Child Food Safety Research Articles

Levels of Mercury, Methylmercury and Selenium in Fish: Insights into Children Food Safety.

Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) concentrations were measured in various commercially important fish species. The benefit–risk binomial associated with these chemicals was assessed in children through the probability of exceeding the provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs) of the contaminants and the Se recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The Se:Hg molar ratios, selenium health benefit values (HBVSe), and monthly consumption rate limits (CRmm) for each species were also calculated. THg and Se were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, Milan, Italy), while MeHg was determined by Trace Ultra gas chromatograph connected with a PolarisQ MS (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). None of the analyzed fish had Hg levels above the European Community regulatory limits, while most large predators had MeHg levels over the threshold concentration set by US EPA. The estimated weekly intakes of THg and MeHg exceeded in many cases the PTWIs and the Se estimated daily intakes were provided from 0.71% to 2.75% of the RDA. Se:Hg molar ratios above 1 and positive HBVSe index suggested that Se in fish could be enough to alleviate the potential toxic effect of Hg. However, high-risk groups as children should consume fish in moderation because a large consumption pattern, especially of swordfish and tunas, might be of concern for health.

Association of Children and Caregiver Perceptions on Policy with Children's Snack Eating Patterns in South Korea.

Background: Investigations of the association between children’s snack food and beverage consumption and related policy are limited. Objective: The present study assessed children’s eating patterns of snack foods and beverages and investigated any association with children and their caregiver perceptions on food environment policy. Participants and methods: A cross-sectional study included 1,132 fourth-grade students and 1,132 of their caregivers. All children completed a questionnaire on the consumption frequencies of 31 items of snack foods and beverages. All children and their caregivers completed questions evaluating whether they perceive food environment policies. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between policy perceptions and eating patterns derived from factor analysis. Results: Two major eating patterns were obtained: a healthy pattern and an unhealthy pattern. Awareness of both children and caregivers regarding 7 policy questions was significantly associated with the healthy eating pattern, whereas unawareness regarding 4 policy questions was associated with the unhealthy eating pattern. In particular, caregivers who were unaware of the policies regarding designation of children's food safety protection zones and food quality certification display on packaging had a two-fold or a 1.5-fold higher odds ratio (p-value<0.05) for having children with the unhealthy eating pattern compared with the reference group (positive respondent pairs to policy awareness), regardless of children’s policy perception. Conclusion: Children and their caregivers should be educated on food environment policies to establish healthy eating habits of snack foods and beverages in children.

Knowledge and Awareness of Children's Food Safety Among School-Based Street Food Vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh

We carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the level of knowledge and awareness regarding children's food safety issues among the school-based street food vendors in Dhaka city. A total of 250 school-based street food vendors were interviewed employing a pre-tested structured questionnaire comprising foodborne illness and food hygiene-related questions. We used a scoring system based on the responses obtained from them, and categorized the overall level of knowledge and awareness into "adequate" and "inadequate." Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the association between selected sociodemographic characteristics and the level of knowledge and awareness. The most common food item vended by school-based street food vendors was chotpoti/fuchka (37.2%). The median number of schoolchildren customers was 120 per vendor per day. All (100%) vendors were male with a mean age of 30.95±8.8 years, and their mean daily income was 131.16±62.54 Bangladeshi Taka (1.97±0.94 USD). Most (40.1%) of the respondents belonged to the age group 25-34 years, and the majority (43.6%) did not have any formal education. More than two-thirds (68%) vendors could not show adequate level of knowledge and awareness of children's food safety issues. The most common source of obtaining food safety information by vendors was electronic media (91.8%). Elderly (≥45 years) vendors were 17.73 times more likely to have adequate level of knowledge and awareness than the vendors belonging to age group 15-24 years (p<0.001; adjusted OR=17.73; 95% CI=4.38-71.73). Individuals who had an education of higher than primary level were 9.87 times more likely to possess adequate level of knowledge and awareness than those who did not have any formal education (p<0.01; adjusted OR=9.87; 95% CI=2.07-46.93). The majority of school-based street food vendors showed an inadequate level of knowledge and awareness of children's food safety issues.

Production and evaluation of children's dietary life safety index data on metropolitan cities and provinces in Korea

This pilot study was performed to produce data of the Children's Dietary Life Safety (CDLS) Index which is required by the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life and to evaluate the CDLS Index for 7 metropolitan cities and 9 provinces in Korea. To calculate the CDLS Index score, data regarding the evaluation indicators in the children's food safety domain and children's nutrition safety domain were collected from the local governments in 2009. For data regarding the indicators in the children's perception & practice domain, a survey was conducted on 2,400 5th grade children selected by stratified sampling in 16 local areas. Relative scores of indicators in each domain were calculated using the data provided by local governments and the survey, the weights are applied on relative scores, and then the CDLS Index scores of local governments were produced by adding scores of the 3 domains. The national average scores of the food safety domain, the nutrition safety domain and the perception and practice domain were 23.74 (14.67-26.50 on a 40-point scale), 16.65 (12.25-19.60 on a 40-point scale), and 14.88 (14.16-15.30 on a 20-point scale), respectively. The national average score of the CDLS Index which was produced by adding the scores of the three domains was 55.27 ranging 46.44-58.94 among local governments. The CDLS Index scores produced in this study may provide the motivation for comparing relative accomplishment and for actively achieving the goals through establishment of the target value by local governments. Also, it can be used as useful data for the establishment and improvement of children's dietary life safety policy at the national level.

Production and Evaluation of Safety Index for Korean Children's Dietary Life

This study was performed to produce and evaluate safety index for children's dietary life. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Delphi method was used to develop evaluation indicators of the children's dietary safety. Three representative policy indicators, 9 strategy indicators and 20 detailed evaluation indicators were selected for the children's dietary safety index. Three representative policy indicators and nine strategy indicators are as followings: the children's food safety indicator (safety support by the local government, snack food safety control, institutional food safety control), the children's nutrition safety indicator (under‐nutrition and/or over‐nutrition control, snack food nutrition control, and institutional nutrition service control), and children's perception and practice indicator (food law perception level, sanitation perception and practice level, and nutrition balance practice). The collection of the raw data of children's food safety and nutrition safety indicators were made by the cooperation of the Korean Food and Drug Administration and the 16 local governments. The national survey was performed to collect the children's perception and practice indicator. (This research was supported by a grant (08082KFDA999‐203) from Korea Food &amp; Drug Administration in 2010.)

Design and validation of a children's food safety survey

The purpose of this project is to design a survey instrument to study children's knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors related to 3 food safety issues: food additives, pesticide residues in food, and food biotechnology. Two drafts of questions for 11 and 12 year olds were developed to test 28 hypotheses and administered to two sixth grade classes--one in a rural low-income community and the other in an urban middle income community. Children were asked for two types of feedback: 1) their responses to each question and 2) a description of what each question meant to them. This method provided an opportunity to evaluate the construct validity of each question. Overhead transparencies of each survey page were used to help students track the discussion. As suggestions for improving the wording or response options of questions were elicited from students, changes were made on the transparencies to confirm our understanding of their suggestions. This method was followed for each question on the survey. Two survey versions of the third draft were developed and administered to two classes in another urban middle-income community. This tested the effect of question sequence for those questions that were consistently difficult for children to understand. The fourth and fifth survey versions were tested in schools with a high population of low-income, ESL students (primarily Latino). We continued to simplify questions and format. However for some questions, wording could not be altered without changing the meaning. The sixth version was critiqued by an elementary school reading specialist. The process we undertook to reach the final version of the instrument required 6 months time and repeated interactions with children from varied socioeconomic levels, geographic locations, ethnicity and gender. We learned that children are eager to assist in survey development when their participation is clearly valued by adults. The children are aware of fine distinctions in their feelings and experiences and want to have their responses to questions reflect those distinctions. To date, the survey and protocol have been tested with 200 children. The final product bears little resemblance to the initial version. The final survey and protocol is available for wide spread use.