Introduction. In 2009, a food classification was proposed, called NOVA classification. Latin American countries have stood out in their use in nutritional recommendations and regulatory agenda. Objective. To evaluate how scientific production in food and nutrition in Latin America has incorporated the NOVA classification. Materials and methods. The analysis of scientific production was carried out from annals at the Latin American Congress of Nutrition (SLAN) in 2012, 2015 and 2018. The terms used for the search were: NOVA, ultra-processed, processed, processing and food guide, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. After the search, the exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied and the selected abstracts were described according to previously defined analytical variables. Results. A total of 153 were analyzed, 24 of which were published in 2012, 20 in 2015 and 109 in 2018. Most studies were carried out in Brazil (56,2%), followed by Mexico (12,4%) and involved adolescents (28,8%), adults (21,6%) and food (19,6%) as subject or unit of analysis. Most of the works were classified in the area of Public Health Nutrition (88,9%), were observational (82,3%) and used a quantitative method (76,5%). The sale and/or consumption of food (46,4%) and the food environment (24,2%) were the most common objects of study. Conclusion. The scientific production that considers the NOVA classification in Latin America increased in 2018, with Brazil and Mexico leading the development of studies. Studies that explore the relationship of NOVA classification to food price, culinary skills and public policy analysis are research opportunities. Arch Latinoam Nutr 2022; 72(2): 109-124.