Mass-produced bread, ready meals, breakfast cereals, reconstituted ham, shop-bought biscuits, fizzy drinks: Almost half the food in Irish shopping baskets falls into the ultra-processed category — and, often, we don’t even realise it or know what it is doing to our health.
Those statistics were initially published in the international research journal Public Health Nutrition in 2018.
It put Irish people at 45.9%, just above Belgium (44.6%), behind Britain at 50.7%, but far ahead of countries like Italy and Portugal (13.4% and 10.2% respectively).
The same research found a correlation between household availability of ultra-processed foods and the prevalence of adult obesity.
At the time, the term “ultra-processed food” wasn’t widely used. But with last year’s publication of Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food…and Why Can’t We Stop? by Chris van Tulleken, it came into common usage to the extent that it’s known by the acronym UPF.
That said, there is still much confusion about what exactly ultra-processed food is. UPF is a category that was singled out by the Climate and Health Alliance — a group of all-Ireland public health organisations and advocacy groups in their 2023 “Fixing Food Together” report.
Senior dietitian at the Irish Heart Foundation, and the report’s primary author, Orna O’Brien uses the internationally recognised Nova food processing classification system to define ultra-processed foods.
“These are foods that are typically high in sugar, fat, salt, and refined starches, made using ingredients that are not commonly found in a kitchen — like soy protein isolates or dextrose, and colourings, emulsifiers, or flavourings that make the food better looking, tastier, and give it a longer shelf life,” she says.
“These are foods designed to make you eat more of them.”
The report includes examples of ultra-processed foods: Sweetened beverages, sweet and savoury packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products, pre-prepared frozen dishes, canned/instant soups, chicken nuggets, and ice cream.
Concern is growing about the potentially harmful health effects of UPF, items that are often strongly branded and aggressively marketed.
According to recent studies, says O’Brien, “even a 10% increase in the proportion of UPF in the diet correlates to a 12% increase in cancers, 21% increase in depressive symptoms, and a 21% increase in cardiovascular disease”.
But how do we identify UPF? O’Brien has a few tips and most involve looking closely at food labels. “It’s hard to tell at a glance what is UPF, and often things that we associate with healthy foods — for example, wholemeal wraps, pitta bread, yoghurts — have lots of E numbers and stabilisers.”
Orna O’Brien at the launch of Fixing Food Together: Transitioning Ireland to a healthy and sustainable food system report by the Climate and Health Alliance.
To take an everyday example, typical pitta breads from a supermarket contain wholemeal wheat flour, water, yeast, spirit vinegar, salt, preservative (calcium propionate, also known as E282), and wheat starch.
Pitta breads made at home contain strong flour, yeast, salt, and olive oil. But homemade food takes time and can be expensive, which is why we’re all at the supermarket — buying pitta bread and other convenience foods.
There are many exceptions, of course. Full-fat plain yoghurt is a good example. Made from milk and yoghurt cultures, it is not ultra-processed, unlike flavoured yoghurts with sweeteners and added ingredients — like modified maize starch. Other examples of packaged food available in the supermarket not ultra-processed include frozen peas, tinned tomatoes, tinned pulses like chickpeas and kidney beans, tinned and smoked fish, pasta and couscous.
O’Brien also points out that a health claim on a packet can be a giveaway. “An apple doesn’t have a label saying that it’s a great source of fibre and vitamins,” she says. “But a packet of marshmallows can say ‘fat-free’, along with ‘made from natural flavours and sources of sweetness’.
“We can talk about risk and health implications — but at the same time having the option of eating tinned baked beans [UPF because the ingredients include modified cornflour, spice extracts and herb extracts] on a Wednesday evening when you are run off your feet is great. It’s about your overall nutritional diet.
“If you’re cooking from scratch most evenings, that’s inherently healthier.”
The ‘Fixing Food Together’ report is, as O’Brien points out, “primarily a policy paper — we have sent it to all of the health and environmental representatives in Government and also presented it at any relevant academic and public events.”
According to Orna O’Brien, a health claim on a packet can be a giveaway
Included in its recommendations is an appeal to publish the long-promised Public Health (Obesity) Bill, including an online ban on marketing unhealthy food and beverages, “no fry zones for all new fast food outlets sited within one kilometre of schools and youth facilities”, and also developing legislation to ban UPF buy-one-get-one-free offers.
Until the Government enacts the bill, there are actions O’Brien recommends we can take as individuals:
1. Try to cook from scratch as much as you can. Include lots of fruit, vegetables, and pulses.
2. Try to reduce UPF, especially plastic-wrapped foods with mysterious ingredients. Take a look at cereals.
3. Read your labels. Are there additives? For example — emulsifiers, thickeners, bulking agents, foaming agents, and glazing agents are all used to make the foodstuff more palatable.
“These are positive things that people can do to give them a sense of control,” O’Brien says. “If you have more real food on your plate, you won’t be eating as much UPF.”
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
