Labeling Of Food Products Research Articles

Application of machine-learning methods to milk mid-infrared spectra for discrimination of cow milk from pasture or total mixed ration diets

The prevalence of "grass-fed" labeled food products on the market has increased in recent years, often commanding a premium price. To date, the majority of methods used for the authentication of grass-fed source products are driven by auditing and inspection of farm records. As such, the ability to verify grass-fed source claims to ensure consumer confidence will be important in the future. Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is widely used in the dairy industry as a rapid method for the routine monitoring of individual herd milk composition and quality. Further harnessing the data from individual spectra offers a promising and readily implementable strategy to authenticate the milk source at both farm and processor levels. Herein, a comprehensive comparison of the robustness, specificity, and accuracy of 11 machine-learning statistical analysis methods were tested for the discrimination of grass-fed versus non-grass-fed milks based on the MIR spectra of 4,320 milk samples collected from cows on pasture or indoor total mixed ration-based feeding systems over a 3-yr period. Linear discriminant analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were demonstrated to offer the greatest level of accuracy for the prediction of cow diet from MIR spectra. Parsimonious strategies for the selection of the most discriminating wavelengths within the spectra are also highlighted.

Analysis of Drug-Drug Interaction Labeling Language and Clinical Recommendations for Newly Approved Drugs Evaluated With Digoxin, Midazolam, and S-Warfarin

PurposeTo best promote drug tolerability and efficacy in the clinic, data from drug-drug interaction (DDI) evaluations and subsequent translation of the results to DDI prevention and/or management strategies must be incorporated into the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product labeling in a consistent manner because differences in language might result in varied interpretations. This analysis aimed to assess the consistency in DDI labeling language in New Drug Applications (NDAs). MethodsNDAs of recently approved drugs (2012-2020) that increase the exposure of digoxin, midazolam, and S-warfarin, index substrates of P-glycoprotein, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, and CYP2C9 activity, respectively, were fully reviewed. Noninhibitors were also evaluated to appreciate the extent of mechanistic extrapolation in case of negative index studies. FindingsAfter a systematic review of the DDI studies available in NDAs, FDA-approved labeling, and commonly used clinical tertiary resources, differences in DDI results presentation and resulting clinical recommendations were found, even for inhibitors that affect similarly the exposure of the same index substrate. Studies with negative results were often reported in the labels without providing mechanistic interpretation, thus limiting the possible extrapolation of this information to other known substrates. ImplicationsThe variability in language affects how the information was presented to clinicians in tertiary resources. Strategies that aim to improve the translation of mechanistic DDI index studies into consistent labeling recommendations are briefly discussed in this review.

A European perspective on “clean eating”: Commentary on Negowetti et al. (2021)

Negowetti et al. (2021) have provided insightful perspectives on the public health implications of the labeling of "clean" dietary products in the United States through a scoping review, along with feasible strategies to counteract the risks of this trend. Although the European Union has already fairly strict regulations about declaration of ingredients and health claims regarding food that makes it almost impossible to label food products as "clean," the clean eating trend is alive and expanding in Europe, and usage of expressions such as "clean" or "pure" in other ways than on the label may convey similar messages that cannot be regulated by law. Increased regulation, legislation, and information through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as suggested by Negowetti et al. (2021) is a welcome contribution and will certainly help to prevent some misinformation. However, labels are just one battle field in addressing misleading expressions and trends. Scientists should enter the relevant fields (e.g., Internet, TV, and social media) to a higher extent and provide solid, pedagogical and simple facts, and guidelines to vaccinate people against current and upcoming misleading dietary trends.

What Do Carbon Labels Signal? the Role of Biospheric Values on Perceptions of “Green” Food Consumers

ABSTRACT Costly signaling theory suggests that individuals might be more likely to consume sustainable food products if doing so signals an underlying prosocial value to others. However, it is unclear whether prosocial signals are equally interpreted by others. We study whether consumers of carbon-labeled (vs. non carbon-labeled) products are perceived more positively and if observers’ biospheric values and product prices influence such perceptions. An experimental study (N = 229) assessed participants’ perceptions of consumers of carbon and non-carbon labeled food products described as being either cheaper or more-expensive-than-average. Results indicated that consumers of carbon-labeled products were perceived more positively and that such perceptions were accentuated when observers strongly endorsed biospheric values. Further, positive perceptions of consumers occurred regardless of a product’s price, although effects were strongest amongst observers with high biospheric value endorsement when products were cheap and carbon-labeled. Implications for carbon labeling initiatives and food marketing more generally are discussed.

Assessing Consumer Buy and Pay Preferences for Labeled Food Products with Statistical and Machine Learning Methods

Food labeling is one approach to encourage safe, healthy, and sustainable dietary practices. Consumer buy and pay preferences for specially labeled food products (e.g., U.S. Department of Agriculture organic, raised without antibiotics, and locally raised) may promote the adoption of associated production practices by food producers. Thus, it is important to understand how consumer buy and pay preferences for specially labeled products vary with their demographics, food-relevant habits, and foodborne disease perceptions. Using both conventional statistical and novel machine learning models, this study analyzed Michigan State University Environmental Science and Policy Program annual survey data (2019) to characterize consumer buy and pay preferences regarding eight labels related to food production practices. Older consumer age was significantly associated with lower consumer willingness to pay more for labeled products. Participants who prefer to shop in nonconventional grocery stores were more willing to buy and pay more for labeled products. Our machine learning models provide a new approach for analyzing food safety and labeling survey data and produced adequate average prediction accuracy scores for all eight labels. The label "raised without antibiotics" had the highest average prediction accuracy for consumer willingness to buy. Thus, the machine learning models may be used to analyze food survey data and help develop strategies for promoting healthy food production practices.

Evaluation of a front-of-pack food labeling intervention on a college campus

Objective: To evaluate the process of implementation and impact of a front-of-pack labeling intervention on purchases of labeled food products. Participants: A convenience sample of 111 college students were recruited to complete a survey as they exited markets where the intervention was being implemented. Participants had to have purchased at least one consumable item. Methods: Intercept surveys and audits were conducted at three markets, two times each over a period of three weeks. Results: The audits indicated high implementation fidelity (82% overall). However, customer surveys revealed that only 42% noticed the front-of-pack sticker, and the majority (89%) did not purchase an item with the sticker. However, customers who noticed the sticker were significantly more likely to purchase an item with the sticker (p = .002). Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of a front-of-pack labeling intervention in a university market setting.

Влияние процесса проращивания зерен злаковых культур на их пищевую ценность

The sprouting process leads to the activation and synthesis of hydrolytic enzymes that make nutrients available for plant growth and development. Consumption of sprouted grains is considered beneficial for human health. The positive consumer perception of sprouted grains of grain crops is stimulating the development of new food products. However, because of the lack of a basic definition of «sprouted grain», it is not clear when grain should be called sprouted. In addition, there are currently no quality criteria for sprouted grains. Accordingly, there is no regulatory framework for the development of appropriate labeling of food products containing sprouted grains. The review examines the nutritional value of sprouted grains of grain crops depending on the conditions of sprouting and provides recommendations for the optimization of sprouting methods to maximize the nutritional value. Relatively long sprouting time (at least 2 days) at sufficiently high temperatures (20 to 35 °C) are necessary for the synthesis of bioactive plant compounds Changes in nutritional value as a result of sprouting are often related to health benefits. However, there are very few confirmatory clinical research, and no conclusions about the health benefits of sprouted grains can be reached at this time. Furthermore, sprouted grains are not a traditional raw material in the food industry and therefore it is difficult to use sprouted grains as a recipe ingredient in food production without losing their nutrients. This review provides a basis for a more precise definition of the «sprouting» process, and allows us to determine directions for further research and development in this area.

Consumer Preferences for Private Label Brand vs. National Brand Organic Juice and Eggs: A Latent Class Approach

Many retailers have expanded and diversified their private label food product assortment by offering premium-quality private label food products such as organic products. With price being identified as the major barrier for organic food purchases, private label organic food products could be a suitable and more affordable alternative for many consumers. While numerous studies have examined consumer preferences for organic food, very few organic food studies have incorporated the concept of private labels. This study addresses this research gap by studying consumer preferences and willingness to pay for national brand and private label organic food using a latent class model. Specifically, this study analyzes consumer preferences for organic eggs and orange juice and the effect of national branding versus private label. Findings show heterogeneity in consumer preferences for production method and brand, with three consumer segments being identified based on their preferences for both juice and eggs. For eggs, about half of the consumers prefer private label and organic production, whereas one-quarter clearly prefers organic, and another quarter is indifferent about the brand and the organic production. For orange juice, the majority (75%) prefer the national brand. In addition, one-quarter of the consumers prefers organic juice, and about one-third values both organic and the national brand.

Active packaging technologies for clean label food products: a review

Active packaging technologies for clean label food products: a review

The involvement of young entrepreneurs in halal food products in Kelantan

Young people are the future of every nation and an essential asset to the economics of country development. Currently, young entrepreneurs’ involvement in the halal food industry is increased due to Malaysia government policy providing incentives, continuing supports, and various strategies or programs to develop young entrepreneurs. The purposes of this research paper are to determine the level of involvement among young entrepreneurs towards halal labels and to investigate the relationship between attitude, social norms, and perceived behavior control and the involvement of young entrepreneurs in the halal food product in Kelantan. In this research, a survey was conducted, and the questionnaire was distributed using purposive sampling toward 40 entrepreneurs aged between 15 to 30 years old in halal food products in Kelantan. The data collected were then analyzed using descriptive analysis, normality test, and Pearson correlation analysis. The study found that young entrepreneurs’ high involvement level and a significant relationship between social norms and perceived behavior towards involvement in halal food product labeling in Kelantan.

Consumer Behavior at Supermarkets during Grocery Shopping in Saudi Arabia: A National Observational Study.

Use of nutrition facts labels can be associated with healthier eating behaviors; however, consumers currently face difficulty understanding these labels or do not use them often. Thus, improving healthy grocery shopping behaviors among consumers might increase the overall health of the community. The study aims to explore consumers' behavior during grocery shopping and measure their basic knowledge regarding food product labels. A national observational study (cross-sectional) was carried out on a convenience sample of Saudi Arabian residents aged 18 years and above. The data were obtained from all 13 administrative regions in Saudi Arabia at three different major supermarkets in each region. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and binary logistic regression was used to investigate behavior variables. A total of 12,675 participants were observed; of those, 52.2% did not interact with the product before putting it in their shopping cart. The study found that the production date (66.6%) and expiry date (51%) were the most frequently checked aspects of food labels; they were checked more frequently than nutrition facts (29%). Furthermore, there was a low level of dietary knowledge among consumers and a moderate level of believing food packages and media claims. Our results suggest that the Saudi community's understanding of food product information is limited and greater awareness and community education campaigns are required to improve the use of nutritional labels and increase nutritional knowledge.

Determinants of Israeli consumers\u2019 decision to use food label information more frequently: a national survey study

BackgroundFood labeling to encourage healthier food choices may have positive long-term effects. Yet previous studies point to challenges in terms of how consumers understand and use labeling information. The current study seeks to determine how psychological factors related to health and nutrition, food label perceptions, nutrition habits and sociodemographic factors are associated with consumers’ decisions to seek and use the information on nutrition food labels more frequently.MethodsThe survey was conducted by a polling company in Israel between November 11 and December 12, 2019. Participants comprised a representative sample of the adult population in Israel age 21 and over. A total of 513 people returned the completed questionnaires, which included the following parts: personal details; frequency of searching for information on food product labels; perceived health risks of foods high in sodium, sugar and saturated fats; Health Belief Model constructs related to food labeling. The statistical analysis entailed ordinal logistics regressions.ResultsWhile 59.3% of the sample reported that the information on food labels often or always affects their decision to purchase a food product, more than 20% reported often or always consuming products that are high in sugar (32.0%), saturated fats (31.3%) and salt (20.4%). The results of the analytical model show the following HBM variables to be significantly associated with frequency of using information on food labels: higher levels of perceived benefit (OR = 1.72, CI 95% = 1.12–2.64); higher confidence in reading and understanding food labels (OR = 2.48, CI 95% = 1.62–3.78); and higher perceptions of the importance of nutrition (OR = 2.76, CI 95% =1.97–3.87). In addition, women and married people were found to use food label information more frequently.ConclusionsGeneral public information campaigns and HMOs campaigns with messages to motivate the use of food labels should emphasize the benefits of using labels to select food products. These messages should aim at increasing individuals’ perceived confidence in understanding the information on nutrition labels. The recent front-of-package labeling reform could be an important policy step for achieving healthier nutrition.

Guidance on the preparation and presentation of applications for exemption from mandatory labelling of food allergens and/or products thereof pursuant to Article 21 (2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

[Table: see text] Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on Scientific and technical guidance for the preparation and presentation of applications for exemption from mandatory labelling of food allergens and/or products thereof. This guidance applies to food ingredients or substances with known allergenic potential listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 or products thereof, and aims to assist applicants in the preparation and presentation of well-structured applications for exemption from labelling. It presents a common format for the organisation of the information to be provided and outlines the information and scientific data which must be included in the application, the hierarchy of different types of data and study designs, reflecting the relative strength of evidence which may be obtained from different study types and the key issues which must be addressed in the application in order to assess the likelihood of a food allergen-derived preparation/foodstuff(s) triggering adverse reactions in sensitive individuals under the proposed conditions of use. This guidance document was adopted by the NDA Panel in 2013 and updated in 2017 to reflect the application of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Upon request from the European Commission in 2020, it has been revised to inform applicants of new provisions in the pre-submission phase and submission application procedure set out in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/1381 on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain, that are applicable to all applications submitted as of 27 March 2021.

Do Fair Trade Labels Bias Consumers’ Perceptions of Food Products? A Comparison between a Central Location Test and Home-Use Test

Consumers are paying more and more attention to ethical and social criteria during grocery shopping. As a result, Fair Trade products which are certified to address global supply chain issues (e.g., forced labor, working conditions, fair pay), are gaining popularity. However, it is unclear to which extent Fair Trade labels might influence how consumers perceive such labelled food products. The aim of this research was to examine the potential effect of Fair Trade labels on several measurements (overall liking, sensory profiling, emotions, willingness-to-pay and kCal estimations). Furthermore, tests were carried out at a sensory lab and at home to examine if the evaluation context might impact the label effect. In total, 179 consumers participated in this study of which 90 carried out the test in the sensory test facilities (central location test—CLT) and 89 at home (home-use-test—HUT). Participants evaluated three pairs of food products (nuts, juice and chocolate) of which one was labelled as conventional and the other one as Fair Trade. However, participants were each time evaluating the same Fair Trade product. Results showed that the Fair Trade label increased the overall liking. For the juice and chocolate, a higher willingness-to-pay was found when the product was labelled as ‘Fair Trade’ while no effect of the label was established for the nuts. The Fair Trade label did not affect the kcal estimation of the samples. The Fair Trade label had a rather limited influence on the sensory and emotional profiling of the food products. Furthermore, the results of the CLT and HUT were highly similar indicating that the evaluation context has little impact on the labelling effect.

The health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names

PurposePast research has demonstrated a health halo for food product labels (e.g. organic), resulting in inflated perceptions of a product’s healthfulness (e.g. low fat). While past studies have focused on labeling and related health claims, the health halo of brand names has scarcely been investigated. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the health halo of brand names featuring morality- and purity-signifiers.Design/methodology/approachThe current research uses two experiments to examine the health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names on perceptions of nutritional and contaminant attributes. Mediation analysis is performed to investigate perceived naturalness as the mechanism for the brand name effects while moderated mediation analysis examines this mechanism across product types (healthy vs unhealthy).FindingsThe findings reveal that both the morality- and purity-signifying brand names produce a health halo on nutritional and contaminant attributes, regardless of product healthiness. Further, mediation and moderated mediation analysis provide evidence for perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism driving these effects.Social implicationsThis research highlights unwarranted consumer inferences made based upon food brand names and, thus has implications for consumers, public policy and marketing managers.Originality/valueWhile much health halo research has focused on labeling, this research examines the health halo of two brand name types which symbolically convey either morality or purity. This research provides additional contributions by investigating perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism for the effects and is one of the few studies to investigate the health halo for both healthy and unhealthy products.

Leafy Foods are Functional Feed Ingredients for Improved Animal Nutrition

There are significant environmental, economic and social factors favouring the reutilization of fruit and vegetable processing co-products in farm animal nutrition. Current evidence shows that fruit and vegetable processing co-products can be effectively used in farm animal nutrition as functional feed ingredients for the production of food products of improved quality. These ingredients comply with consumer requests for the production of “clean,” “natural” and “eco/green” label food products. The main parameters affecting extensive application of fruit and vegetable processing by-/co-products as functional feed ingredients in livestock nutrition are related to animal factors, logistics, and commercial value. Further research is needed to enable the commercial application of these products to livestock nutrition.

Citizen Surveillance of Misleading Food Labeling

At its core, a food label is a marketing device food manufacturers use to display their product’s most positive attributes in hopes of increasing product sales. In 1906, Congress charged the Food and Drug Administration with policing misleading labeling of food products to ensure that manufacturers present their products truthfully. As the number of food products on grocery store shelves has soared, the FDA has become a less effective enforcer of its statutory mandate. In lieu of government enforcement, state consumer protection statutes, modeled after the Federal Trade Commission Act, have given citizens the ability to directly hold food manufacturers accountable for their misleading marketing choices on food products. Consumers have taken up the mantle of surveillance of food labeling claims, and food labeling litigation has skyrocketed in the last ten years. Nevertheless, one hurdle has consistently blocked litigants from holding companies accountable for their intentionally vague labeling: the reasonable consumer test. Deferring to the Federal Trade Commission’s Deception Policy, state consumer protection statutes uniformly require a plaintiff to prove that a reasonable consumer is likely to be misled by the product’s labeling to succeed on a misleading labeling claim. In practice, this test has frequently prevented plaintiffs from succeeding beyond the motion to dismiss stage because judges have inserted their own views of “reasonable” interpretations of labeling claims, even when those interpretations are in direct contravention with known consumer interpretations of the claim and despite confirming that it is a fact question to be reserved for the jury. As a result, citizen surveillance of misleading food labeling has been restricted. This Article seeks to promote robust citizen surveillance of labeling claims by proposing that the FTC release guidance reframing the reasonable consumer test as a risk-utility analysis, similar to the factor test frequently applied in design defect litigation. A risk-utility analysis of food labeling claims would shift the focus of the inquiry from critiquing the reasonableness of the consumer’s suggested interpretation to an assessment of whether the labeling claim had a capacity to mislead given known consumer interpretations of the claim and disclaimers used by the manufacturer to clarify labeling ambiguities. This framework shift would obligate food manufacturers to be more judicious in examining known consumer interpretations and potential risks of deception when deciding whether to include labeling claims to sell their products. If food manufacturers conclude that a food labeling claim is subject to significant consumer confusion, the risk-utility analysis would require manufacturers to take steps to clarify the claim with disclaimers, further educate consumers on the meaning of the ambiguous claim, or halt use of the claim altogether.

MANDATORY LABELLING OF NANOFOOD AND THE WTO AGREEMENTS

Labelling of food products that contain new technologies has been adopted to inform consumers and address concerns over uncertainty of the technologies. Even though food labelling is significant, the implementation of mandatory labelling measures for nanofood within the domestic legislation is only possible if the measure is aligned with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regulations. This paper examines whether mandatory labelling measure for nanofood would be permissible under the WTO agreements, i.e. the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. The study adopts a doctrinal approach and content analysis by examining relevant legal provisions in the WTO agreements, cases decided by the WTO, and other documents on nanofood labelling. Findings suggest that the labelling measure amounts to unnecessary barriers to international trade. The mandatory labelling is not an international labelling standard and the practice is trade restrictive. Some recommendations presented at the end of this paper shall give invaluable insights into the implementation of mandatory labelling for nanofood if any country decides to introduce the measures in their food information system.

Restricciones al derecho de uso de marcas: controversias en torno a las propuestas de etiquetado de alimentos en Colombia

Over the last decade, different proposals have emerged in Colombia and around the world re-garding food labeling conditions. The purpose of these measures has been focused on preventing non- communicable diseases (NCD), by providing clearer nutritional information to consumers regarding the food they consume on their diet. For this purpose, many proposals include the imposition of warning stamps on the label of food products that are “high in” sodium, sugar, or saturated fat, as well as other limitations on the use and marketing of the brands that identify their products.Therefore, this document aims to analyze the relevance and proportionality of the proposals in relation to the desired purposes, particularly with regard to the legitimate rights of trademark owners and consumers. In the conclusion, it will be determined that the interest in promoting regulations to reduce diseases related to poor eating habits, without an adequate evaluation of the environment in which these measures are intended to be applied, can: (i) generate undesirable and contradictory consequences with the ultimate goal of reducing diseases; (ii) impair other individual rights; and, (iii) act unjustifiably to the detriment of the industrial property rights of the trademark owners.

Relationship between Marketing to Children on Food Labeling and Critical Nutrient Content in Processed and Ultra-Processed Products Sold in Supermarkets in Lima, Peru.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased alarmingly, representing a risk to children’s health. Different techniques in marketing to kids (M2K) used on food labels are influencing the purchasing decisions of these products. This study aims to provide useful information about M2K found in labeling of food products sold in a supermarket chain in Lima, Peru and to determine its relationship with critical nutrient content. This was an observational, correlational, descriptive study. Data were collected by photographing the front-of-pack (FoP) of 2747 product labels sold in three supermarkets in Lima, but only those that met all the inclusion criteria were evaluated (n = 1092). A relationship was found between the use of techniques in marketing to kids and the level of critical nutrient regarding saturated fat (PR = 0.56; CI95%: 0.52–0.63), total sugar (PR = 1.70; CI95%: 1.64–1.77), and sodium (PR = 1.05; CI95%: 1.03–1.07). Particularly with sugar, the presence of M2K is a risk factor. New regulatory policies for the use of these food labeling techniques should be implemented to improve children’s health at the population level.