Food Chain Approach Research Articles

Dietary cadmium health risk assessment for the Chinese population.

Cadmium (Cd) has high rates of soil-to-plant transference, coupled with its non-biodegradability and persistence; long-term management of Cd in agriculture is thus required to ensure better soil and food security and safety. Identifications of regions with high soil Cd concentration or high dietary Cd intakes are critical public health priorities. Human health risk assessment for dietary Cd intake was thus undertaken by employing three approaches: FCA (food chain approach), TDA (total diet approach), and FQA (food quality approach). The correlation between green/total vegetable consumption rates and dietary Cd intake from vegetables was statistically significant. For consumption, the hazard quotients (HQs) calculated by FCA and TDA were all less than 1 except for Hunan and Sichuan province. For rice consumption, the HQs derived by FCA or TDA approach for eight provinces exceeded 1. Residents in Hubei, Guangxi, Jilin, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Guangxi were more vulnerable due to their notable higher consumption rates.Weighted rankings of the health risk levels were determined to derive the comparative risk management priority. For Cd intake from vegetables, four provinces/cities have high relative priority; for Cd intake from grains, three provinces have high relative priority. The comparative risk management priority for Hunan and Sichuan was high for dietary intake from vegetables or rice. Weighted average HQs were derived to determine the integrated dietary Cd intake health risk levels for dietary intake from vegetables or grains. The risk levels for Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang are high, so effective measures should be taken to reduce Cd dietary intakes to ensure health protection.It is envisaged that the methodology employed in this study could provide useful insights into how various approaches can be integrated to determine human health risk levels for Cd intake, so more effective and targeted measures can be taken accordingly for the relevant regions.

Trophic transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids across the aquatic-terrestrial interface: An experimental tritrophic food chain approach.

Aquatic and their adjacent terrestrial ecosystems are linked via the flux of organic and inorganic matter. Emergent aquatic insects are recognized as high-quality food for terrestrial predators, because they provide more physiologically relevant long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than terrestrial insects. The effects of dietary PUFA on terrestrial predators have been explored mainly in feeding trials conducted under controlled laboratory conditions, hampering the assessment of the ecological relevance of dietary PUFA deficiencies under field conditions. We assessed the PUFA transfer across the aquatic-terrestrial interface and the consequences for terrestrial riparian predators in two outdoor microcosm experiments. We established simplified tritrophic food chains, consisting of one of four basic food sources, an intermediary collector gatherer (Chironomus riparius, Chironomidae), and a riparian web-building spider (Tetragnatha sp.). The four basic food sources (algae, conditioned leaves, oatmeal, and fish food) differed in PUFA profiles and were used to track the trophic transfer of single PUFA along the food chain and to assess their potential effects on spiders, that is, on fresh weight, body condition (size-controlled measurement of nutritional status), and immune response. The PUFA profiles of the basic food sources, C.riparius and spiders differed between treatments, except for spiders in the second experiment. The PUFA α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) and ɣ-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n-6) were major contributors to the differences between treatments. PUFA profiles of the basic food sources influenced the fresh weight and body condition of spiders in the first experiment, but not in the second experiment, and did not affect the immune response, growth rate, and dry weight in both experiments. Furthermore, our results indicate that the examined responses are dependent on temperature. Future studies including anthropogenic stressors would deepen our understanding of the transfer and role of PUFA in ecosystems.

Addressing recruitment challenges in food and drink

Addressing recruitment challenges in food and drink

Collembola are Among the Most Pesticide-Sensitive Soil Fauna Groups: A Meta-Analysis.

Pesticides are a major concern because of their deleterious impacts on biodiversity and on the ecological functions provided by living organisms. Although earthworms are well studied, smaller-sized organisms, such as Collembola, also contribute to the agroecosystem functioning, and their sensitivity to pesticides makes them good bioindicators of soil quality. Using data from 21 publications, we performed a meta-analysis to compare the pesticide sensitivity of Collembola with other soil invertebrate groups and discuss the relevance of including tests on representatives of this microarthropods group in European regulation tests. We defined a paired observation as the median lethal concentration or the median effect concentration values for both Collembola species and another soil fauna group (Acari, enchytraeids, earthworms, isopods, and nematodes) under a unique combination of author, year, substance, and type of soil (61 and 57 paired observations for reproduction and lethal effects). In some studies, paired comparisons were available for several groups of soil fauna. We demonstrated that Collembola are among the most sensitive soil fauna groups to a variety of pesticides, notably for effects on reproduction, mostly compared with earthworms and enchytraeids. Because there are several modes of exposure and explaining factors, we suggest moving from a single-species study to a food-chain approach integrating different taxonomic groups. Differences between soil fauna groups in sensitivity or response to pesticides could have effects on soil communities and also on soil functions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2333-2341. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

The UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013–18: A Qualitative Study of International and Domestic Policy and Action Related to Livestock and the Food Chain

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly important challenge within global health, and growing action is being taken by countries across the world. The UK Government established a national AMR Strategy in 2013, encompassing human and animal health. An evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy was commissioned, to feed into a refresh of the Strategy in 2018. This article addresses the implementation of the parts of the Strategy related to food sourced from animals. It is based on 15 semi-structured interviews with policy officials and professionals from UK and international agencies. Four themes comprise the findings from thematic analysis. (1) The UK's advocacy and leadership at the global level to encourage international action, which was praised. However, the UK's actions were limited in permeating complex international food supply chains. (2) Integrating a One Health approach, adopted in the Strategy, which had successfully facilitated bringing together human and animal health sectors, but still lacked input from environmental agencies and integration of the role of environmental factors in understanding and tackling AMR. (3) Changes in antimicrobial use and attempts to reduce AMR brought about by the Strategy, including the disparity in variations of actions and progress between livestock sectors, the pros and cons of antimicrobial usage reduction targets—felt to be best when adapted for each livestock species sector, the preference for voluntary sector-led approaches to reduction in antimicrobial use, and the need for changes in production systems and animal husbandry. (4) The challenges relating to costs, drivers and incentives identified to reduce antimicrobial use, and how research, data and surveillance systems support continued action. In particular, the need for adequate investment and financial incentives to enable changes in production and husbandry to take a more preventative approach, the importance of working with different actors throughout the food chain in each livestock sector, and the need for adequate and consistent surveillance data to measure antimicrobial use and continued research to understand AMR. The findings have implications for how to implement further changes at both farm and policy level, how to implement harmonized surveillance whilst maintaining sectoral autonomy, the need for a whole food chain approach, and greater integration of research, actions and actors working on environmental factors of AMR.

Food Chain Approach Applied to Oyster Production in Hiroshima

Food Chain Approach Applied to Oyster Production in Hiroshima

IFST vision for a UK‐wide national food strategy

<scp>IFST</scp> vision for a <scp>UK</scp>‐wide national food strategy

A rapid food chain approach for authenticity screening: The development, validation and transferability of a chemometric model using two handheld near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices

This study assesses the application of a handheld, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device, namely the NeoSpectra Micro, for the determination of oregano authenticity. Utilising a large sample set of oregano (n = 295) and potential adulterants of oregano (n = 109), models were developed and validated using SIMCA 15 software. The models demonstrated excellent predictability for the determination of authentic oregano and adulterant samples. The optimal model resulted in a 93.0% and 97.5% correct prediction for oregano and adulterants, respectively. Different standardisation approaches were assessed to determine model transferability to a second NIRS device. In the case of the second device, the best predictions were achieved with data that had not undergone any spectral standardisation (raw). Subsequently, the optimal model was able to correctly predict 90% of authentic oregano samples and 100% of the adulterant samples on the second device. This study demonstrates the potential of the device to be used as a simple, cost effective, reliable and handheld screening tool for the determination of oregano authenticity, at various stages of the food supply chain. It is believed that such forms of monitoring could be highly beneficial in other areas of food authenticity analysis to help combat the negative economical and health implications of food fraud.

Food Chain Approach Practices in Agricultural Production

Food Chain Approach Practices in Agricultural Production

Food chain approach to lowering the saturated fat of milk and dairy products

Lactating cow diets were supplemented with high‐oleic acid sunflower oil over two production periods spanning two years, to modify the milk fat, partially replacing saturated fatty acids with cis‐monounsaturated fatty acids. The resulting milk was used for ultrahigh‐temperature milk, butter and Cheddar cheese production, and fatty acid profiles were compared with those of conventionally produced products. Fat from products made with modified milk had lower saturated fatty acids and higher cis‐ and trans‐monounsaturated fatty acid concentrations than that of conventional products. This was consistent over both production periods, demonstrating that this food chain approach could be adopted on a wider scale.

食品安全とフードチェーン・アプローチ

人間は従属栄養生物であり，ご先祖から食べ物で多くの苦労をしてきた．食品安全は，国，民族，地域でとらえ方や定義が異なる．食品安全分野でも，地理的条件，食文化が違うのに否応なしに国際標準化は進行している．食料自給率が低い我が国は，食品のリスク分析だけではなく，農場から食卓までのフードチェーン・アプローチを重視すべきである．消費生活においても，川上と川下の協力がなければ安定的な調達は困難である．我が国のフードチェーンは，地球全体に伸びていることを国民に説明し，理解を得なければならない．気候変動や天災，さらにテロなどの不測の事態にも備えるべきである．

PDO as a Mechanism for Reterritorialisation and Agri-Food Governance: A Comparative Analysis of Cheese Products in the UK and Switzerland

The protection of geographical indications (European regulation 1151/2012) is arguably the most significant initiative, certainly within Europe, that promotes foods with territorial associations and reorganises agri-food chain governance through a strategy of reterritorialisation. Research on Protected Designation of Origins (PDOs) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) suggests that they generate significant economic value at an EU-level, especially in certain countries. They can also help to deliver territorial rural development policy and develop new food markets. In this paper we examine the way the PDO scheme has been developed and applied in one commodity sector (cheese) in two countries (Switzerland and the UK), where the uptake of PDOs is variable. We adopt a food chain approach and examine specific cheese product case studies (at micro and meso levels) in both countries to better understand how the PDO scheme (as a territorialisation and respacing strategy) is implemented. L’Etivaz and Le Gruyère are examined in Switzerland. Single Gloucester and West Country cheddar are examined in the UK. The PDO scheme is an important governance strategy and regulatory system, but despite strict guidelines regarding implementation and geographical infrastructure there are notable differences between the UK and Switzerland in terms of how the label is used to organise and respatialise food chains: it is framed as a strategy to protect the rural economy in Switzerland but is promoted more as a mechanism to communicate and reconnect with consumers in the UK.

The need for multisectoral food chain approaches to reduce trans fat consumption in India.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends virtually eliminating trans fat from the global food supply. Although several high-income countries have successfully reduced trans fat levels in foods, low- and middle-income countries such as India face additional challenges to its removal from the food supply. This study provides a systems analysis of the Indian food chain to assess intervention options for reducing trans fat intake in low-income consumers.MethodsData were collected at the manufacturer, retailer and consumer levels. Qualitative interviews were conducted with vanaspati manufacturers (n = 13) and local food vendors (n = 44). Laboratory analyses (n = 39) of street foods/snacks sold by the vendors were also conducted. Trans fat and snack intakes were also examined in low-income consumers in two rural villages (n = 260) and an urban slum (n = 261).ResultsManufacturers of vanaspati described reducing trans fat levels as feasible but identified challenges in using healthier oils. The fat content of sampled oils from street vendors contained high levels of saturated fat (24.7-69.3 % of total fat) and trans fat (0.1-29.9 % of total fat). Households were consuming snacks high in trans fat as part of daily diets (31 % village and 84.3 % of slum households) and 4 % of rural and 13 % of urban households exceeded WHO recommendations for trans fat intakes.ConclusionsA multisectoral food chain approach to reducing trans fat is needed in India and likely in other low- and middle-income countries worldwide. This will require investment in development of competitively priced bakery shortenings and economic incentives for manufacturing foods using healthier oils. Increased production of healthier oils will also be required alongside these investments, which will become increasingly important as more and more countries begin investing in palm oil production.

2. 水産物のフードチェーンアプローチ

2. 水産物のフードチェーンアプローチ

Using soil and plant properties and farm management practices to improve the micronutrient composition of food and feed

Improving the micronutrient composition of food and feed crops is an important aspect of food security and human health. A range of geochemical, environmental and management factors combine to influence micronutrient concentrations in different soil and plant species.The paper addresses four issues; (i) micronutrient concentrations of agricultural soils and implications for production, (ii) micronutrient composition of different crop species, (iii) impact of crop rotation, species mixtures and nutrient management on micronutrient status in soils and crops, and (iv) using farmgate balances to inform micronutrient management on farms. The paper is a literature review focusing on Northern Europe where soil micronutrient concentrations are often low resulting in food and feed crop concentrations failing to meet nutritional requirements. We illustrate the use of geochemical maps for identifying areas of different potential to supply micronutrients to crop production. We then evaluate the micronutrient concentration of a broad range of plant species, showing the value of diverse pasture species for livestock diets. Intercropping and crop rotations facilitate micronutrient management due in part to soil/plant/microbial interactions in the rhizosphere influencing micronutrient availability. Fertilisers and on-farm manures are also an important management mechanism but there are new opportunities to use other off-farm organic and inorganic by-products to optimise crop nutrition although care is needed to balance macro- and micronutrients and potentially toxic elements.Micronutrient farm balances complement soil and crop analysis and macronutrient balances for agricultural and environmental management and can be used to compare farming systems. Arable farms more often showed negative micronutrient balances (e.g. Cu) whereas on livestock farms, feed is a major source of micronutrient import. Farm management approaches such as those described here will complement other approaches e.g. plant breeding. We suggest a food-chain approach to micronutrient management to meet the demands not only of crops but also of livestock and humans; this requires inter-disciplinary collaboration between stakeholders in agriculture, environment and health.

The food control system in Saudi Arabia – Centralizing food control activities

Today, many governments have chosen to centralize their food control systems as a means to improve effectiveness and efficiency. There has been a growing tendency to improve the national administrative framework for food control by establishing a primary authority to oversee the whole food chain from farm to fork. International Organizations have worked to assist food control authorities in reviewing and adjusting their national regulatory frameworks for food, supporting at many times, the centralization of food-related activities and suggesting that a self-contained structure would best serve the goals of integration and a food chain approach to food safety while eliminating inconsistencies and gaps. Based on international guidance, this study analyses and evaluates the centralization of the food control system in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Government moved towards the centralization of its food control activities, restructuring institutions to establish the Saudi Food and Drug Authority as an independent administration to coordinate and implement all activities related to food control. An examination of the advantages and challenges of reforming and streamlining food control activities are included. The internal Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as the external Opportunities and Threats that the Government is facing towards centralization have been identified. The study demonstrates how significant progress has been made and highlights areas where continuous efforts are still needed.

Food Safety and Food Chain Approach for Seafood and Others

これまでの世界各国の経験から，安全な食料の安定調達には，食品のリスク分析（アナリシス）とフードチェーン・アプローチを車の両輪として同時に実行する必要があることが認識されている．食品のリスク分析の後ろに隠れがちなフードチェーン・アプローチは大切な考え方であり，無視すれば無用の混乱が生じる．安全性は，栄養性や嗜好性等とともに各食品の共通関心事であるが，現在強く求められているのは，信頼性である．毒物混入や表示偽装等への不信感は，フードチェーン全体に対して高まっている．今日では，家庭内で受け継がれてきた食べ物を食べ続ける知恵も次世代へ受け渡すことが難しくなっている．食料自給率の低い我が国は，フードチェーン・アプローチを，特に大事にすべきである．次世代のためにも，フードチェーンを大切にし，許容できるリスクを受け入れ，あるいは許容できるリスクになるよう知恵を絞り，行動することが必要である．

The essential balance: Risks and benefits in food safety and quality

Food composition analysis is concerned with both beneficial and harmful food components in the human diet: nutrients, bioactive non-nutrients, anti-nutrients, toxicants, contaminants and other potentially useful and dangerous elements. The concept of food safety in the past excluded elements of nutrition such as known risk factors for certain chronic diseases and nutrients in the form of fortificants and supplements. Concerns about genetically modified foods, functional foods, high levels of nutrient additives and nutritional supplements are now being taken into consideration in the risk and safety activities of both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). “Food safety” generally refers to the content of various chemical and microbiological elements in food. More consumer awareness of food safety and quality issues, along with government and industry action, is bringing about a more preventive, food chain approach—sometimes called “from farm to table”—in many countries, so as to improve traditional food safety systems. FAO has adopted this food-chain approach and defines it as recognition that the responsibility for the supply of safe, healthy and nutritious food is shared by all involved, from primary production to final preparation and consumption. Compositional changes (representing either risks or benefits) in food can be introduced at every link. Although developments may be largely beneficial, food composition needs to be monitored to ensure that no harm results to consumers. Finally, collaborative international efforts are needed in order to resolve issues of food-quality and safety across boundaries in a global world trade context. A “holistic food chain approach” would recognize that responsibility for supplying safe and nutritious food lies with all those involved in food production.

Fighting Fe deficiency malnutrition in West Africa: an interdisciplinary programme on a food chain approach

About 2 billion people, mainly women and young children, suffer from iron deficiency. The supply of iron (Fe) falls short when consumed foods have a low Fe content or when absorption of Fe is inhibited by the presence of phytic acid and polyphenols in the diet. Current interventions are dietary diversification, supplementation, fortification and biofortification. In West Africa these interventions have only moderate chances of success due to low purchasing power of households, lack of elementary logistics, lack of central processing of food and the high heterogeneity in production and consumption conditions. A staple food chain approach, integrating parts of current interventions was proposed as an alternative. The research was carried out in several villages in Benin and Burkina Faso to take ecological, cultural and socio-economic diversity into account. The interdisciplinary approach aimed at elaborating interventions in soil fertility management, improvement and choice of sorghum varieties and food processing, to increase Fe and decrease the phytic acid-Fe molar ratio in sorghum-based foods. The phytic acid-Fe molar ratio was used as a proxy for Fe bioavailability in food. Synergy and trade-offs resulting from the integrated approach showed its added value. P fertilization and soil organic amendments applied to increase yield were found to also increase phytic acid content of the grain and thus to decrease its nutritional value. Amounts of Fe and phytic acid and their ratio in the grain differed among sorghum varieties, illustrating the presence of genetic variation for Fe bioavailability. The current local food preparation method for one of the main sorghum-based foods ( dibou) in northern Benin did not include processing steps that remove or de-activate anti-nutritional factors reducing Fe bioavailability. The preliminary results suggest that a feasible chain solution consists of breeding for high Fe and moderate phytic acid contents and using soil organic amendments and P fertilization to increase yields but that this needs to be followed by improved food processing to remove phytic acid. Further research on timing of application of phosphate, Fe fertilizer and soil organic amendments is needed to improve phytic acid-Fe molar ratios in the grain. Research on the exact distribution of Fe, phosphate, phytic acid and tannins within the sorghum grain is needed to enable the development of more effective combinations of food processing methods aiming for more favourable phytic acid-Fe molar ratios in sorghum-based food.

Sorghum Quality, Organic Matter Amendments, and Health: Farmers’ Perception in Burkina Faso, West Africa

In West Africa, many people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Current interventions have low chances of succeeding. Therefore, a food chain approach including local practices is proposed. This article takes local ecological, cultural, and socio-economic aspects into account through a household survey in northern Burkina in 2002. Farmers’ knowledge was compared with available scientific information. Organic matter production is a function of the number of animals owned and the availability of labor and equipment. Organic resources are allocated to various fields according to soil texture and the crop to be grown. Farmers were unable to link micronutrient deficiency in the soil directly to food quality and human health. However, they indicated that some disorders (e.g., fatigue in adults, stunted growth of children, anemia) are associated with a low level of micronutrients in the diet. For the application of organic amendments to be modified to improve grain yield and food quality in the Sahel, the relation between organic amendment and food quality must be better understood by both scientists and farmers.