Food Packets Research Articles

Young Consumer’s Awareness on Food Packet Labeling in Rural Tamil Nadu – A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

Abstract Background: Food labeling is one medium by which consumers can acquire knowledge about the food they consider buying. This type of information is becoming increasingly important in a food market where direct contact with personnel over the counter is declining. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of awareness on food packet labeling and to explore the contributing factors of food packet label awareness among college students in Villupuram district, rural Tamil Nadu. Methodology: The study was carried out among 113 college students studying in Government Arts and Science College, Thiruvennainallur village, located in Villupuram district. A convergent mixed methods study design was used. A structured self-administered questionnaire was given to the students who participated in the National Nutrition Week awareness program. The questionnaire included variables such as checking for date of manufacturing, date of packaging, best-before date, storage conditions, lot number/code number/batch number, containing FSSAI code, and checking list of ingredients. In-depth interview was conducted among eight students who volunteered to explore the reasons for not checking food packet labels and solutions to improve the visibility of food package labeling. Categorical variables were summarized using percentages. Manual content analysis was done for in-depth interviews. Results: It was found that more than 90% of the study participants check for food packet labels, best-before dates, and date of packaging. However, more than half of the participants did not check for lot/code/batch number and storage conditions. The most common reason for not checking food labels was package-related factors such as font size very small, hidden, and hard to find and trust on brand and seller. The most common solution to improve the visibility of food labeling was increasing the font size and highlighting the important information. Conclusions: Our study highlights the level of awareness about food labels among youngsters and the solutions to improve the visibility of food labels. Need-based interventions have to be done to ensure the food safety of the consumers.

Characterisation and energy storage performance of 3D printed-photocurable resin/microencapsulated phase change material composite

The 3D fabrication of microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) doped resin polymer composites enables the creation of complex shapes and customized designs, opening doors for many applications in fields. This investigation fabricated a range of resin/MEPCM (20 %, 30 %, and 40 % by volume) composites using a mechanical mixing technique. This study investigates how the addition of MEPCM impacts resin matrix composite's mechanical strength, latent heat storage characteristics, and ability to regulate temperature effectively. With a 40 % MEPCM additive ratio, a pure resin porosity value of approximately 0.4 % increased to around 17 %. Thanks to the production of homogeneously dispersed MEPCM added resins with production with stereolithography (SLA), 40 % MEPCM additive enabled characteristic FTIR peaks of both MEPCM and resin to appear and, melting and solidification enthalpy values reached 87.15 j/g and 86.25 j/g, respectively. MEPCM addition enhanced the thermoregulatory properties of resin by absorbing or releasing heat during temperature fluctuations. On hotter days, 8 mm-thick composites create temperature differences exceeding 11 °C, while this difference exceeds 6 °C in the room center case. The produced 3D printed MEPCM/resin composite can be a potential material to effectively regulate the temperature of electronic devices, food packets, building materials, and electronic devices and automotive components.

Enhanced adsorption of bisphenol-A from water through the application of isocyanurate based hyper crosslinked resin

The widespread utility of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the production of diverse plastic substances including mineral water bottles, food packets, toys, tickets, etc. leads to its release to the environment through industrial effluents that contaminate both the surface and underground water. Given its higher toxicity and harmful effects on both human health and aquatic life, the adsorption of BPA has been the subject of recent studies at present. Herein, we disclose the synthesis of a new hyper cross-linked resin (ICYN-PPA), derived from commercially available 3,3′-(piperazine-1,4-diyl)bis(propan-1-amine) and tris(2,3-epoxypropyl) isocyanurate in a single step reaction, and its adsorptive performance for the removal of BPA from aqueous solution. The thermally stable ICYN-PPA, which is porous and exhibits different sizes of particles on its surface, displayed optimum removal of BPA. The isothermal studies were well represented by the Koble-Corrigan model, where the capacity increased from 216.6 to 228.6 mg g−1 with an increasing temperature of 318 K. The linear driving force model (LDF) was efficient in representing the kinetic data. Whereas the system tends to reach equilibrium after 350 min. The surface diffusion coefficients were 1.301 × 10−16 and 1.859 × 10−16 cm2 s−1 for BPA adsorption on isocyanurate based hyper crosslinked resins. The thermodynamic parameters confirmed the endothermic nature of the process (ΔH0 = 35.83 kJ mol−1) based on physical interactions.

Multi-sensing Platform Based on Two-Dimensional Monoelement Germanane.

Covalently functionalized germanane is a novel type of fluorescent probe that can be employed in material science and analytical sensing. Here, we developed a fluorometric sensing platform based on methyl-functionalized germanane (CH3 Ge) for gas (humidity and ammonia) sensing, pH (1-9) sensing, and anti-counterfeiting. A luminescence (red-orange) is seen when a gas molecule intercalates into the interlayer space of CH3 Ge and the luminescence disappears upon deintercalation. This allows for direct detection of gas absorption via fluorometric measurements of the CH3 Ge. Structural and optical properties of CH3 Ge with intercalated gas molecules are investigated by density functional theory. To demonstrate real-time and on-the-spot testing, we first precisely quantified absorbed gas molecules (humidity and ammonia) by CH3 Ge using a smartphone camera with an installed color intensity processing application (APP). Further, CH3 Ge film was integrated into real food packets (e.g., fish and milk) to monitor the shelf life of perishable foods. The band gap changes and optical response of CH3 Ge to various gas molecules were examined using density functional theory calculations. Finally, CH3Ge-based rewritable paper was applied in water jet printing to illustrate the potential for secret communication with quick coloration and good reversibility by water evaporation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Comparative Study of CNN Models for Defect Detection in Food Packets

Comparative Study of CNN Models for Defect Detection in Food Packets

Rag-Pickers and Their Young Children During COVID-19: Exploring Issues in Parenting and Feasible Social Work Response.

Strict lockdown measures and the pandemic brought immense risks and misery to those already living on the margins of society before the COVID-19 crisis even hit the world. The present study was conducted with rag-pickers, one of the marginalized groups living in Jaipur city of India. The lives of these marginalized populations became more complicated during the pandemic. Due to movement restrictions during the lockdown, access to primary resources was further reduced - from water and sanitation to food, health, and employment, impacting the care and protection they could provide their young children. Rag-pickers, one of the most marginalized communities that face social stigma, struggled to cope with daily life challenges. Young children in such families suffered alongside their parents when the families could not continue their livelihood and lost all sources of income. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on thenurturing care of children below eightyears of age living in Jaipur, India, accentuating the human rights violations they face right from birth. Many humanitarian relief measures poured in during the lockdown period distributing free food packets and dry rations to the marginalized families. COVID-19increased parenting challengesfor this community. Protection of these families during the ongoing pandemic as well as future pandemics must become a strategic imperative. The paper enumerates feasible social work responses to the issues rag-pickers and their childrenconfront.

Exploring the influence of food labels and advertisements on eating habits of children: a cross-sectional study from Punjab, India

BackgroundMaintaining healthy eating habits among children is challenging due to industrial tactics. There is little research on the effect of nutritional labels and tv ads on the eating habits of children. So the primary aim of the study was to explore the noticeability of the food packaging labels by the children, the information retrieved from the food nutrition labels, and their role in increased frequency of eating out in addition to the perceptions of their parents about the television ads.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at schools in Punjab, India. Using multi-stage stratified random sampling, we included 722 school-going children aged 14–18 and their parents. A structured predefined questionnaire collected data using a four-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to draw our inferences.ResultsAbout 46% of children were eating out > 3 times a week. Nearly 49% said they never looked at the expiry dates on the food packet, and 40% have yet to notice the quality certification. Nearly half do not understand the components of the food label, and 59% said they never changed their buying behavior because of the label. Only 37% of parents expressed their concerns about the timing of the ads when children watch television, while only 25.5% were concerned about the accuracy of the information. Concerns of the parents regarding the timing of the ads, and celebrity endorsements, were potential predictors for the increased frequency of eating out by the children.ConclusionsLow awareness regarding the utility of nutrition labels and minimal concerns of the parents increase the frequency of eating out. Unification of our existing policies regarding food labels and tv advertisements to develop family-centric interventions will bring us one step closer to improving the enabling environment to curb the growing menace of childhood obesity.

Simulation study to assess the effectiveness of gamma radiation for inactivation of viruses on food packaging material

The recent COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe has raised the concern about the possible transmission of viruses through food packaging material during domestic and international trade. Therefore, mitigation strategies are needed to address these safety issues. Preliminary in-silico study showed that interactions between food packaging material and viral surface proteins were possibly hydrophobic in nature with most favourable interaction having a binding free energy of −5.24 kcal/mol. Since these interactions can cause viruses to adsorb on the food packets and get transmitted during supply chain, it is necessary to inactivate the viruses. In this context, efficacy of gamma irradiation in inactivating the viruses on the food packaging material was assessed. For this simulation study P1 (virulent) bacteriophage of E. coli was used as a model system. Gamma irradiation of food packets at an absorbed dose >8 kGy was found to completely inactivate the infectivity of P1(virulent) bacteriophage when co-cultured with E. coli host and assayed for viral plaque formation. Reduction in infectivity of P1(vir) phage was more prominent at ambient temperature (25 ± 2 °C) as compared to cold temperature (6 ± 2 °C) when assayed after storage (one week). Gamma irradiation (2 kGy) completely inactivated the virus particles on food packets when stored for 1 week at both the above temperatures. It is thus proposed that gamma irradiation (2 kGy) can possibly be integrated as a final treatment of the packaged food products to rule out the possibility of viral transmission. However, the efficacy of radiation processing against different pathogenic viruses needs to be determined prior to actual commercial deployment.

A STUDY ON POPULARITY OF READY TO EAT FOOD PACKETS AMONG WOMEN OF AHMEDABAD CITY

Today, most societies are made up of nuclear families where most probably, the Women (mother) of the house are employed. Women purchase Ready to Eat Food Packets because it saves their time & they found them more delicious than Home Made food. Most Women were not read information written on Ready to Eat Food Packets while purchasing like manufacturing date, expiry date, ingredients, Veg.-Non Veg. Symbol, etc. This shows that they hadn’t any knowledge about this necessary information about Food safety & Food spoilage, which causes illness to their family.

Design and Fabrication of Portable PPE Kit Sterilization

Abstract: Medical demands during the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered a grave shortage of medical-grade personal protective equipment (PPE), especially, N95 respirators. N95 respirators are critical for the personal protection of medical providers and others when being exposed to individuals with infections caused by the SARS- CoV-2 coronavirus. To address the shortage of PPE Kit & N95 respirators, innovative methods are needed to decontaminate coronaviruses from N95 respirators & PPE Kit, allowing them to be safely reused by healthcare workers. For this research, we use a commercial ozone disinfecting cabinet to examine the efficacy of ozone-based disinfection of a conservative surrogate virus for SARS-CoV-2/Ultra Violet radiation, Chlorination, washing with soap and heating are some methods of sterilizing. Ultra Violet light is thebest sterilizing and disinfectant agent, used for domestic as well as clinical purpose. Food packets, books, stationery, medical equipment’s, toys, electronic gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, wrist watches, etc. can be sterilized with UV radiation whereasother methods of sterilization cannot be used. UV light does not release any waste andis eco-friendly, if used in a controlled manner. UV radiation is a range of electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelength (high frequency and energy). The wavelength from 100-280 nm known as UV-C isthe best disinfectant used for purifying water, air, sterilizing vegetables and surgical equipment’s. Research has shown that UV-C wavelength can kill harmful fungi, protozoa, bacteria and viruses like SARS- CoV-2 Virus. The article describes the construction of a low-cost UV-C Sterilizer Boxwhere UV radiation is taking place in a closed environment. Safety features are also incorporated to prevent humans from UV light exposure. The germicidal property of ultraviolet-C is well known. This review will cover the most commonly described methods for sterilization of PPE Kit, namely, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. These techniques have been tested previously and have demonstrated efficacy in reducing or inactivating viral and bacterial pathogens, although testing against SARS-CoV-2 specifically has not been done. Moreover, it must be emphasized that proper disposal after a single use is still ideal under normal circumstances. Keywords: UV, UV-C LED, Sterilize, Ultraviolet-C; decontamination; N95 respirator; peracetic acid; SARS-CoV-2, ozone

Non-communicable diseases, type 2 diabetes, and influence of front of package nutrition labels on consumer’s behaviour: Reformulations and future scope

Background and aimNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) had an inverse impact on the economic stability of many nations all over the globe. We describe and recommend food policy measures to improve food package labelling and global eating patterns for the population to measure secondary prevention and behavioural change. MethodsA Literature search was done on standard search engines using key terms like diabetes, food package labelling, labelling laws, etc. ResultsConsumption of unhealthy ultra-processed foods is on the rise because of variable choices at the supermarkets, restaurants, marts, and supermarkets. People who had a 10% increase of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in their diet had a 15% greater chance of developing T2D. This translates to roughly four portions of processed food per day. In India, the consumption of UPF is on the rise, and the related industry is mounting by 40% each year, placing India at 10th place in the fast-food per capita spending figures. Many labelling systems have been proposed and well-designed but with advantages. A trustworthy and helpful FOPL is one that most people will understand clearly and know what is in the food they are buying. It simply discourages the consumers from consuming high-energy, calorie-dense products as they can quickly and effectively identify products that are high in salt, sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, or total fats. ConclusionMany countries such as Chile, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore have initiated steps to include food labels, especially FOPL, on the food packets. It's the right opportunity for India to introduce an identical replica of the Chilean model.

A Comprehensive Review of the Development of Carbohydrate Macromolecules and Copper Oxide Nanocomposite Films in Food Nanopackaging

Background. Food nanopackaging helps maintain food quality against physical, chemical, and storage instability factors. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) can improve biopolymers' mechanical features and barrier properties. This will lead to antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in food packaging to extend the shelf life. Scope and Approach. Edible coatings based on carbohydrate biopolymers have improved the quality of packaging. Several studies have addressed the role of carbohydrate biopolymers and incorporated nanoparticles to enhance food packets' quality as active nanopackaging. Combined with nanoparticles, these biopolymers create film coatings with an excellent barrier property against transmissions of gases such as O2 and CO2. Key Findings and Conclusions. This review describes the CuO-biopolymer composites, including chitosan, agar, cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose nanowhiskers, carrageenan, alginate, starch, and polylactic acid, as food packaging films. Here, we reviewed different fabrication techniques of CuO biocomposites and the impact of CuONPs on the physical, mechanical, barrier, thermal stability, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of carbohydrate-based films.

Coastal dunes as a sink and secondary source of marine plastics: A study at Perran Beach, southwest England

Plastic food packaging and containers (n = 263) have been retrieved from the scarped foredunes at Perran Beach, SW England, following a storm surge. Samples displayed evidence of cracking, scratching, discolouration, staining and hydroxyl and carbonyl stretching, but legible text indicating their origin, dates of manufacture/expiration, packaging codes and logos, coupled with online product searches, allowed 25 food packets and 87 containers to be aged. Estimates of food packaging age spanned a 43-year period (1975–2018), with a median age of 25 years, while estimates for containers spanned 57 years (1962–2019), with a median age of 19 years. Plastic derived from local littering and offshore sources appears to be trapped within the foredunes for years to decades and subsequently released as “fresh” beach litter following surges sufficient to effect scarping. Dunal systems may act as significant reservoirs of historical plastics and play a critical role in their recycling and retention in the coastal zone.

A STUDY ON KNOWLEDGE AND UTILIZATION OF READY TO EAT FOOD PACKET UNDER ICDS PROJECT IN URBAN AREA YADUNANDAN NAGAR, BILASPUR (C.G.)

BACKGROUND:The Integrated child Development services (ICDS) is India's response to the challenge of meeting the holistic need of the child. ICDS is one of the world's largest and most unique outreach programme for early childhood care and development. In case of children between the age group of 6 months to three years, supplementary food item is provided to carry home. And this is in the form of “READY TO EAT” food packet. OBJECTIVE: 1. To assess the utilization of Ready to Eat food packets by children 6month to 36 month under ICDS project. 2. To assess the knowledge regarding Ready to Eat food packets by children 6month to 36 month under ICDS project. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A community based cross sectional study conducted in 11 Anganwadis. 20 Children of 6 months to 3 years were picked from each Anganwadi by convenience sampling method thus total sample were 220each.Mx-Excel and SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULT: Mean score of knowledge was 5.95. 156 (71 %) had good knowledge scores .80% of respondent knew about the different type of available food packets, its contents and advantages. Mean score of utilization was 16.77. The responses with regard to practice were average only (52%) of the participants although only 72% consumed entire food packet .67% have noticed improvement of health 61% respondents wanted to continue food as it was good for health, 18% as it is free of cost, 14% as food tastes good, 7% as it is timely available. CONCLUSION: According to the study we concluded that knowledge of the Ready to Eat food packet under ICDS were adequate but utilization of the Ready to Eat food packet is just satisfactory in urban aanganwadis

Promoting healthier diets in India through “Front of Package Food Labeling”

The rising NCDs are attributed to an epidemiological health transition resulting from rapid urbanization, sedentary lifestyle, and transforming nutritional preferences. The behavioral risk factors like the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle and changing dietary pattern have resulted in the consumption of an unhealthy diet, building up and less burning of calories. It has been observed that nutrition labeling has played a crucial role in shaping consumer level food behavior. Many labeling systems have been proposed and designed as per country specific needs. Consumers face many challenges while accessing the food packets, small fonts, labeling on the back side, not understanding its language, and unable to evaluate the nutritional information which is described on the packets. Our aim should be to improve the information available within the food package, increase food information accessible to the people, and more importantly, the use of this information must be brought into service by the consumers as to make healthy food choices. Chile's approach to warning labels is currently considered the gold standard in the FOPL system, which have significantly reduced the consumption of unhealthy foods by people. There is a need to introduce the replica of the same Chile’s FOPL system in India. It's time to make the right move and make India a global leader in FOPL food systems by the introduction of strong and stringent FOPL laws that may help consumers with informed food choices and FSSAI may play a leadership role in this.

Representasi Masyarakat Aktif di Masa Pandemi Covid-19 (Studi Ekonomi dan Sosial Keberagamaan di Bausasran Danurejan Yogyakarta)

<p>The purpose of this study consists of two points. First, explore the responses and strategies of the Bausasran community in overcoming economic problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Second, reviewing the religious ritual protocol of the Bausasran community during the Covid-19 pandemic. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative. Collecting data was used two tecniques, that were observation and interview. Both of tecniques were did in accordance with health protocols in a pandemic situation.</p><p>Based on the results of research conducted, community of Bausasran Yogyakarta were able to overcome the problem of food security, especially for economically vulnerable groups due to the pandemic. A strategy was carried out through a food packets distribution movement. The distribution of food packets carried out by the community for residents who lost their source of income during the pandemic. The funds of food packets were obtained from compulsory contributions made by residents every month through the RT and RW management. Then in the socio-religious aspect, local leaders together with residents made worship protocols for worshipers at the mosque according to the appeal of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion. In addition, it eliminated crowd routine religious activities. Based on this, it can be concluded that the local initiation from the Bausasran community in Yogyakarta is a representation of the active society, described by Amitai Etzioni who utilizes three factors: knowledge, decision making, and power.</p>

Preparation, Characterization and In Vivo Biocompatibility Studies of Cotton Cellulose Nanofibers.

Cellulose nanofibers have mechanical properties that make them very attractive in a myriad of fields such as biomedicine, tissue engineering, biosensors, cosmetics and food packet products. To evaluate the potential health risks of airborne cellulose nanofibers, the cellulose nanofiber was prepared and characterized and then its pulmonary potential toxicity to a mouse model was studied. Cellulose nanofiber has been prepared by acid hydrolysis of cotton cellulose and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential and X-ray diffraction analysis. Then, using a short-term inhalation test, the pulmonary biocompatibility of cotton cellulose nanofibers at different concentrations (0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL) were evaluated. Transmission electron images showed needle-shaped particle with a diameter of about 6-18 nm and a length of 85-225 μm. Zeta potential was -25.3±7.80 mV and the X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that cotton cellulose nanofiber has pure structural characteristics. The In Vivo results revealed that the exposure to cotton cellulose nanofiber did not alter the number of inflammatory cells or cytokine secretion by lung cells (p > 0.05). The results demonstrate that the cotton cellulose nanofiber is biocompatible and it is an environment-friendly nanomaterial with promise in various industrial sectors.

Modelling the dietary impact of health-related claims on food labels in the UK

AbstractHealth-related claims (HRCs) are statements found on food packets that convey the nutritional quality of a food (nutrition claims) and/or its impact on a health outcome (health claims). Foods carrying HRCs have a slightly improved nutritional profile than foods without HRCs, however, it's unclear whether this translates into dietary improvements. We conducted a modelling study to measure the effect of HRCs on diet. As HRCs are already present on foods it is assumed that any impact that they have upon diet are already in effect. We modelled the impact on food purchases of removing HRCs, by assuming that the sales boost they receive is neutralised. These results can be inverted to estimate the current dietary impact of HRCs. Using the Living Costs Food (LCF) survey data, we calculate the average purchases and nutrient intake per person, per day. The LCF data is divided into sales of products with HRCs and sales of products without HRCs through solving mathematical equations combining LCF sales data with odds ratios from a meta-analysis examining the impact of HRCs on choices and data from a survey of foods examining the prevalence of HRCs and the nutritional quality of foods that carry them so that the sum of the sales of products with HRCs and without HRCs is equal to the total sales of products. Similarly, mathematical equations are solved that combine nutritional composition data with the sales of foods carrying and not carrying HRCs. In the baseline scenario foods carrying HRCs made-up 37% of the total purchases, and contributed 29% (559kcal) of the total kcals purchased (1907kcal). When HRCs are removed from foods there is an average increase of 18kcal/d (95% Uncertainty Intervals [UI] -15, 52), + 2g/d increase in total fat (95% UI -1, 4) and saturated fat (95% UI 1, 3), smaller changes are seen for protein (+ 0.5g/d, 95% UI -1, 2), total sugar (+ 0.5g/d, 95% UI -4, 7) and carbohydrate (-0.5g/d, 95% UI -5, 7). There is reduction in the amount of fruit (-11g/d, 95% UI -34, 26) but an increase in vegetables (+ 6g/d, 95% UI -6, 19). These results should be interpreted with caution due to the large uncertainty intervals. When HRCs are removed, we see a small deterioration in the quality of the average diet. If we invert these findings we can assume HRCs currently have a positive, albeit small, impact on diet.

Regulating health and nutrition claims in the UK using a nutrient profile model: an explorative\xa0modelled health impact assessment

BackgroundHealth-related claims (HRCs) are statements found on food packets that convey the nutritional quality of a food (nutrition claims) and/or its impact on a health outcome (health claims).The EU stated that HRCs should be regulated such that they can only appear on foods that meet a specified nutrient profile (NP). A NP model has been proposed, but not agreed by the European Commission.MethodsTo model the impact of HRCs on health impacts in the UK, we built a front-end model to a pre-established non-communicable-disease (NCD) scenario model, the Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl (PRIME) by combining data from a meta-analysis examining the impact of HRCs on dietary choices and a survey of pre-packaged foods examining the prevalence of HRCs and the nutritional quality of foods that carry them. These data are used to model the impact of regulating HRCs on the nutritional quality of the diet and PRIME is used to model the health outcomes associated with these changes. Two scenarios are modelled: regulating HRCs with a NP model (the FSANZ NPSC and a draft EU model) so that only foods that pass the model are eligible to carry HRCs, and reformulating HRC-carrying foods that fail the model.ResultsRegulating the use of HRCs with a NP model (the FSANZ NPSC) would have unclear impacts on population health and could potentially lead to less healthy diets. This is because HRCs are currently more likely to be found on products with a better nutritional profile and restricting their use could shift consumers to less healthy diets. Two hundred fifty-eight additional deaths (95% Uncertainty Intervals [UI] -6509, 8706) were predicted if foods did not change in their nutrient composition. If all foods that currently carry HRCs were reformulated to meet the NP model criteria then there would be a positive impact of using the model: (4374 deaths averted (95%UI -2569, 14,009)). The largest contributor to the uncertainty is the underpowered estimates of nutritional quality of foods with and without claims.ConclusionsRegulating HRCs could result in negative health impacts, however the wide uncertainty intervals from this analysis demonstrate that a larger health impact assessment is necessary.

Obesity in Children - An alarming problem in Kaumarbhritya

A roly-poly child obviously attracts many attentions but if the trend remains unchanged it could be a reason of worry as this is the primitive sign of childhood obesity which is the leading problem in today’s era. With continuous change in life style and dietary habits, child has become the victim of many diseases and obesity (Sthaulya) is one of them. There are and were some human activists talking about reducing the weight of study bags; but none is thinking about the weight our babies are carrying. In present era both parents are working, to earn the luxuries and amusements, so the kids are left with the food packets at home with idiot boxes to see some “de-shaped” cartoons resulting in the reduction of healthy nutritious diet and also reducing their body activity. The body weight of our babies is putting pressure on their “cuteness”, their “happiness”, their “emotions” and on their “being”. In Ayurveda it needs step by step examination and treatment to break the ‘Dushtasamprapti Chakra’ of Sthaulya by both non pharmacological such as Yoga and pharmacological remedies such as Panchakarma therapy, Shamana therapy etc. to achieve the goal.