Dr. Aileen McGloin:

There has been a huge amount of media attention on ultra-processed foods and, to be fair, we have been probably talking about people eating healthier foods that are minimally processed for the last 30 years. The amount of research is growing but at the moment, most of those studies are still at an observational level. When they try to interrogate the reasons for the relationship between ultra-processed foods and ill health, which there are, they find that the key mechanisms are the amount of sugar, fat and salt in the food. Ultra-processed foods are also high in sugar, fat and salt. It is very difficult to distinguish between the nutritional quality of the food and the fact that it has been processed.

At the moment, it is premature to base a labelling strategy on the processing level until we have some more research, which is of course evolving. However, it does go back to Deputy Durkan's point earlier on that the front of pack labelling, enabling people to easily identify what is healthy and what is unhealthy, could be a very important part of our strategy to create a healthier environment for people where it is easier to make healthier choices.