Simple processed foods are made by adding Group 2 ingredients (salt, oil, sugar) to Group 1 foods. Examples include canned vegetables, cheeses, and freshly baked bread.
Group 4: Ultra-Processed Foods. These are industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little or no whole food. Examples are soft drinks, packaged snacks, and pre-prepared frozen dishes. Public health recommendations generally advise minimizing consumption of these foods.

Comparison of Retail and Dietary Classification


Feature	Retail/Merchandising Classification	Dietary Guidelines/Nutritional Classification
Primary Goal	Maximize customer purchases and convenience.	Promote health outcomes by encouraging nutrient-dense foods.
Basis for Grouping	Physical location, temperature, and product type (e.g., produce, canned goods, frozen foods).	Nutritional content (e.g., proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and recommended servings.
Examples of Conflicts	Milk, yogurt, and cheese are in the 'Dairy' aisle, but plant-based alternatives are often separated.	The 'Protein' group includes both red meat and lentils, which may be in different supermarket aisles.
Shelf-Stable vs. Perishable	Emphasizes storage temperature (e.g., frozen foods aisle vs. canned goods aisle).	Not a primary concern; focuses on nutrient type regardless of storage.
Processed vs. Whole Foods	Mixes all types of processed foods within the inner aisles based on product type (e.g., frozen pizza near frozen vegetables).	Categorizes foods by level of processing (e.g., NOVA system), advising limitation of ultra-processed items.

Other Classification Methods

Beyond the primary methods, food can be classified in other ways:

Inventory Management: For retailers, food is classified as either perishable or non-perishable. Perishable items (like fresh produce and meat) have a short shelf life and are managed using a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) system to reduce waste, while non-perishable goods (canned foods) are less time-sensitive. Inventory is also often categorized based on value (ABC analysis) to regulate control and storage procedures for high-cost items.
Nutrient-Based Classification: Food can be grouped by its primary nutrient, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. This aligns with how dietitians approach meal planning. A helpful tool for consumers is the USDA's MyPlate, which breaks food down into five groups: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein Foods, and Dairy.
Meal or Usage-Based Classification: Foods can be grouped by how they are used, such as ingredients for a specific cuisine, breakfast foods, or items for quick meals. Cross-merchandising—placing related items near each other (like chips and salsa)—is a retail strategy that uses this type of association to encourage more purchases.

Conclusion

Classifying food in a supermarket involves multiple layered systems designed for different purposes. For the shopper, understanding the strategic retail layout is key to navigating the store efficiently. For those focused on nutrition, recognizing the level of processing via systems like NOVA can guide healthier choices. By combining a practical understanding of store organization with a critical eye toward nutritional and processing classifications, shoppers can take greater control of their purchasing decisions and make informed choices. Ultimately, the best method for classifying food depends on whether the goal is efficient inventory management, profitable merchandising, or optimal health and diet planning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Supermarkets primarily organize food based on merchandising strategy, grouping items by product type (e.g., produce, dairy, frozen foods) and placing high-demand staples toward the back to encourage customers to walk through more of the store.

The NOVA system classifies food into four groups based on its level of industrial processing: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (Group 1), processed culinary ingredients (Group 2), processed foods (Group 3), and ultra-processed foods (Group 4).

Fresh foods are placed around the store's perimeter to create a positive, healthy first impression with vibrant colors and to draw customers through the full length of the store, increasing their exposure to other products in the inner aisles.

Perishable items have a short shelf life and require temperature control (e.g., fresh meat, dairy), while non-perishable items are shelf-stable with a long shelf life (e.g., canned goods, pasta). Retailers use this distinction for inventory management and to minimize waste.

Understanding food classification empowers shoppers to navigate a supermarket more efficiently, make more conscious health choices by recognizing processing levels, and avoid impulse buys strategically placed by retailers.

Common nutritional food groups include fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy, as promoted by models like the USDA's MyPlate, which emphasizes a balanced diet.

Impulse purchase zones are areas near checkout counters or endcaps where snacks, candy, and other high-visibility items are placed to encourage last-minute buys that were not on a shopper's list.