'Soda bread made in your kitchen is an ultra-processed food' - Sarah Keogh RD

"People don't realise how many kids go without food. It may be financial or because the parents are too busy and I think it's fantastic that the government have this program in place."

"Once you have done something to food, it is now processed. So, if you take a chicken breast and you cook it, that is now a processed food. If you make soda bread and mix your brown flour and buttermilk together. You have made an ultra-processed food because you've heated it. So, it's had a process, and you added a food additive, which is baking soda, which is E 500 if you saw it on the label. So brown soda bread made in your kitchen is an ultra-processed food."

Many children in Ireland experience food scarcity due to financial hardship or parental time constraints. A government program provides support for children who go without food. Any alteration to a food item qualifies it as processed, including cooking a chicken breast. Some home-prepared foods can be categorized as ultra-processed when they involve heating combined with added food additives. Baking soda (E500) used in brown soda bread is an example of an additive that can render a homemade product ultra-processed despite domestic preparation. Clear definitions help inform food-choice concerns.

Read at Irish Independent