Campus Food Environment Is Associated with Metabolic Health in an Historically Black University.

In 2017, the mayor of New York City (NYC) unveiled a 10-year plan to close the city’s largest jail complex and to build four satellite detention centers – including one in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Chinatown is a destination for affordable produce and its retail produce sector is comprised of street vendors and small stores, a style of fresh fruit and vegetable (FV) marketing the city promotes to achieve its goal of equitable access to healthy foods. The objective of this study was to project the impact of the proposed construction activity on FV consumption among residents in Chinatown. We developed an agent-based model that accounts for individual and neighborhood-level factors (e.g., age, gender, education, food environment) to predict FV consumption at the neighborhood level in NYC. We assumed that long-term construction will lead to the closure/migration of fresh produce vendors and therefore a reduction of FV access. We simulated three scenarios in which the number of fresh produce vendors is reduced by 5%, 10%, and 15% due to construction. Results suggest that planned construction could decrease the consumption of FV by 2.1%, 4.4%, and 6.8% among residents in Chinatown if the construction would reduce the number of fresh produce vendors by 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively. Preliminary sensitivity analyses demonstrate the negative impact of the construction on FV consumption could be greater among older (65+ years) vs. young adults. The planned construction of a detention center in Chinatown may decrease the consumption of FV among its residents, particularly older adults.

BackgroundFood insecurity is one of the social determinants of health and affects dietary quality and well-being. This study aimed to examine the associations among food insecurity, sociodemographic and economic factors, and health-diet characteristics, with a particular focus on fresh fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption during the late COVID-19 pandemic in Czechia.MethodsData from a cross-sectional survey, ‘Living through the Pandemic', collected in October 2022 as part of a Czech longitudinal survey, were analysed. The study included a representative sample of Czech adults (N = 1,499, aged 20 years and above). Binary logistic regression was performed to assess associations among food insecurity, sociodemographic-economic factors and health-diet factors. Food insecurity was assessed as experiencing or worrying about a lack of food. Sociodemographic-economic factors included sex, age, education, income, number of children and home food production. Health-diet factors included BMI, limited mobility and daily fresh FV intake, defined as eating fresh FV at least once per day. Determinants of daily fresh FV intake were analysed separately.ResultsOver 30% of respondents (N = 486) were at risk of food insecurity. Individuals aged 20–34 years, those with lower educational attainment, and those with limited mobility were more likely to report food insecurity. Compared with the high-income category, individuals in the lowest income category had a sevenfold higher likelihood of reporting food insecurity. Food-insecure individuals had approximately twofold higher odds of not having fresh FV daily. The odds of not having fresh FV were particularly higher among younger adults (20–34 years) and males. Individuals with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had 30% higher odds of not having daily FV, with marginal significance (p = 0.05). Educational attainment, rather than income, was a key predictor of FV consumption. Home food production contributed to better food security and higher FV consumption.ConclusionIn Czechia food insecurity and the limited FV intake relate to younger adults, socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, and those with limited mobility. Lower education attainment, rather than income, predicts limited consumption of FV, underscoring the long-term impact of early education on healthy eating. Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity, inadequate FV intake presents a public health concern. Policies should aim to improve access to affordable and nutritious foods, and strengthen education on healthy eating habits to mitigate long-term health disparities.

Fungal infections of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs) can lead to safety problems, including consumer poisoning by mycotoxins. Various strategies exist to control fungal infections of FFVs, but their effectiveness and sustainability are limited. Recently, new concepts based on the microbiome and pathobiome have emerged and offer a more holistic perspective for advancing postharvest pathogen control techniques. Understanding the role of the microbiome in FFV infections is essential for developing sustainable control strategies. This review examines current and emerging approaches to postharvest pathology. It reviews what is known about the initiation and development of infections in FFVs. As a promising concept, the pathobiome offers new insights into the basic mechanisms of microbial infections in FFVs. The underlying mechanisms uncovered by the pathobiome are being used to develop more relevant global antifungal strategies. This review will also focus on new technologies developed to target the microbiome and members of the pathobiome to control infections in FFVs and improve safety by limiting mycotoxin contamination. Specifically, this review stresses emerging technologies related to FFVs that are relevant for modifying the interaction between FFVs and the microbiome and include the use of microbial consortia, the use of genomic technology to manipulate host and microbial community genes, and the use of databases, deep learning, and artificial intelligence to identify pathobiome markers. Other approaches include programming the behavior of FFVs using synthetic biology, modifying the microbiome using sRNA technology, phages, quorum sensing, and quorum quenching strategies. Rapid adoption and commercialization of these technologies are recommended to further improve the overall safety of FFVs.

This PhD thesis comprises five papers on price determination in the EU fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) market. In the paper The EU Import Regime for Oranges Much Ado about Nothing? we focus on the relevance of the EU import system for oranges, comprising the EU entry price system (EPS) and a system of trade preferences aiming to achieve two contrasting goals. Analogously to a minimum import price, the EPS is designed to protect EU growers against international competition by restricting imports below a product-specific entry price. In contrast, the orange trade preferences, granted to the EU orange growers main competitors, i.e. the orange producing Mediterranean (MED) countries ((Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus (pre EU accession in 2004), aim to induce EU imports of oranges by granting preferential market access. We find that the contribution of the EU import regime for oranges to the protection of EU orange growers is rather low. Also, orange trade preferences are utilized by the MED at a low degree and seem not to have triggered additional EU orange imports. The paper The EU Entry Price System for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Paper Tiger or Powerful Market Barrier? is unique in comprehensively analyzing the effectiveness of the EPS regarding all 15 kinds of fruits and vegetables to which the EPS applies and countries of origin of the production. We develop two indicators measuring the effectiveness of the EPS based on a data set of 60,000 observations of synthetic EU import prices. A cluster analysis identifies four clusters which differ in the relevance of the EPS. We find that the importance of the EPS is heterogeneous across products and countries of origin for most kinds of FFV. It is highly relevant in 36% of the analyzed cases and redundant for the others. In general, the EPS is most relevant to the EU s direct neighbouring countries and of less importance for the countries more distant to the EU due to high transport costs and thus relatively high EU import prices. Results gained in the latter study motivate us for the paper Does the Entry Price System restrict Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exports from China to the EU? . Although the EPS is on average less important for apples and pears, results suggest that it is highly relevant for EU imports of apples and pears from China. Our investigations suggest that due to China s highly efficient sea transport system, sea transport costs are low compared to other countries which are distant to the EU market, implying that Chinese FFV products are supplied to the EU at low prices. The paper Vertical Price Transmission in the International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chain: Israeli Grapefruit Exports to the EU after Export Market Liberalization is unique in investigating vertical price transmission in the international FFV supply chain and aims to shed light on the issue of market power. This analysis is conducted within an error correction model approach in the context of Israeli grapefruit exports to the EU in the aftermath of the liberalization of the Israeli export sector in 1991. Our results indicate that two of the three dominating exporters have transmitted price changes from the French import price asymmetrically to the Israeli growers in the years directly after liberalization. Though, in the subsequent time period, all three exporters transmit prices symmetrically and the difference between the firm-specific grower prices has decreased. We attribute this change in the exporter s pricing behaviour to the market intervention by the Israeli government in 1994/95. Finally, the paper Threshold adjustment and/or threshold cointegration? An application to the German apple market is unique in suggesting a vector error correction approach to analyze spatial price transmission which allows not only the short-run adjustment towards the long-run equilibrium, but also the long-run equilibrium itself to be non-linear. The threshold effects are assumed to be triggered by a threshold variable with respect to a threshold value. This model approach is based on the Gonzalo and Pitarakis test on threshold cointegration. In an application to the German wholesale market for apples we find clear evidence on threshold cointegration. We identify 4 price transmission regimes with different equilibrium relationships as well as short-run adjustment towards this equilibrium and the share of German apples of all apples traded in the markets serving as the threshold variable.

Who Reaps the Fruit? Critical Issues in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Chain

FP15 Students Pick a Better Snack: Increase Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Food pantries serve millions of Americans, yet the nutritional quality of foods distributed has been poor. Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes were implemented in 3 food pantries in northwest Arkansas with the aims of improving the nutritional quality of foods distributed and increasing distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs). Between pre-intervention and 1 year follow-up, food pantry bag audits showed increases from 20,256.38 to 25,108.46 calories distributed per household (P = .009) and 0.22 to 3.33 servings of FFVs distributed per person per household (P < .001). Findings highlight the promise of pantry-level PSE interventions.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the preference criteria for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) and for where FFV is sold according to thesocio-economic characteristic of consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: In order to meet the above objective, an online survey was conducted. A sample of 720 respondents was selected from the residents of all cities in Turkey using the snowball method, which is one of the non-probability sampling methods. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to examine the statistical relationship between socio-economic characteristics and preference criteria. Results: The most important criterion are respectively freshness, taste/smell and food safety for purchasing FFV products. Besides, when choosing the place to be purchased, the most important criteria are respectively freshness, hygiene of place and hygiene of staff. Women give more importance to freshness of pruducts compared to males (p&amp;lt;0.05). The importance given to the hygiene of the product and place increases as the education level increases (p&amp;lt;0.05). Conclusion: The results could provide valuable insights to farmers, retailers and wholesalers targeting FFV consumers. It is recommended that the priority of price should be replaced by the priority of freshness, safety and hygiene. Only in this way can all players in the FFV marketing chain offer a better functioning system.

The study investigates separately demand characteristics of consuming healthy food such as fresh fruit and vegetable (FV) based on the 2003/2004 Nigeria Living Standard Survey (NLSS) data. It uses the double-hurdle model that allows the analysis of both the decisions to consume and the demand for FV to differ. The empirical results show that an average household in the sample considered the demand for FV to be luxury good. But a closer look at the results across income groups show that households in the low and high-income groups considered the demand for fresh fruit to be necessity and luxury goods, respectively, while all households irrespective of which income groups they belong considered the demand for fresh vegetable to be luxury good in the study. Our results also imply that the demand for FV is higher among households with younger members, compared to households with older members. Regional differences in the demand for FV are also evident in the study.

Food loss and waste generated throughout the food chain are major concerns in today's society. A high level of food waste occurs at the household's level and fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) spoilage caused by microbial growth accounts for a large part of these losses. While numerous studies focused on spoilage microorganism diversity from primary production to distribution, little is known about those involved at the household level. In this context, this study aimed at investigating which FFV are usually wasted depending on the season and storage conditions at households, and identifying the microorganisms associated with spoiled FFV. During two periods (summer and autumn), 346 spoiled FFV samples were collected using a citizen science approach in 49 households in the Brest area (Finistère, Brittany, France). About three quarters of spoiled FFV collected originated from room temperature storage and 75% were collected during summer. Among the studied samples, 75% showed microbial growth after plating onto agar-based medium, and therefore, were likely spoiled because of microbial spoilage. Overall, 183 molds, 31 yeasts and 96 bacteria were isolated and identified using MALDI-TOF MS and sequencing. Among the 42 different mold species identified, Penicillium spp. were the most common representing more than 50% of mold isolates followed by Botrytis (12.4%), Mucor (8.6%) and Cladosporium (7.6%) spp. Hanseniaspora uvarum and Aureobasidium pullulans were the most prevalent yeast species while bacterial isolates showed the highest diversity of all identified organisms (49 species) with Pseudomonas spp., enterobacteria and lactic acid bacteria representing the most frequently isolated taxa. This study shows for the first time the microbial diversity associated with spoiled FFV of which a large proportion were stored at room temperature, suggesting that a better usage of FFV refrigeration could help reduce FFV waste in households.

Assessing Culturally Appropriate Food Choices: A Need for Hispanic Specific Food Choices as Illustrated by GIS Mapping

PurposeThe main objective of this paper is to identify and study the marketing chains of fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) in Thailand, the linkages of FFV farmers with supermarkets, and an evaluation of supermarket procurement systems. Another aim is to discuss the policies and implications relating to FFV and the connection of farmers with supermarkets in the context of Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses both secondary and primary data. Public agencies' documents and published reports were used to describe retailing and FFV policy of Thailand. The supermarket managers and chain stakeholders were interviewed about the FFV marketing chains and supermarkets' procurement system. Policy issues were discussed with policymakers, and extracted from relevant documents.FindingsThe government has made various attempts to improve the FFV market by promoting both domestic and export markets simultaneously thus improving production efficiency. Supermarkets play important roles in connecting farmers to markets through direct procurement while improving cultivation practices of participating farmers in order to enhance quality of produce. A number of policy gaps still exist to protect the interests of the farmers in maximizing their benefits, and in the areas of participation between public and private sectors.Practical implicationsThe findings, which are derived from FFV stakeholders and comparative studies in developing countries, are that FFV policy gaps exist.Originality/valueThis paper can help policymakers, private sector and researchers to formulate appropriate policies in the future and catalyse the FFV marketing through supermarket channels while protecting farmers' interests.

Purpose– The strategic nature of the fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) department for supermarkets and hypermarkets is unquestioned. Yet both practitioners and researchers have difficulty optimizing its performance. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key specific drivers of the performance of FFV departments with a special attention being paid to the deterioration of product quality.Design/methodology/approach– The authors used a two-step inductive modelling process relying on interviews with experts from within the sector and a multiple case study of four FFV departments belonging to a French retail brand.Findings– After highlighting that the deterioration of product quality on the shelves is a key particularity of FFV departments, the authors identify department upkeep and shrinkage control as key intermediate variables impacting the performance of FFV departments and show how these two parameters can be controlled using three main actionable levers: marketing, in-store logistics and procurement.Research limitations/implications– The discussion of managerial implications sheds light on other phenomena requiring further investigation: team management practices, the buying role of the department manager and tailored criteria for assessing performance.Practical implications– The research shows managers that optimizing department upkeep allows turnover to be generated which exceeds the sector average without impeding the productivity of the department. The authors stress that it is imperative to control shrinkage in order to meet margin performance objectives.Originality/value– This research is a step forward because it takes account of the elements distinguishing FFV from other fresh products to highlight the factors underlying high performance levels.

Physical access to stores selling groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables (FV) is essential for urban dwellers. In Canadian cities where low-density development practices are common, social and material deprivation may be compounded by poor geographic access to healthy food. This case study examines access to food stores selling fresh FV in Gatineau, Quebec, to identify areas where poor access is coincident with high deprivation. Food retailers were identified using two secondary sources and each store was visited to establish the total surface area devoted to the sale of fresh FV. Four population-weighted accessibility measures were then calculated for each dissemination area (DA) using road network distances. A deprivation index was created using variables from the 2006 Statistics Canada census, also at the scale of the DA. Finally, six classes of accessibility to a healthy diet were constructed using a k-means classification procedure. These were mapped and superimposed over high deprivation areas. Overall, deprivation is positively correlated with better accessibility. However, more than 18,000 residents (7.5% of the population) live in high deprivation areas characterized by large distances to the nearest retail food store (means of 1.4 km or greater) and virtually no access to fresh FV within walking distance (radius of 1 km). In this research, we identified areas where poor geographic access may introduce an additional constraint for residents already dealing with the challenges of limited financial and social resources. Our results may help guide local food security policies and initiatives.

This congressionally mandated study of the Canned, Frozen, and Dried pilot project for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP‐CFD) assessed the impact of the pilot on students' fruit and vegetable consumption and wastage, FFVP participation, and schools' implementation strategies. The pilot allowed, but did not require, elementary schools that reported problems with access to fresh fruits and vegetables (FVs) to offer CFD snacks in the FFVP in school year (SY) 2014–2015. The evaluation used a pre/post design, comparing data from the fall of 2014, when the standard FFVP was in place, to data from the spring of 2015, when the FFVP‐CFD pilot was in place. For an evaluation of the pilot, we collected student dietary recalls to measure detailed food and nutrient intake in‐school, a student survey to assess student attitudes on FFVP snacks and FV preferences, and we observed one week of FFVP snack offerings in 101 classrooms in 34 pilot schools in four pilot states (Alaska, Delaware, Kansas, and Maine) in both fall and spring of SY 2014–2015. Although FFVP‐CFD study findings are not generalizable to other schools in the FFVP nationwide, they do provide important information on students' attitudes and preferences for specific fruits and vegetables in selected small and rural schools in four pilot states, including Alaska, which is often excluded from national school nutrition evaluations. The final evaluation report is in clearance at USDA. It is anticipated that the report will be cleared by April 2017 and that we will present the impact findings for the first time publicly at EB 2017.Support or Funding InformationEvaluation funded by the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.