aim to classify foods according to the extent and purpose of the processing applied to them202. The latter criterion divides foods into four categories: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods and, finally, ultraprocessed foods, suggesting that consumers have to prefer the simpler ones. Against such an approach, the critics instead point out that technological innovation and the adoption of mild processes, thus excluding those involving excessive handling, aim to enhance the positive aspects of food (nutritional value, safety, sensory acceptability) and at the same time reduce potential negative effects (loss of nutrients and development of undesirable substances caused by the deterioration of food conservation)203. Recent studies have instead set out to assess the health effects of eating ultraprocessed as well as negatively qualified foods according to nutriscore criteria204. This is certainly not the place to attempt even a vague response, except to observe that – without prejudice to the importance of good and widespread food education – there seems to be a need in the future not to circumvent the relationship between health and food quality (decidedly delicate for wines and spirits205) on a legal level, so as to present these issues as allies whenever possible, capable of strong positive synergies to the benefit of consumers. Since the Mediterranean Diet is indisputably considered healthy206, it might then be useful to provide indications on how a certain quality product traditionally contributes to it207, thus providing useful health information to consumers, in a spirit of natural coherence with the Union’s cultural identity. The same could be applied to other equally valid diets. 202 C. A. Monteiro, Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so muchas processing, in Public Health Nutrition, 12, 5, 2009, p.729, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980009005291. 203 P. Fantozzi, S. Garattini, Product labels and advertising: are consumers protected or misled?, in Italian Journal of Food Science, 2025, p.37. 204 M. Bonaccio, A. Di Castelnuovo, E. Ruggiero, S. Costanzo, G. Grosso, A. De Curtis, C. Cerletti, M. B. Donati, G. De Gaetano, L. Iacoviello, Joint association of food nutritional profile by Nutri-Score front-ofpack label and ultra-processed food intake with mortality: Moli-sani prospective cohort study, in BMJ 2022;378:e070688, https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2022-070688. 205 K. Mukamal, E. B. Rimm, Is alcohol good or bad for you? Yes. It’s all more nuanced than headlines (including this one) suggest, in Harvard Public Health, 22 August 2024, https://harvardpublichealth.org/policy-practice/is-alcoholbad-for-you-or-is-alcohol-good-for-you-yes/ 206 The Mediterranean Diet is considered (not only by UNESCO, but also by FAO and WHO) to be a tool for sustainable agriculture and an indispensable element for a food diet that helps prevent cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. See also the work of the Technical Table on Nutritional Safety, Razionale scientifico di sintesi EBPEBM sull’importanza del consumo di frutta e verdura, 2022, point 7 and related bibliographical notes. 207 M. A. Martínez-Gonzalez, Should we remove wine from the Mediterranean diet?: a narrative review, in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2024, p. 262-270. 363 FOODSTUFF TRADITION PROTECTION
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