Food Commercials Research Articles

When should the fresh-food retailer embrace near-expired food commercialization?

Despite the potential of near-expired food commercialization (NFC) to recover value from unsold food, skepticism persists due to concern about its impact on fresh food margins. This study introduces a game-theoretic model to explore the optimal strategy and price-setting timing for the fresh-food retailer considering NFC. We find that the optimal strategy transitions from no NFC to partial and then to full NFC as the order quantity increases. Specifically, under full NFC, the fresh-food retailer with strong bargaining power and high perceived quality benefits from adopting clearance-priority pricing, which prioritizes the pricing of the near-expired food. Conversely, the retailer with limited power and lower perceived quality prefers fresh-priority pricing, which sets the retail price of fresh food first. Under partial NFC, while clearance-priority pricing generally yields profits, the high disposal cost may compel even powerful fresh-food retailers to switch to fresh-priority pricing to mitigate the risks associated with negotiation failures. We further analyze extended models to confirm the robustness of our findings. Our research contributes to the literature and guides practice by addressing common misconceptions about NFC.

Cross-country evidence of consumers’ perception of food from animals fed on insects in DR Congo, Mali, and Niger

Insects can represent a valuable and cost effective source of animal feed in Africa. Recently, the interest in incorporating black-soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in animal feed has increased tremendously. However, many factors, including food neophobia and social and cultural context may affect consumers' perception of insect-technologies-derived food products. This study shed light on consumers' perception of the usage of BSFL as animal feed and consumption, buying, and commercialization of food from animals fed on BSFL in DR Congo, Mali, and Niger. We used data from 1560 consumers that were analyzed applying parametric and non-parametric tests and the generalized ordered logit model. Our findings show that about 87 % of respondents consider that consuming food from animals fed on BSFL is acceptable and 34 % accept buying eggs, fish, and meat from animals fed on BSFL. However, about 40 % of consumers recommend the label differentiation of BSF-technologies-derived food products and they also expect a lower price than conventional animal feed products. The analysis of factors driving consumers' readiness to buy BSF-derived food products have revealed that effective market penetration of BSF-technologies-derived food products could be achieved with great awareness creation, targeting farming households, married and literate heads. Furthermore, strategic communication and intensive sensitization through farmers' associations will be crucial. Finally, credit access and income diversification are also necessary to support consumers’ choices toward sustainable food habits built on bio-circular economy.

Urban food planning and management in Melbourne: current challenges and practical insights

ABSTRACT Over the last decades, local governments have begun to develop urban food planning instruments focused on improving public health and environmental sustainability, but shortcomings still exist. This paper builds on the case of the Melbourne Metropolitan Region (Australia) to elaborate on how urban food planning and management can address the challenges exposed by a systemic approach. Challenges include strengthening local food economies, developing a nexus between the urban environment, public health, and sustainability, and the circular management of food production resources. Our study contributes to urban food planning and management practice by identifying how policy instruments have successfully addressed these key challenges, and existing inconsistencies between policies and planning. Furthermore, policies should go beyond incentives for urban gardens and explore new areas of intervention, including integrating local producers and retailers into urban food planning, prioritizing fresh food commercialization over ultra-processed products, and integrating composting into waste management.

Microalgae Proteins as Sustainable Ingredients in Novel Foods: Recent Developments and Challenges.

Microalgae are receiving increased attention in the food sector as a sustainable ingredient due to their high protein content and nutritional value. They contain up to 70% proteins with the presence of all 20 essential amino acids, thus fulfilling human dietary requirements. Microalgae are considered sustainable and environmentally friendly compared to traditional protein sources as they require less land and a reduced amount of water for cultivation. Although microalgae's potential in nutritional quality and functional properties is well documented, no reviews have considered an in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of their addition to foods. The present work discusses recent findings on microalgae with respect to their protein content and nutritional quality, placing a special focus on formulated food products containing microalgae proteins. Several challenges are encountered in the production, processing, and commercialization of foods containing microalgae proteins. Solutions presented in recent studies highlight the future research and directions necessary to provide solutions for consumer acceptability of microalgae proteins and derived products.

Availability and price of fruits and vegetables in the surroundings of food and nutrition public establishments.

Inequalities of access to healthy food reinforce the need to strengthen public policies on Food and Nutritional Security. In this context, Food and Nutrition Public Establishments, which are public spaces for distribution and commercialization of healthy foods, stand out. However, in middle-income countries there is little monitoring of the impacts of public policies on food environments, which are fundamental for strengthening these actions. Thus, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the availability and price of fruits and vegetables in areas with and without Food and Nutrition Public Establishments. A cross-sectional study carried out in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Audits were conducted in the retail food environment of a representative sample of Food and Nutrition Public Establishments (n = 10) and corresponding census sectors, without Food and Nutrition Public Establishments (n = 10). Information was collected on the availability and price of the most consumed fruits and vegetables in Belo Horizonte. The food retailers were grouped into fresh food retailers and mixed food retailers. The Chi-Square test was used to compare the availability of fruits and vegetables between areas. The Mann Whitney test was used to compare the prices of fruit and vegetables and the price differences between fresh food retailers and mixed food retailers between areas. 148 food retailers were audited, including 17 Food and Nutrition Public Establishments. In fresh food retailers, the availability of vegetables was higher in areas with Food and Nutrition Public Establishments (p = 0.024). In mixed food retailers there was low availability of fruit and vegetables in both areas (34.0% vs. 26.2%; p>0.05). The price difference between fresh food retailers and mixed food retailers differed significantly between areas (p<0.001). In general, fresh food retailers had lower prices than mixed food retailers only in areas with Food and Nutrition Public Establishments. The presence of Food and Nutrition Public Establishments was associated with the availability of vegetables, and with lower prices in fresh food retailers compared with mixed food retailers. Monitoring and understanding the impacts of public policies on the food environment are essential to register trends and provide relevant information to civil society and government authorities.

73 Changes in Sleep Negatively Impacts Next Day Inhibition Performance Among College Females

Objective:Sleep is a restorative function that supports various aspects of well-being, including cognitive function. College students, especially females, report getting less sleep than recommended and report more irregular sleep patterns than their male counterparts. Inadequate and irregular sleep are associated with neuropsychological deficits including more impulsive responding in lab-based tasks. Although many lab-based experiments ask participants to report their sleep patterns, few studies have analyzed how potential changes in sleep affect their findings. Utilizing data from a previously collected study, this study aims to investigate relations between sleep (i.e., sleep duration and changes in sleep duration) and performance-based measures of inhibition among female college students.Participants and Methods:Participants (n = 39) were majority first-year students (Mage =19.27) and Caucasian (51%). Participants were recruited to participate in a larger study exploring how food commercials affect inhibitory control. Participants were randomized to each study condition (watching a food or non-food commercial) over two visits to the lab (T1 and T2). During both visits, they completed questionnaires asking about their 1) sleep duration the night before and 2) their “typical” sleep duration to capture changes in sleep duration. They also completed a computer-based stop signal task (SST) which required them to correctly identify healthy food images (stop signal accuracy [SSA] healthy) and unhealthy food images (SSA unhealthy) while inhibiting their response during a stop signal delay (SSD) which became increasingly more difficult (or delayed) as they successfully progressed. Since the main aim of the study was to explore the impact of sleep, analyses controlled for study condition. Analyses involving changes in sleep also accounted for sleep duration the night before the study visit.Results:On average, students reported being under slept the night before the lab visit, reporting that they got 38 minutes less sleep than their “typical” sleep (7 hrs 3 min). Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that sleep duration the night before the lab visit was not associated with inhibition (i.e., SSA unhealthy, SSA healthy, SSD). In contrast, a greater change in sleep, or getting less sleep than “typical,” was associated with worsened inhibition across inhibition variables (SSA healthy, SSA unhealthy, SSD) above and beyond sleep duration at T1. At T2, only one analysis remained significant, such that getting less sleep than “typical” was associated with lower accuracy of appropriately identifying unhealthy images (SSA unhealthy) whereas other analyses only approached statistical significance.Conclusions:These findings suggest that changes in sleep, or getting less sleep than typical, may impact inhibition performance measured in a lab, even when accounting for how much sleep they got the night before. Specifically, getting less sleep than typical was associated with reduced accuracy in selecting unhealthy images, a finding that was consistent across two visits to the lab. These preliminary findings offer opportunities for lab-based experiments to investigate the role of sleep when measuring inhibition performance. Further, clinicians conducting neuropsychological assessments in clinical settings may benefit from assessing sleep the night before the appointment and determine if this represents a change from their typical sleep pattern.

A Semiotic Analysis: Exploring the Verbal Signs Found in Fast Food Online Advertisement

The linguistic landscape has changed due to social media platforms which provide real-time interaction and high dynamism. Moreover, the emergence of new media has left a profound impact on the techniques adopted by businesses to maintain a relationship with customers through digital marketing. Online advertisement is a sort of on social media platforms. Every advertisement contains signs. The language cues used in fast food ads will be examined in this study. The two objectives of this study are to identify the verbal signs in fast food commercials and examine the importance of those verbal signs. A descriptive qualitative approach is used in this study which will utilise Leech's theory of meaning and Saussure's theory of semiotics for the data analysis. The study's findings indicate that language cues were presented in the selected fast-food advertisements. Declarative sentences are used as verbal cues. The results will contribute to the current knowledge in the area pertaining to social media advertisement and its significance.

Recent advancement in bioeffect, metabolism, stability, and delivery systems of apigenin, a natural flavonoid compound: challenges and perspectives.

Apigenin is a bioflavonoid compound that is widely present in dietary plant foods and possesses biological activities that protect against immune, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Therefore, apigenin is widely used in food and medicine, and increasing attention has been drawn to developing new delivery systems for apigenin. This review highlights the biological effects, metabolism, stability, and bioactivity of apigenin. In addition, we summarized advancements in the delivery of apigenin, which provides some references for its widespread use in food and medicine. Better stability of apigenin may enhance digestion and absorption and provide health benefits. Constructing delivery systems (such as emulsions, nanostructured lipid carriers, hydrogels, and liposomes) for apigenin is an effective strategy to improve its bioavailability, but more animal and cell experiments are needed to verify these findings. Developing apigenin delivery systems for food commercialization is still challenging, and further research is needed to promote their in-depth development and utilization.

Antecedents of Consumers’ Intention and Behavior to Purchase Organic Food in the Portuguese Context

The demand and commercialization of organic foods is developing rapidly. However, there is an imbalance between the increasing use of these products and the limited attention of researchers to this category of products. The present study intends to evaluate the antecedents of the consumer purchase intention and behavior on organic foods, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). To reach the research objectives, a quantitative methodology was developed. An online questionnaire was applied in organic food social network groups and Portuguese organic food stores. To test the hypothesis, structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted. Findings revealed that environmental concern has a significantly positive effect on purchasing attitude and on purchase intention. Health consciousness has a significant and positive relationship with attitude and purchase intention, and attitude has a significant and positive relationship with purchase intention. Finally, purchase intention has a significant and positive relationship with purchase behavior. Theoretically, this study is a response to frequent requests to investigate beyond consumer intention and assess influences on actual behavior. Producers and marketing professionals may utilize our findings to develop strategies to attract the growing organic food community and encourage its purchase.

The role of the actors in the trade network structure of fishing products: The case of the shark market

In this paper we study the influence of the structure of relationships in the commercial network of fishery products in the economic performance and profits distribution among actors, taking the shark market in Mexico as a case study. For this, fishermen, permit holders and traders were interviewed in the local, regional and main markets for shark products in Mexico. With the information obtained, a weighted network of the shark market was built, the main centrality indices and the monetary contribution of each actor to the commercial system in terms of economic profits were calculated. Through a stepwise multiple regression analysis, the variables that positively affect economic profits were identified. Our results show that shark fin exporters obtain the highest net unitary profits, while traders of shark meat and fillet presented the highest net profits. The organization of the actors (type), the quantity traded (Kg), the out-degree and out-closeness are the variables that positively affect the economic performance of the shark market. These findings agree with standard economic networks theory about the consequences of competitive and monopolistic market structure on the distribution of the economic returns of the food commercialization. The quantitative analysis of weighted networks in the trade of shark products gives rise to new insights to understand how economic profits are generated and distributed in a commercial system and how the actors involved are favored by said activity.

Construction and evaluation of an AI system for tracking cricket behavior under conditions of bright and dark lighting

Since 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published a publication that embraced the opportunity to use insect for food and feed, to raise the profile of insects and further promoting diversity of diet, sustainable practices, and food security, insect production has attracted attention as a potential food source, and advanced methods have been developed. Among insects, crickets are of particular interest because they are omnivorous and easy to mass produce. Ultimately, we aim to build a system in Japan that can mass-produce crickets using food waste. For this purpose, a cricket feeding system that utilises food loss is needed to support the development and commercialisation of new insect foods along with renewable energy and smart production methods to reduce labour requirements. To improve productivity and develop smart production, we should understand the ecology of crickets (focusing on their behaviour in terms of diet and water consumption) with the premise of mass production. However, relatively few studies have considered these factors in detail. We consider that this information could enable considerable improvement in the productivity of cricket production systems. Therefore, in this study, we constructed an Artificial Intelligent system designed to capture ecological information on crickets using a You Only Look Once version 5 model for mass production. The proposed system is relatively inexpensive, has high recognition accuracy and real-time performance, can be configured for different lighting conditions, and can recognise crickets even under dark conditions. The results show that this system can be implemented on prototype smart cricket farms and can be integrated with mass production systems. It is robust to bright and dark conditions with high accuracy and real-time framerates, with mAP values of 0.903 and 0.921 and framerates of 20.20 and 20.96 frames, respectively.

Antibacterial Activity of Origanum vulgare and Rosmarinus officinalis standardized extracts Against Curtobacterium and Xanthomonas

Diseases caused by Curtobacterium and Xantomonnas species represent an agricultural problem in crops and can generate economic impacts on the commercialization of seeds and food. Origanum vulgare L. (oregano) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) have rosmarinic acid and others phenolics that can lead to the control of phytopathogenic bacteria in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity of O. vulgaris and R. officinalis extracts, standardized in rosmarinic acid, against Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli, Xanthomonas fuscans subsp. fuscans and Xanthomonas sp. The antibacterial effect of the extracts in bean seed was also investigated. The content of rosmarinic acid was 8.55 % for O. vulgare and 16.30 % for R. officinalis extract. It was verified the complete in vitro inhibition of the bacteria studied by both extracts at 0.8% (w/w) with exception of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli BRM 025302 that was completely inhibited at 1.2% (w/w) of oregano. In addition, no symptom of phytotoxicity were noted in detached bean leaves treated with them. Under greenhouse conditions, some reduction on severity of Curtobacterium wilt by both extracts at 1% (w/w) was noted to bean cultivars BRS Sublime and BRS Estilo. Under the experimental conditions these extracts were not efficient to control the common bacterial blight caused by X. axonopodis pv. phaseoli. Both extracts are promising in the treatment of seeds, specially in related to contamination by Fusarium spp., whose percentage decreased on average an average from 94% to 10%. In addition, these bean seeds maintained the germination percentage adequate to that required by legislation. Further studies must be conducted to better investigate the potential of these standardized extracts as a bioproduct for agriculture.

Anti-Glucotoxicity Effect of Phytoconstituents via Inhibiting MGO-AGEs Formation and Breaking MGO-AGEs.

The therapeutic benefits of phytochemicals in the treatment of various illnesses and disorders are well documented. They show significant promise for the discovery and creation of novel medications for treating a variety of human diseases. Numerous phytoconstituents have shown antibiotic, antioxidant, and wound-healing effects in the conventional system. Traditional medicines based on alkaloids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, terpenes, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides, and phytosterols have been in use for a long time and are crucial as alternative treatments. These phytochemical elements are crucial for scavenging free radicals, capturing reactive carbonyl species, changing protein glycation sites, inactivating carbohydrate hydrolases, fighting pathological conditions, and accelerating the healing of wounds. In this review, 221 research papers have been reviewed. This research sought to provide an update on the types and methods of formation of methylglyoxal-advanced glycation end products (MGO-AGEs) and molecular pathways induced by AGEs during the progression of the chronic complications of diabetes and associated diseases as well as to discuss the role of phytoconstituents in MGO scavenging and AGEs breaking. The development and commercialization of functional foods using these natural compounds can provide potential health benefits.

Pitfalls and potential pathways to commercialization of indigenous food crops, fruits, and vegetables in Africa

All foods have local origins, but their commercialization and global acceptance remain challenging. Agricultural commercialization involves producing agricultural products for financial gain and market purposes beyond family consumption. Indigenous foods have vast societal benefits, including cultural, employment, medicinal, food security-related, nutritional, and financial. However, indigenous food consumption and demand are constantly declining because exotic foods are replacing them, despite recent campaigns for their increased commercialization. The study investigates the challenges associated with indigenous food commercialization, possible pathways to commercialization, and the role of the government in commercializing indigenous food. It offers a hypothesized structure and essential blueprint for sustainable indigenous food (crop) commercialization. The methodology involved a review of the literature using various search engines, scholarly sites, and print books, combining quantitative and qualitative research. Scaling indigenous food for sustainable commercialization beyond dependency on the wild product takes specific steps, including domestication, certification, and effective government-private collaboration. Policies to improve the sustainability of indigenous food are urgently required to save them from extinction and meet future demand. Many indigenous foods are hindered by low-status perception, poor value addition, inadequate knowledge of their potential, lack of market penetration, and global acceptability challenges. Indigenous food commercialization lacks a holistic and systematic approach involving careful planning, procedural steps, and an aggressive market-spreading mechanism for global adoption. An excellent strategic relationship between government and stakeholders is a prerequisite for indigenous food commercialization, but the onus is on the government to commit to indigenous food commercialization programs.

Reported shocks, households' resilience and local food commercialization in Thailand

PurposeThe authors examine the factors affecting households' resilience capacities and the impacts of these capacities on household consumption and crop commercialization.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use panel data of 1,648 households from Thailand collected in three years, 2010, 2013 and 2016. The authors employ an econometric model with an instrumental variable approach to address endogenous issues.FindingsThe study results show that the experience of shocks in previous years positively correlates with households' savings per capita and income diversification. Further, a better absorptive capacity in the form of better savings and a better adaptive capacity in the form of higher income diversification have a significant and positive influence on household expenditure per capita and crop commercialization.Practical implicationsDevelopment policies and programs aiming to improve income, increase savings and provide income diversification opportunities are strongly recommended.Originality/valueThe authors provide empirical evidence on the determinants of resilience strategies and their impacts on local food commercialization from a country in the middle-income group.

Hygienic-sanitary characterization and proposal for the elaboration of essential operational requirements for street foods sold in Brazilian food trucks

The Food Truck segment has become a food option with quality and reduced cost. The objective of the present work was to analyze the hygienic-sanitary quality of street foods sold in food trucks and to propose essential operational requirements for the control of hazards associated with this food sector. The cross-sectional descriptive study model was used with the application of a questionnaire to verify the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the food handlers of the trucks in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a checklist to evaluate the structural conditions and compliance with the standards provided for in legislation. Among the handlers, 60% did not wash their hands properly, 62.9% did not have a training course and 18% of the trucks did not have a sink with potable water. Non-conformities were also observed at the points of sale, mainly due to the absence of an exhaust system and protection gutter for lamps. Thus, a proposal of essential operational requirements for food trucks was elaborated. There is a clear need to recognize this segment as an integral part of the commercialization of street food, proposing a specific control, increasing inspection, and use of a training program.

Violations in the marketing of milks and complementary foods that compete with breastfeeding in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil.

ABSTRACTObjective:To analyze if milk and complementary foods are being sold under the Brazilian Code of Marketing of Infant and Toddler's Food, Teats, Pacifiers and Baby Bottles (NBCAL), Law 11265/2006 of breastfeeding protection.Methods:Epidemiological survey that analyzed the marketing practices of pharmacies, supermarkets, and department stores in the Southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by direct observation.Results:Among the 349 stores in Rio de Janeiro's South Region, 339 traded milk and complementary foods and, among them, 60.8% were not complying with NBCAL. Infractions to NBCAL were more common for the selling of milk (58.6%) than complementary foods (22.8%). The most recurrent promotion strategy infringing NBCAL was discount pricing without the Ministry of Health disclaimer.Conclusions:Most retail stores infringe NBCAL in the commercialization of milk and complementary foods in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a violation of the right to information that may impact mothers’ choice regarding their child's feeding.

Evaluation of food commercialization parameters in retail stores to support interventions in the food environment

Interventions in retail food stores, focused on the consumer based on social marketing strategies and also focused on storeowners based on strategies to support establishments, have shown to be promising in changing consumer behavior and promoting healthy eating. For an appropriate intervention, a proper diagnosis of the stores is needed, identifying characteristics that may facilitate or hamper an intervention implementation. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the parameters of food commercialization in retail food stores. This is a cross-sectional study, in which 9 retail food stores of low-income regions were assessed, at Santos city. To evaluate such stores, an instrument with 48 questions was developed and validated. As a result, fruits and vegetables were more frequently acquired through the self-purchase mechanism, and whole foods were received via food distributors. Fruit acquisitions were more frequent (1-3 x/week) than wholegrain foods procurements (1-2 x/month), what can be explained by the food groups’ distinct perishability. Regarding profitability degree, fruits and vegetables had smaller scores than those of whole foods. Evaluating commercialization parameters is useful for developing interventions to make retail food stores healthier, increasing exposure to healthy foods and, from there, contribute to changing consumer behavior. In addition, it can contribute to promoting public policies to strengthen retail food stores, which are important to the habits and food consumption in Brazil.

Survival and Acidification Potential of Lactobacillus Plantarum MNC 21 Stored in Air-Dried Sorghum Flours

Increased commercialization of indigenous fermented foods requires availability of affordable starter cultures. The starters should also maintain functionality when stored at ambient conditions, especially where erratic power supply makes constant refrigeration unachievable. This study evaluated the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum MNC 21 starter culture air-dried (at 25 or 30°C) in sorghum flour and stored at 25°C for 30 days. Two sorghum varieties (malted and un-malted) were used. To determine their fermentation efficiency during storage, sterile sorghum malt slurries were inoculated with the dried culture and fermented at 30°C for 24 h. Acidification potential was determined at 5 days intervals by measuring microbial counts, pH and titratable acidity. Microbial concentrations dropped from 8-9 log cfu/g on day 0 to 1 log cfu/g on day 30. Sorghum variety and whether it was malted or un-malted did not affect culture survival. Culture dried at 25°C had better survival during the first 10 days (8-9 log cfu/g) than that dried at 30°C (8 log cfu/g) but survival between days 20-30 was similar (1-4 log cfu/g). The acidification potential (ability to reduce pH to ≤4.5) decreased with storage time: 4 h (day 0), 24 h (day 15), &gt; 24 h (day 20) to no acidification (days 25-30). Air drying of starter cultures in sorghum flours coupled with storage at ambient temperatures could be adopted as a short-term preservation method. This low-cost technology is suitable for processors in developing countries where maintenance of a cold chain is hampered by unreliable electricity supply.

Hungry for Revolution: The Politics of Food and the Making of Modern Chile

Hungry for Revolution: The Politics of Food and the Making of Modern Chile