Food Box Research Articles

MagLoc: A magnetic induction based localization scheme for fresh food logistics

An IoT infrastructure to continuously monitor the fresh food supply chain can quickly detect food quality and contamination issues and thereby reduce costs and food wastage. This, in turn, involves several challenges including the development of inexpensive quality/contamination sensors to be deployed in a fine grain manner in the food boxes, technologies for sensor level communications, online data management and analytics, and logistics driven by such analytics. In this paper, we study the issues related to the communication among sensing modules deployed in the fresh food boxes and thereby an automated localization of the boxes that may have quality/contamination issues. In this context we study the near-field magnetic induction (NFMI) based communication and localization, as the ubiquitous RF communications suffer high attenuation through the water/mineral rich tissue media. An accurate localization of the sensors inside boxes within the food pallets is very challenging in this environment. In this paper we propose a novel magnetic induction based localization scheme, and show that with a small number of anchor nodes, the localization can be done without any errors for boxes as small as 0.5 meter on the side, and with small errors even for boxes half as big.

Catalytic valorisation of various paper wastes into levulinic acid, hydroxymethylfurfural, and furfural: Influence of feedstock properties and ferric chloride

Lignocellulosic paper waste constitutes a major waste stream globally, which should be valorised for chemical production. However, paper properties (e.g., feedstock composition, cellulosic crystallinity, and thermal stability/degradability) vary with raw materials and pulping processes. This study investigated levulinic acid (LA), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and furfural production by H2SO4 and FeCl3 catalysed conversion of nine types of paper wastes in a green solvent system (1:1 γ‐valerolactone/water). At 160–180 °C for 1–20 min, ∼23–27 wt% LA yield was achieved from sanitary papers, tracing/parchment paper, and paper food box mainly containing crystalline cellulose, while a lower LA yield (∼10–20 wt%) was obtained from other paper wastes with high contents of ash and lignin. A higher selectivity towards HMF (∼12 mol%) was achieved in the presence of FeCl3. A furfural yield of ∼ 4–7.5 wt% was also obtained from the hemicellulose content. This study elucidates crucial factors and desirable characteristics of paper waste for catalytic valorisation.

Impact of Enhanced Food Pantry Services on Food Security among Adults with Diabetes Using a Crossover Study Design

Food banks and pantries provide food to millions of food-insecure households each year. However, there has been limited research to understand the extent to which they improve food security. This is a secondary, prespecified analysis of a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02569060). We examined whether an enhanced food bank intervention impacted the food security status of adults with diabetes. Using a crossover design, participants (n = 568) were randomly assigned to receive the intervention (usual pantry services plus twice-monthly diabetes-specific food boxes, diabetes self-management education, health care referrals, and glucose monitoring) or 6 mo of usual services. Results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in food insecurity among participants following the intervention phase compared with the control phase (mean: 0.49-point decrease; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.77; P = 0.0006). This finding adds to evidence that the charitable food system plays an important role in mitigating short-term food insecurity for adults with diabetes.

VALUE CHAIN UPGRADING: EVIDENCE FROM SMOKED FISH AGRIBUSINESS IN CENTRAL JAVA

Smoked fish is one of the processed fish products that provided higer added value. However, there are still great opportunities to increase added value of smoked fish products through upgrading their value chains to make them more competitive and sustainable. This study aims to examine value chain upgrading of the smoked fish in Central Java. The data were obtained from 52 smoked fish value chain actors in Central Java by conducting in-depth interviews. The data was analyzed using a qualitative descriptive analysis of value chain upgrading. The results showed that the smoked fish value chain in Central Java can be upgraded through three upgrading types: product, process, and functional. Product upgrading can be done by using vacuum packaging and food boxes for processors and food stallers respectively. Process upgrading can be done by adopting fish detection technology (for fisherman) and administrative system applications (for wholesalers and traders). Functional upgrading can be improved by implementing direct selling from processors to restaurants and online marketing for retailers. As these upgrading activites will require additional costs, the smoked fish value chain actors need to consider the costs to get higher benefits in the implementation of value chain upgrading for smoked fish in Central Java.

Literature Review: Cancers Among Workers Exposed To Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

Introduction: Cancer is a disease with a high mortality rate in Indonesia. One of the chemical exposures that can cause cancer is perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride/perfluoro octane sulphonate (PFOS). PFOS is a chemical that is widely used due to its diverse functions, including use in fire extinguishers, waterproof materials in food boxes and furniture, and household hygiene products. Long-term exposure to workers affected by PFOS is suspected to be one of the risk factors for cancer. Methods: The author conducted a literature search of online search engines in 3 sources PubMed, Google Scholar, and JSTOR databases. The inclusion criteria in this study are articles in English, full text available, and conducted on the working population. The author has not restricted search within the last 5 years due to the limited reference of the topic. Results: Out of a total of 5 articles examined, the authors found the incidence of bladder cancer in workers as much as 1.28 times, there was even a death rate of 12.77 times in workers with PFOS exposure due to bladder cancer, although the results did not statistically significantly. Other studies have shown increased levels of PFOS in the blood but were not associated with changes in other laboratory examinations associated with health problems in workers. Conclusions: The results of the literature study found no significant association in cancer occurrence based on the length of PFOS exposure in workers. The literature search results also found no direct association between PFOS exposure to possible health problems.

Understanding the challenges faced by Michigan’s family farmers: race/ethnicity and the impacts of a pandemic

Michigan is a critical agricultural state, and small family farms are a crucial component of the state’s food sector. This paper examines how the race/ethnicity of the family farm owners/operators is related to farm characteristics, financing, and impacts of the pandemic. It compares 75 farms owned/operated solely by Whites and 15 with People of Color owners/operators. The essay examines how farmers finance their farm operations and the challenges they face doing so. The article also explores how the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic affected farming operations, the financial viability of farms, and how farmers responded to the challenges posed by the pandemic. The study found that People of Color farm owners/operators were younger than White farm owners/operators. The People of Color farm owners/operators tended to manage smaller farms for shorter periods than White farm owners/operators. Though two-thirds of the Farmers of Color owned their farms, they were more financially vulnerable than White farm owners/operators. The farmers studied had difficulty obtaining loans to finance their farms. Farmers reported increasing requests from people for food assistance during the pandemic. Farmers responded to the pandemic by participating in government programs such as the Farm to Families Food Box Program that purchased their produce. It allowed farmers to supply emergency food assistance programs with products from their farms. The products went to families receiving food assistance from soup kitchens, food banks, and other community-based nonprofits.

ANALISA VARIASI TEKANAN, TEMPERATURE, UKURAN RUNNER TERHADAP FILLING TIME OPTIMAL PADA INJEKSI MOLDING

AbstractPlastic based packaging systems for food box lid products receive special attention from manufacturers and the most common process is injection molding. This study aims to analyze the effect of variations in pressure, temperature, and runner size on filling time in the injection molding process for food box products using Autodesk Inventor 2015 software in order to obtain the optimal filling time. Experiments in the form of simulations were carried out by entering data on variations in pressure, temperature, and runner size. The results of this study obtained the optimal filling time at the melting temperature setting of 220℃, injection pressure of 90 Mpa, mold temperature of 40℃, and runner diameter of 6 mm. The optimal type of gate tunnel and runner circle type has a filling time analysis result of 0.34 seconds. Defects that occur during the injection molding simulation process are weld lines, air traps and short-shots. Based on these problems, a mold unit was designed with a two plate mold system type. Keywords: Plastic, Injection Molding, Experiment, Lid Food Box, Inventor, Mold.

Who is Tackling the Pandemic of Waste?

The coronavirus pandemic has generated a surge in plastic pollution, counteracting years of efforts to tackle the issue of single-use plastics. From PPE (personal protective equipment) to hand sanitiser bottles, visors, gloves and takeaway food boxes, humanity has been using plastic throughout the pandemic. However, designers, scientists and recycling businesses have been working hard to find better ways of managing this waste and turning it into something useful such as pyrolysis oil, school equipment, road building materials or plastic pellets that can be used once again to manufacture new products. The article looks at some of the processes and products these firms have developed.

The Food Box Pilot.

Food insecurity was increasingly recognized as a serious problem in the United States even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in 2018, our federally qualified health center (FQHC) used a modest amount of HRSA FQHC supplemental funding ($10,000) targeted at mental health expansion to test the

The UnProcessed Pantry Project (UP3): A Community-Based Intervention Aimed to Reduce Ultra-Processed Food Intake Among Food Pantry Clients.

Low-income populations are more likely to experience food and nutrition insecurity and suffer a greater burden of noncommunicable disease than the general population. The UnProcessed Pantry Project (UP3) is an intervention aimed to reduce ultra-processed food availability and consumption of food pantry clients accessing the emergency food system. The pilot study included nutrition education, food boxes, and social support for 16 weeks at 2 food pantries. Data collection included the ASA24 dietary recall to calculate Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores, biomarkers (hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index [BMI]), and a demographic and psychosocial survey. Dietary quality among 43 participants significantly (P < .05) improved as measured by the HEI-2015 for total HEI-2015, whole grains, total protein foods, and added sugars scores. BMI, total cholesterol, and waist circumference also significantly improved across study participants. Findings indicate that the emergency food system may be an effective access point to apply frameworks including UP3 to address ultra-processed food consumption, dietary quality, and noncommunicable chronic disease risk among food-insecure populations. Programs and policies that limit the amount of ultra-processed food in the emergency food system should be further tested and could be efficacious in addressing inequities among vulnerable populations.

Research on reverse logistics recycling mode of public welfare snack box based on circular economy

Circular economy is the efficient use of resources and protection of the environment, reverse logistics is an important link in the realization of circular economy, the circulation process of circular economy cannot leave reverse logistics.[1] Therefore, focusing on the circular economy, construct a reverse logistics recycling model for public benefit small meal boxes that includes operators, takeout platforms, platform catering businesses, consumers, third-party catering recycling and cleaning enterprises and meal box manufacturers. Analyze the current recycling status of takeout food boxes, the business model of public benefit small meal boxes and the interests of related parties in reverse logistics recycling mode. To develop reverse logistics and promote the development of circular economy is to realize the coordinated development of environment, economy and society.

MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION FROM PLASTIC DRINKING BOTTLE, FOOD CONTAINER AND TAP WATER: EMERGING HEALTH CONCERN IN CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH

This Concept paper focuses on the importance of evaluating microplsatic contamination in different consumption sources in perspective of Bangladesh. Microplastic pollution is one of the emerging topic of pollution and health concern in Bangladesh alike rest of the world. Bangladesh is a densely populated country where usage of plastic materials is significantly high. Usage of single used plastic drinking bottle, plastic food box and plastic piping materials for water supply are very popular in the country and the most of the time these plastic containers are used by consumers for several months to years to years and even decades for water supply pipes. The long time repeated usage of plastic materials subsequently cause the microplsatic leaching and pose adverse health effects to the consumers. However, a very little effort has been done so far in perspective of Bangladesh to assess the microplsatic generation scenario and its negative consequences which is necessary to encounter this mounting threat effectively.

A Food Box Intervention to Reduce Blood Pressure in Native American Adults With Hypertension: The CHEERS Study

People join a customer-driven organization with motivations that may not be static over time, an important issue for long-term organizational viability. In this study, we examined motivations among members of ShareCare, the first Village for older adults in the U.S. Using qualitative data from a random sample of 91 members, we compared motivations for becoming a member and for continuing membership. Motivations to join and continue membership are not necessarily the same. Motivations were categorized as: instrumental, social, and altruistic motivation. We categorized length of membership as short-term: 8-years or less (51.63%) and long-term: 9-years and more (49.37%). While 36% of members joined only for instrumental motivation, 59% continued membership only for instrumental motivation. While about 52% joined with multiple motivations, only 35% of members mentioned multiple motivations when continuing their membership. Finally, 18% of short-term members mentioned altruistic motivation when continuing their membership, while 28% of long-term members mentioned altruistic motivation when continuing their membership. While people’s motivation might change over time, altruistic motivation may be the greatest motivating factor for long-term memberships. Long-term members may identify themselves as supporters rather than users of the organization and cultivate stronger connections with other members over time. Our findings inform how to recruit and retain members in Villages, and customer-driven organizations for older adults more broadly.

Capital in context: Funding US Inland Northwest food hub development before and during COVID-19

This study focuses on how 10 food hubs in the U.S. Inland Northwest resourced their start-up and development before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Case studies include coop­erative, government agency, nonprofit, and family-owned food hubs. Because of the prominence of nonmonetary values as drivers in food hub devel­opment, we used a social entrepreneurship frame­work to understand how people, context, and a social value proposition affected access to and use of capital resources. We found that each food hub had a unique mix of capital sources and profita­bility that reflected and shaped who was involved, their mission, and their available resources. All operating food hubs that we studied strengthened and grew their business during the first year of the pandemic. Two federal COVID-19-related pro­grams—the Paycheck Protection Program and the Farmers to Families Food Box Program—played brief but instrumental roles in helping most organi­zations early in the pandemic, enabling several to pivot from heavily impacted markets (such as restaurants and educational institutions) to direct-to-consumer markets and food security efforts. For several, panic buying early in the crisis followed by a consistent large increase in demand fueled organi­zational growth. The food hubs adapted quickly, with some significantly changing their business model and expected trajectory as they weathered the first year of the pandemic, coming out stronger than before.

Patient Perspectives: Valuable Food Insecurity Interventions.

Food insecurity (FI), defined as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways," affects over 12% of US households. Embarrassment persists for patients with FI, and due to the potential consequences of FI, including increased utilization of the health care system, it is important to find causes and potential interventions for FI. The purpose of this project was to better understand FI from the patient perspective, including contributing factors, perceived health effects, and helpful interventions. Interviews (N=21) were conducted with suburban community residency clinic patients who screened positive for FI in the last 12 months. Six open-ended questions and a ranking question examined contributors to FI, effects of FI, perceptions of clinic intervention helpfulness, and ideas for novel interventions. Patients identified lack of income (85.7%) as the primary issue they faced. Secondary identified issues were lack of transportation (38.1%), too much debt (33.3%), and food assistance programs not providing for all needs (33.3%). FI effects on patients' health included difficulty adhering to specialized diets and the need to modify eating patterns due to lack of food. Surprisingly, 28.6% perceived no FI related-health effects. Patients felt that the most valuable clinic intervention was provision of urgent need food boxes, followed by FI screening and referrals to community food resources. Frequent FI screening is in itself useful to patients. Screening paired with community food resource referrals and urgent-need food boxes are the most helpful interventions according to patients.

School Pantry Cook-Off: An Approach to Educate Youth on Food Insecurity

The “School Pantry: Mystery Food Box Cook-Off” is a program designed to increase awareness of food insecurity among youth and teach strategies to prepare healthy foods on a budget. A pre-and-post survey showed a statistically significant difference in participants’ overall knowledge, skills, and confidence level after the program compared to before the program. Findings revealed a hands-on nutrition education strategy via cook-off could educate youth on food insecurity and increase their knowledge and confidence to make healthy and affordable meals at home. Other Extension educators seeking to address food insecurity and food preparation skills among youth can replicate this program.

Exploring the Ingredient Choices and Maximum Budget for Fresh Food Boxes in Taiwan

Fresh food boxes have been popular in many countries for providing convenience and supporting local production, while the convenient access of various market channels in Taiwan makes it difficult to develop. The COVID-19 events shed light on the opportunity to promote fresh food boxes. Due to the complexity of consumer preferences, it is important to investigate the market opportunity of fresh food boxes. A total of 748 valid survey data were collected throughout Taiwan from July to September in 2019. The analysis of variance and interval regression model with random utility theory was adopted to explore food product preferences and to elicit the maximum budget for the fresh food box. Results show that marrow vegetables, fruits, and meats are the major categories that must be included in the list of the fresh food box. The average maximum budget for a fresh food box is about NTD 702 (about USD 25), while the highest maximum budget can reach up to NTD 1202 (about USD 43) for some potential consumers. Although fresh food boxes have a market opportunity in Taiwan, the market potential may be more focused on those who have online market shopping experiences. Marketers would need more marketing strategies to enhance more potential shoppers to adopt the online purchase for fresh food boxes.

Rapid Development of a Decision Support System to Alleviate Food Insecurity at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank amid the COVID‐19 Pandemic

To address the food assistance crisis during the Covid pandemic, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a multi‐billion dollar “Farmers to Families Food Box program” (Box program) by working with approved suppliers (or distributors) to purchase fresh produce, dairy, and meat directly from farmers and package them into boxes. Recognizing that food banks did not have spare capacity to support the Box program, how should these food boxes be distributed to people who are in need? The USDA developed a novel solution by asking: (a) suppliers to distribute food boxes directly to agencies (shelters, food pantries, and soup kitchens); and (b) food banks to serve as “virtual intermediaries” to coordinate supply and demand between suppliers and agencies. However, as food banks were overwhelmed with their regular operations for distributing donated food during the pandemic, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (LARFB) found it difficult to develop and deploy a Decision Support System (DSS) to support the Box program with limited manpower and expertise. In this study, we describe a DSS co‐developed by LARFB, Salesforce, and UCLA. Unlike other DSSs developed in normal circumstances, the development and deployment of the DSS were conducted virtually within 45 days. Without this DSS, it would have been impossible for LARFB to support the Box program. Because this DSS was developed in a record time, we discuss several limitations and suggest future research opportunities for managing food bank operations during a pandemic.

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Food Supply in the Emergency Food System: A Case Study at 2 Food Pantries.

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased demand for emergency food assistance and has caused operational shifts in the emergency food system.ObjectiveThis research explored how the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the food supply of 2 food pantries.MethodsA case study approach was applied to collect data during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food supply data were collected weekly at 2 food pantries in southwest Montana for 17 wk in 2020. Surveys and interviews were conducted with food pantry clients and staff, respectively. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were applied to analyze quantitative data. Food supply data were analyzed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, NOVA system, and Unprocessed Pantry Project (UP3) Framework. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data.ResultsThe food boxes collected between the 2 food pantries (n = 43) had a mean (± SD) total HEI-2015 score of 76.41 ± 7.37 out of a possible score of 100. According to both the NOVA and the UP3 Framework, 23.4% of the total food distributed was ultra-processed food. Of the food distributed, 50.0% and 48.3% was fresh, unprocessed food according to NOVA and UP3 Frameworks, respectively. From staff interviews, 3 themes arose that describe the food pantry operations that experienced change during the COVID-19 pandemic, including food procurement, distribution preparation, and food distribution. Nine supporting subthemes describing the causes and consequences of the operational themes were identified. Staff perceived that the nutrient quality of the food boxes increased from food distributed previously to the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas over one-third (39.4%) of food pantry clients who responded to surveys preferred the food box model.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous operational challenges within food pantries. Food pantries overcame these challenges by swiftly and effectively altering operations so as to continue to distribute nutritious food boxes to pantry clients.

Choose to reuse! The effect of action-close reminders on pro-environmental behavior

In this study, we examine whether reminders are able to overcome limited attention and effectively promote pro-environmental behavior. We conducted a natural field experiment with customers of a Swiss agricultural association that delivers weekly food boxes with vegetables in plastic bags. Treated customers received weekly reminders highlighting the option to return the plastic bags for reuse. Reminders were provided either as a flyer added to the food box or as a sticker directly attached to one of the plastic bags. We find that the flyer and sticker reminders are similarly effective in reducing plastic waste during the intervention period. Importantly, customers are most likely to return those plastic bags marked with an action-close sticker reminder that raises attention at the time of the desired behavioral change. This study provides insights into the attentional mechanisms underlying reminder effects and highlights action-closeness as an opportunity to effectively implement reminders in practice.