Food availability versus consumption efficiency: causes of the Chinese famine

A Note on the Causal Factors of China's Famine in 1959–1961

The Causes of China’s Great Leap Famine, 1959–1961

Communal Dining and the Chinese Famine of 1958–1961

A History of Obesity, or How What Was Good Became Ugly and Then Bad

Background Climate change poses a future risk to the UK's food supply and food security, both in terms of domestic production and imports. Direct climate impacts on crop yields affect food production, nutrient composition and bioavailability whereas indirect supply chain impacts affect access and affordability of food. Indicators and methods for measuring the UK food system vulnerability are essential for understanding climate change impacts. Aim To identify potential indicators for monitoring climate change impacts on food systems (relevant to UK) and compare with current UK processes for impact monitoring. Methods A scoping review was conducted to identify climate-related food system indicators across 4 domains: food supply, food environment, food consumption and food waste. Nine electronic databases were searched for published articles in peer-reviewed journals. Grey literature searches included Google Scholar, Government websites and organisations. Thematic analysis of indicators was carried out by food system domain, methods, spatial level and outcome. Results After screening 5,260 articles, 54 papers were analysed and presented 752 climate-related food system indicators. Most indicators were in the food supply (n = 505) or food consumption (n = 139) domain. Thematic analysis of indicators revealed key themes as crop yields, water availability, biodiversity and soil health, production and supply, imports/exports, supply chain disruption, food price impacts, affordability, nutrition, food security, food waste. A vast range of indicators are available to monitor UK food system vulnerability to climate change, however, currently only climate impacts on food supply processes are extensively monitored compared with impacts to food environment or consumption. Conclusions To support policy makers in implementing food system interventions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, data, indicators and monitoring mechanisms are critical for UK decision-making. Key messages • To support policy makers in implementing food system interventions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, data, indicators and monitoring mechanisms are critical for UK decision-making. • Monitoring the climate impacts on food systems and food security requires systematic, rigorous data collection across all domains of the food system to protect health.

Modifying the food environment holds promise for instilling healthier behaviours in children and may be an effective public health strategy for preventing childhood obesity and adverse health outcomes. The school food environment is a valuable setting to influence most children's dietary behaviours from an early age, yet evidence suggests that the New Zealand and Australian school food environment is not conducive to healthy food and drink consumption. The present study aimed to investigate the level of compliance in New Zealand and Australia with government guidelines for food and drink availability within schools and the subsequent effect on food consumption and purchasing behaviours of children. A systematic review utilising three databases, PubMed, Scopus and the Cochrane Library, was conducted. The research covered peer-reviewed studies from both New Zealand and Australia that met predefined inclusion criteria. Fifteen studies focused on assessing food availability within schools on the basis of government guidelines, and ten studies explored food purchasing and consumption by students influenced by changes to the school food environment. Results showed low compliance with government healthy food guidelines for schools, and significant socioeconomic disparities. Western Australia's clear targets as well as the mandatory monitoring systems in place stand out as being a significant enabler of greater compliance with government food policies. Interventions aimed at improving healthy food availability and promoting healthy options in the canteen may positively influence student purchasing and consumption habits. Strategies such as feedback models and incentivisation hold promise for promoting healthier school environments and influencing children's food choices.

Environmental efficiency and sustainability of food production and consumption in the EU

China is undergoing a marked transition in its diet and nutritional status patterns. This study determines the structural change in the impact of income on food consumption in China during 1989-93. Utilizing data from a longitudinal study of 3800 households in China evidence points to a shift in the relationship between income dietary structure and total nutrient intake at the macrolevel. Overall it is noted that the increase in income over time in the country coincided with a shift in the demand for inferior and normal food groups. In addition there was a pronounced increase in the income elasticity for more luxury foods during the specified period while less superior goods became more inferior over this 4-year span. Such an increase in income elasticities for total energy and for energy from fat suggest a worsening of the composition of the diet in ways that are linked to obesity and obesity-related diseases as incomes continue to rise. In view of this several implications for the formulation of future nutrition policies in China are cited.

Food security is the foundation of sustainable human development, and the balance between food supply and demand in urban areas is highly important for promoting residents' health and the sustainable development of cities. This paper takes the Urumqi Metropolitan Area (UMA), a typical oasis urban area, as the study area and uses the food production-demand gap indicator to assess the balance of food production and consumption in the region from 2000 to 2020 and projects food demand in 2030-2060. The results show, first, that residents' food consumption is characterized by high carbohydrate, protein, and fat consumption, and that this put more pressure on food production. Second, different food consumption structures will have different impacts on food production, and the local food production capacity in UMA falls short of ensuring a balanced nutritional structure for residents. Third, food demand increases significantly in 2030-2060, and the pressure of population consumption structure on food production is much greater than that of population growth. Considering the environmental effects of food transportation and the loss of food nutrients, on the production side, the construction of the UMA should be accelerated by including Qitai County and Jimsar County in the UMA's planning scope, strengthening city-regional connections, and improving the local food production and supply capacity of surrounding areas. On the consumption side, regional dietary guidelines should be developed based on local dietary culture and agricultural production conditions to help guide residents to adjust their dietary structures, thereby alleviating pressure on local food demand. Such measures are crucial for ensuring sufficient food supply and promoting balanced nutrition among the population.

In view of easy availability and increasing trend of consumption of fast foods and sugar sweetened beverages (fruit juices and drinks, carbonated drinks, energy drinks) in Indian children, and their association with increasing obesity and related non-communicable diseases, there is a need to develop guidelines related to consumption of foods and drinks that have the potential to increase this problem in children and adolescents. To review the evidence and formulate consensus statements related to terminology, magnitude of problem and possible ill effects of junk foods, fast foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and carbonated drinks; and to formulate recommendations for limiting consumption of these foods and beverages in Indian children and adolescents. A National Consultative group constituted by the Nutrition Chapter of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), consisting of various stakeholders in private and public sector, reviewed the literature and existing guidelines and policy regulations. Detailed review of literature was circulated to the members, and the Group met on 11th March 2019 at New Delhi for a day-long deliberation on framing the guidelines. The consensus statements and recommendations formulated by the Group were circulated to the participants and a consensus document was finalized. The Group suggests a new acronym 'JUNCS' foods, to cover a wide variety of concepts related to unhealthy foods (Junk foods, Ultra-processed foods, Nutritionally inappropriate foods, Caffeinated/colored/carbonated foods/beverages, and Sugar-sweetened beverages). The Group concludes that consumption of these foods and beverages is associated with higher free sugar and energy intake; and is associated with higher body mass index (and possibly with adverse cardiometabolic consequences) in children and adolescents. Intake of caffeinated drinks may be associated with cardiac and sleep disturbances. The Group recommends avoiding consumption of the JUNCS by all children and adolescents as far as possible and limit their consumption to not more than one serving per week. The Group recommends intake of regional and seasonal whole fruits over fruit juices in children and adolescents, and advises no fruit juices/drinks to infants and young children (age <2y), whereas for children aged 2-5 y and >5-18 y, their intake should be limited to 125 mL/day and 250mL/day, respectively. The Group recommends that caffeinated energy drinks should not be consumed by children and adolescents. The Group supports recommendations of ban on sale of JUNCS foods in school canteens and in near vicinity, and suggests efforts to ensure availability and affordability of healthy snacks and foods. The Group supports traffic light coding of food available in school canteens and recommends legal ban of screen/print/digital advertisements of all the JUNCS foods for channels/magazines/websites/social media catering to children and adolescents. The Group further suggests communication, marketing and policy/taxation strategies to promote consumption of healthy foods, and limit availability and consumption of the JUNCS foods.

Food security exists when all people have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs. When analyzing food insecurity, it is not enough to know the duration of the problem that people are experiencing, but also how severe the impact is of the overall food security and nutrition status. The research was conducted to examine the level of farmer’s household food security in Moncongloe Bulu village, Maros South Sulawesi. The research largely concentrated on the food supply, accessibility, use, and consumption in relation to the national standard of food intake suggested by the Indonesian government. In order to gather both primary and secondary data, a survey strategy based on questioner interviews with 30 village households was adopted. To draw a scientific conclusion from the research, descriptive analysis was used. According to the study's findings, households in the Moncongloe Bulu community had a very high level of food security (32%). The average food consumption of energy (2.485 kcal/capita/d) and total protein (84.5 g/capita/d) of household in Moncongloe Bulu villages were higher than that of national standard recommended by government of Indonesia. It was also discovered that food security was closely related to food consumption, purchasing ability, which was influenced by household income, job availability, and the level of education of both the father and mother in each household. Having extra jobs available during their spare time was a way for farmers to increase their income, improve their access to food, and, ultimately, improve their quality of life. In conclusion, household food security in Moncongloe Bulu village was very high. The level of food security determined the level of food consumption, which is influenced by household income, job availability, and education level.

This study was carried out to investigate the factors affecting food security status, patterns of food consumption, and changes in consumption behavior. It also evaluated the gender role in food security and consumption practices in the rural areas of Bangladesh. The research was both in quantitative and qualitative in nature. Qualitative research tools such as FGD, KII and Case Study were used to collect the primary data. Data analysis was done by Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Binary Logistic regression model was used to determine the factors affecting in food security status of the selected households. Regression result shows that income, availability of food and food stock were found to be positive and size of household negatively associated with the food security. Rice dominates the food consumption pattern of the rural people. Income, production, education and awareness are causes of change in consumption behaviour of the people of study area. Men have pivotal role in household food security. Male members involve in income, assure of family assets, and on the contrary female have to manage almost all the unproductive household affairs. In the poorer household women have a little contribution in food security due to male dominating. Women contributions were more than that of men in household food consumption. Most of the household related tasks and household works related to food consumption were done by female.

The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted supply chains and has caused several supply chain disruptions in almost all industries worldwide. Moreover, increased transportation costs, labor shortages, and insufficient storage facilities have all led to food loss during the pandemic, and this disruption has affected the logistics in the food value chain. As a result, we examine the food supply chain, which is one of the key industries COVID-19 has detrimentally affected, impacting, indeed, on the entire business process from the supplier all the way to the customer. Retail businesses are thus facing supply issues, which affect consumer behavior by creating stress regarding the availability of food. This has a negative impact on the amount of food that is available as well as its quality, freshness, safety, access to markets, and affordability. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the United Arab Emirates food distribution systems and how consumer behavior changed in reaction to interruptions in the food supply chain and the food security problem. Hypothesis testing was used in the study’s quantitative methodology to assess consumer behavior, and participants who were consumers were given a descriptive questionnaire to ascertain whether the availability and security of food had been impacted. The study used JASP 0.17.2 software to develop a model of food consumption behavior and to reveal pertinent connections between each construct. Results show that consumer food stress and consumption behavior are directly impacted by food access, food quality and safety, and food pricing. Furthermore, food stress has an impact on how consumers behave when it comes to consumption. Food stress, however, is not significantly influenced by food supply.

Environmental effects of sustainability-oriented diet transition in China

Introducción: El acceso y disponibilidad de alimentos muestra relación con los problemas de sobrepeso y obesidad, ya que las personas pueden tener conocimiento sobre la alimentación pero no contar con los recursos económicos, resultando consecuentemente en una inestabilidad en la adquisición de alimentos. Objetivo: Analizar el acceso y disponibilidad de alimentos e influencia en los hábitos alimentarios de jóvenes en el Tecnológico Nacional de México campus Veracruz (TNM Veracruz) para el diagnóstico de sobrepeso y obsesidad. Metodología: Estudio exploratorio y descriptivo que utilizó una encuesta dirigida a 300 jóvenes veracruzanos inscritos en el TNM-Veracruz, con el objeto de obtener información sobre su consumo de alimentos, hábitos alimentarios y aspectos socioeconómicos; adicionalmente se registraron las medidas antropométricas de los participantes. También se realizaron visitas a la cafetería del TNM Veracruz y negocios de comida aledaños. Se obtuvo la relación entre el consumo de alimentos y los valores de Índice de Masa Corporal (normal, sobrepeso) mediante un análisis multifactorial. Resultados: Se observó mayor disponibilidad de alimentos no recomendables y una presencia importante de sobrepeso y obesidad entre los estudiantes. Además, los estudiantes tienen hábitos alimenticios poco saludables asociados al acceso y disponibilidad de alimentos en el entorno escolar. Conclusión: Los estudiantes mantienen hábitos alimenticios poco saludables asociados al acceso y disponibilidad de alimentos, por lo que se puede prever la alta posibilidad de la presencia de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles en el futuro para este sector de la población. Food Access and Availability and its Influence on the Eating Habits of Youth in Veracruz Abstract Introduction: Food access and availability are related to problems of overweight and obesity since people may have knowledge about food but do not have the economic resources, consequently resulting in instability in food acquisition. Objective: To analyze the access and availability of food and its influence on the eating habits of young people at the “Tecnológico Nacional de México campus in Veracruz” (TNM Veracruz) for the diagnosis of overweight and obesity. Methodology: Exploratory and descriptive study that used a survey directed to 300 young people from Veracruz enrolled in the TNM-Veracruz, with the aim of obtaining information about their food consumption, eating habits and socioeconomic aspects; additionally, the anthropometric measurements of the participants were recorded. Visits were also made to the TNM Veracruz school coffee shop and nearby food businesses. Finally, the relationship between food consumption and Body Mass Index values was obtained by means of a multifactorial analysis. Results: A greater availability of non-recommendable foods was observed, as well as the presence of overweight and obesity among students. In addition, students have unhealthy eating habits associated with the access and availability of food in the school environment. Conclusion: Students maintain unhealthy eating habits associated with the access and availability of food, so we can foresee the high possibility of NCD diseases in the future for this population sector.