Food Venues Research Articles

Food Access and Availability in Auki, Solomon Islands

ABSTRACT Our study assessed food access and availability in Auki, Solomon Islands by investigating the number, type and characteristics of food venues and characteristics of items for sale (including type, brand, price, source and quality) at one timepoint to determine feasibility for the local population to meet current guidelines. We found residents had good access to, and availability of foods from the three Pacific guidelines for a healthy lifestyle food groups, but diversity was lacking. Many fresh foods are likely seasonal suggesting there may be periods when Auki residents have greater/less access to a variety of foods, potentially impacting food security.

Food-related health risks due to accessibility barriers

Issues with access to fresh and healthy produce can have long-lasting impacts on health, especially food-related health outcomes such as obesity and diabetes. To address these health outcomes (at least partially), researchers have often discussed various solutions to ameliorate access issues to fresh and healthy produce in order to encourage residents to purchase and consume more nutritious foods. Access to healthy foods have been discussed in terms of traditional grocery stores availability, alternative fresh food venues such as farmers markets and farm stands, and federal programmes that provide support for food procurement for lower income families. Access by itself also refers to the physical ability of getting to these fresh food venues and research has also discussed the ownership of, and access to vehicles by households of varying economic abilities. In this paper, we suggest that apart from these initiatives, there needs to be a conscientious effort in understanding that public transit also plays a crucial role in accessibility, and added to that, the understanding of food needs and preferences of ethnically diverse populations is in order to be able to address the nutritional component and cultural acceptance of foods that are commonly sought by these populations. Awareness, availability, acceptance and accessibility need to be combined with affordability to help encourage residents to include fresh and healthy produce into their daily diets in order to combat common food-related health issues.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Potential Effect of Vouchers on the Completion of Self-management Education Among Patients With Diabetes.

Diabetes is a significant public health problem in eastern North Carolina, and completion of formal diabetes self-management education (DSME) is low. To seek methods to increase DSME completion, patients with diabetes in an eastern North Carolina regional health care system who had not completed DSME (n = 58) were surveyed during wellness visits to examine attitudes toward the use of vouchers (eg, coupons that purchase healthy food, exercise classes, gym memberships). There was an extremely low awareness (19%) of and referral (5%) to DSME. Most respondents (77%) said they would or might be more likely to complete DSME if they received a voucher at the end. Vouchers for healthy food venues such as farmers' markets were most preferred, and 6 months or less was found to be an acceptable time frame to use the voucher. This study offers some evidence for DSME providers to explore vouchers as one approach to increase program completion.

FLAVORS OF LJUBLJANA CULINARY SCENE

Why tourists are paying a growing attention to food practices? Food is a significant cultural and natural identity marker (Berno and Fuste-Forne, 2019; Bessiere and Tibere, 2013) and thus tourists seek to discover landscapes through food (Fuste-Forne and Berno, 2016; Hillel, Belhassen and Shani, 2013; Kim and Eves, 2012; Sidali, Kastenholz and Bianchi, 2015). Also, tourism organisations and businesses are increasingly using food and gastronomy as promotional and marketing tools (Cohen and Avieli, 2004; Du Rand and Heath, 2006; Okumus, Okumus and McKercher, 2007; Stanley and Stanley, 2015). Food, culinary and gastronomy tourism practices include a wide range of experiences, where eateries take a leading role (Levitt et al., 2019). While it is obvious that eating out is a compulsory consumption arena for travellers, there are other examples of food venues such as farms, markets or festivals, which also help in the boosting of food tourism at destinations (see, for example, Hall and Sharples, 2003; Timothy, 2016). Here, urban environments agglutinate the main tourist flows. This short article advocates that eateries in cities are a vital hook for tourists’ attraction and also a significant portion of their travel budgets. Furthermore, these food spaces are expected to convey a sense of authenticity of the place they are visiting (Goolaup and Mossberg, 2017; Jalis, Che and Markwell, 2014; Sims, 2009; Smith, 2015), providing a genuine experience.

Dialogues and Tensions in the Eating Habits of Syrian Refugees Living in São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the processes of acculturation, interculturality and interactions in the eating habits of Syrian refugees who had a Syrian food venue in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. We conducted a qualitative study, with an ethnographical design, with ten participants, using semi-structured interviews and participant and non-participant observation. There were changes in the preparation of consumed and served food products. These changes were accompanied by tensions, connected to the acculturation strategies and intercultural relations. Even with these changes, consuming Syrian food allowed our participants to maintain connections with their original country, despite the sudden temporal and spatial separation.

Fast-food restaurant, unhealthy eating, and childhood obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

SummaryExcessive access to fast‐food restaurants (FFRs) in the neighbourhood is thought to be a risk factor for childhood obesity by discouraging healthful dietary behaviours while encouraging the exposure to unhealthful food venues and hence the compensatory intake of unhealthy food option. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for articles published until 1 January 2019 that analysed the association between access to FFRs and weight‐related behaviours and outcomes among children aged younger than 18. Sixteen cohort studies and 71 cross‐sectional studies conducted in 14 countries were identified. While higher FFR access was not associated with weight‐related behaviours (eg, dietary quality score and frequency of food consumption) in most studies, it was commonly associated with more fast‐food consumption. Despite that, insignificant results were observed for all meta‐analyses conducted by different measures of FFR access in the neighbourhood and weight‐related outcomes, although 17 of 39 studies reported positive associations when using overweight/obesity as the outcome. This systematic review and meta‐analysis revealed a rather mixed relationship between FFR access and weight‐related behaviours/outcomes among children and adolescents.

Observational assessment of food safety behaviours at farmers’ markets in Ontario, Canada: A cross-sectional study

Farmers' markets are increasingly popular food venues in Canada. However, they have unique food safety challenges due to their operational characteristics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the food safety behaviours of farmers' market vendors in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, to identify possible food safety risks and areas for future education and training. The food safety behaviours of vendors selling time-temperature control for safety (TCS) foods were observed throughout 2018 at 60 markets. Observations were conducted discretely and recorded on a standardized form via a smartphone. Data were descriptively analysed, and two selected outcomes were evaluated in multivariable logistic regression models. Prepared foods (50%) were the most commonly sold type of TCS food product among all observed vendors (n = 454). While general cleanliness and sanitation was very high, 27% of vendors did not provide cross-contamination protection methods for at least some of their TCS foods. Similarly, 66% and 48% of vendors who sold foods requiring cold and hot holding (n = 410 and 162, respectively) did not provide temperature control for at least some of their foods. Cold-holding temperature control was more commonly observed among vendors selling raw meat, poultry, and fish, and less commonly observed among those selling ready-to-eat meats; fresh-cut leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, and melons; and cheese and dairy products. A mean of 4.55 (SD = 2.62) behaviours requiring handwashing was observed per vendor across 1356 customer transactions, but only 2.9% of vendors attempted handwashing. Most vendors handled food with their bare hands on at least one occasion (79%); this behaviour was more commonly observed at weekend markets and among vendors engaged in multiple roles, and less commonly observed among vendors selling prepared foods. The study results have identified targeted areas for future food safety education and training with farmers’ markets vendors in Ontario.

Conversations about food allergy risk with restaurant staff when eating out: A customer perspective

A significant proportion of food-induced allergic reactions occur whilst dining outside the home, often due to failures in communication. This study aimed to examine the nature of conversations about risk that customers with food allergies have with restaurant staff when eating out. A secondary analysis of qualitative data, generated through interviewing 39 consumers with severe food allergies across three primary studies, was conducted. Thematic analysis was used to process the data. Conversations with staff about risk were commonly initiated under circumstances of uncertainty, unfamiliarity and lack of knowledge and information. Re-establishing a ‘contract of care’ with familiar food venues and perceived shortcomings in early interactions with staff were further drivers of initiating risk conversations. Two major constraints to risk conversations were identified: being seen as ‘fussy’ or as a ‘nuisance’. To avoid them being perceived as ‘fussy’ by asking questions about food, consumers framed their conversations with staff in terms of risk, revealing their allergy and its possible impact on health to validate their enquiries. Paradoxically, declaring the allergy and seeking staff acknowledgment of the severity of the condition could make participants feel that they were perceived by staff as a nuisance. These dilemmas sometimes limited conversations and constrained customers' risk management. Experiencing trustworthy interactions with staff was not only contingent on evidence of their knowledge about the food contents and understanding of food allergies but was also based on manifestations of genuine customer care. When managing a food allergy outside the home, establishing risk and safety are products of, and are embedded within, relations and interactions with others. Risk conversations seek to establish trustworthy interactions as the basis on which safety can be maximised and risks – both health and social – minimised.

Use of GIS to Measure Food Environment and Its Relationship with Obesity in School-aged Children in Mexico (P04-142-19)

ObjectivesTo determine the association between food environment and obesity in school-aged children using Geographic Information Database (GIS). MethodsA total of 218 school-age children (8.4 ± 1.5 y) from a low-income setting in Mexico participated in this cross-sectional study. Weight and height were measured in all children to calculate BMI- for-age z-score (BMIz). Body composition (total body fat and abdominal fat) was measured using DXA. Geolocation of both convenience stores (CS) and participants’ households was collected and introduced into a GIS database. The shelf-space of processed foods and unprocessed foods available at each CS was measured. The distance to the closest CS, the number of CS, and the shelf-space of processed foods of CS within a 250 m radius from each participant’s household was calculated using GIS. Multivariable model assessing the association between obesity and food environment were performed controlling for confounders, using SPSS v23.0. ResultsMore than half of the children (55%) were girls, and 52% of the children had elevated body fat % (>30% for girls and >25% for boys). A total of 58 food venues were found in this community; from these venues, 40 were CS. 91% of the children had access to a CS within a 250 m radius. In average, 48% of the shelf-meters of the CS were of processed food. A positive association between BMIz (β = 0.028; IC 95%: 0.005,0.047; P < 0.05), total body fat % (β = 0.145, IC 95%: 0.048, 0.241; P < 0.05) and abdominal fat % (β = 0.206, IC 95%: 0.069,0.343; P < 0.05) was found with the distance to the nearest CS within the 250 radius. However, a negative association was found between BMIz (β = −0.002; IC 95%: −0.004, −0.001; P < 0.05), total body fat % (β = −0.009, IC 95%: −0.017, −0.001; P < 0.05) and abdominal fat % (β = −0.012, IC 95%: −0.023, −0.001; P < 0.05) with the proximity of CS. Finally, BMIz was positively associated with the meters of processed foods in the CS within 250 m radius (β = 0.002; IC 95%: 0.001,0.003; P < 0.05). ConclusionsA high density and proximity of convenience stores with a high availability of processed food were associated with obesity in children of this community. GIS methods may provide a new approach to assess food environment and its association with obesity risk factors in different settings and populations. Funding SourcesCONACYT.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Modern Food Foraging Patterns: Geography and Cuisine Choices of Restaurant Patrons on Yelp

Animals search for food based on certain optimal principles and over time form foraging patterns effective for survival in changing environments. Due to the many choices available in modern society, we also face a decision on where to get their food. We call this “modern human food foraging,” since the Internet makes foraging much more convenient than before. People search online for food venues, or restaurants, through websites such as Yelp, and write reviews for the food they tasted, which in turn, facilitate others’ searches in the future. These activities make the whole community of restaurant patrons wiser over time. Moreover, the archives of all these choices and evaluations are publicly available, and can help researchers better understand human foraging patterns in modern society. In this paper, we use a Yelp data set to study modern human food foraging patterns, with respect to both geography and cuisine. To understand spatial patterns, we cluster reviewed restaurants geographically and construct a taste similarity network, representing the topology of restaurant cuisine space. We find that people steadily expand their foraging domains from the nearest to them to the distant in geography and from the most familiar to the novel in cuisine. Using longitudinal data of restaurant reviews, we build a geographical foraging network and a taste foraging network for each patron based on which, we propose three kinds of entropies to characterize foraging patterns. We show that the modern foraging patterns of restaurant patrons in both geography and cuisine are of high regularity, indicating that their behaviors are rather predictable. The foraging patterns are also associated with individual social status in the community. Namely, people having a higher variety in the restaurant cuisines they have visited, but fewer actual locations they visited, tend to attract more followers.

Psychosocial Determinants of Food Acquisition and Preparation in Low-Income, Urban African American Households.

Psychosocial factors are important determinants of health behaviors and diet-related outcomes, yet relatively little work has explored their relation to food-purchasing and preparation behaviors in low-income populations. To evaluate the psychosocial factors associated with food-related behaviors. Cross-sectional data collected from 465 low-income African American adult caregivers in the baseline evaluation of the B'more Healthy Communities for Kids obesity prevention trial. Questionnaires were used to assess household sociodemographic characteristics, food sources frequently used, and food preparation and food acquisition behaviors. Multiple linear regression models explored the associations between caregiver psychosocial variables and food-related behaviors, controlling for caregivers' age, sex, household income, household size, and food assistance participation. Caregivers purchased prepared food at carry-outs on average 3.8 times (standard deviation [ SD] = 4.6) within 30 days. Less healthy foods were acquired 2 times more frequently than healthier foods ( p < .001). Higher food-related behavioral intention and self-efficacy scores were positively associated with healthier food acquisition (β = 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.09, 1.4]; β = 0.04; 95% CI [0.02, 0.06]) and negatively associated with frequency of purchasing at prepared food sources (β = -0.4; 95% CI [-0.6, -0.2]; β = -0.5; 95% CI [-0.7, -0.3]), respectively. Higher nutrition knowledge was associated with lower frequency of purchasing food at prepared food venues (β = -0.7; 95% CI: [-1.2, -0.2]). Our findings indicate a positive association between psychosocial determinants and healthier food acquisition and food preparation behaviors. Interventions that affect psychosocial factors (i.e., food-related behavioral intentions and self-efficacy) may have the potential to increase healthier food preparation and food-purchasing practices among low-income African American families.

Incentivizing Fruit and Vegetable Purchasers at Fresh Markets in Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans.

Disparities in fruit and vegetable consumption have been observed across income and race-ethnicity and shown to be associated with both access to fresh food venues and price. This study assesses the feasibility of increasing produce consumption by incentivizing fruit and vegetable purchases at local markets. We conducted analyses of a cross-sectional survey of program participants and point-of-sale reports on fruit and vegetable purchases at the fresh food markets. Five fresh food markets in the Lower Ninth Ward (LNW) of New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 176 participants were enrolled in the "Veggie Dollars" program (VDP). From January to July 2016, Sankofa, our community partner, recruited patrons at its markets into the VDP, a fresh food incentive program. Participants received coupons worth $4 per week for fruit and vegetables over a six-week period. Total monthly gross, VDP, and SNAP benefit sales at the markets measured program participation. A survey (N=96) assessed the demographics and fruit and vegetable purchasing practices of participants. Participants were predominantly women (81%), African American (94%) and raising children at home (53%). Point-of-sales data indicated that VDP sales nearly doubled over the intervention period. Total market sales and SNAP benefit purchases also increased. The majority (63%) of VDP participants reported their produce purchases increased and 89% reported increasing their consumption of fruit and vegetables since entering the program. Monetary incentives were associated with increased fruit and vegetable purchases at local fresh food markets in a low-income minority community.

Marketing Strategies to Encourage Rural Residents of High-Obesity Counties to Buy Fruits and Vegetables in Grocery Stores.

IntroductionObesity rates in Appalachia are among the highest in the United States, and knowledge of upstream approaches to decrease prevalence among this vulnerable population is limited. The primary aim of this study was to examine the association between healthy, diet-based, social marketing interventions in grocery stores and frequency of fruit and vegetable intake.MethodsA social marketing campaign was conducted among 17 grocery stores (N = 240 participant surveys) over 4 months in 5 rural Kentucky counties. Interventions included providing food samples, recipe cards, and promotional discounts on fruits and vegetables and moving high-calorie foods to side aisles.ResultsMost survey participants reported that recipe cards influenced their desire to purchase ingredients as well as fruits and vegetables in general. Results indicated a significant association between the influence of recipe cards and frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption.ConclusionSmall-scale interventions in grocery stores influenced purchasing choices among Appalachian residents. Working with various store managers and food venues in rural high-obesity communities is a promising way to encourage purchasing of fruits and vegetables.

Authenticity in Markets: Organizations, Principals and Audiences

The proposed symposium would explore authenticity in markets from three very different angles---(1) that of organizations strategically positioning themselves as authentic and producing authentic goods and services, (2) that of the principals (individuals or groups) involved in the creating and maintenance of authenticity, and (3) that of consumers seeking, valuing and buying authenticity. Producers might be either organizations or principals; most prior research does not make the distinction, lumping both together conceptually. Combining the three angles and addressing cutting-edge research questions promises to make the symposium interesting and highly insightful. We expect the comparisons achieved by simply juxtaposing the papers will prove eye- opening to many. However, we will also be enlightened by formal discussion of the ideas and papers from noted organizational theorist Ezra Zuckerman as the discussant. The research presented at the symposium comes from a diverse array of contexts, including distilled spirits, fine dining, music and pop-up/underground food venues. The research at the symposium also uses a variety of different methodologies, in-depth interviews, including econometric analysis of archival data, surveys, experiments, and qualitative participant observation. Some papers contain more than one method or study.

The effects of traffic light labelling versus cartoon labelling on food and beverage purchases in a children's hospital setting.

This study's purpose was to examine changes in healthy and unhealthy items purchased following the implementation of traffic light and cartoon labelling in a small retail food venue (Café Bay) in a children's hospital in eastern North Carolina. Between October 2015 and March 2016, daily food and beverage sales from Café Bay were obtained during baseline, traffic light labelling, a washout period, cartoon labelling (on healthy foods only) and a final washout period. Pearson chi-squared tests and multiple linear regressions were used to examine effects of labelling strategies, controlling for the holidays. In unadjusted analyses, traffic light labelling was associated with significant decreases in purchases of unhealthy items purchased, while cartoon labelling was associated with increases in unhealthy items purchased. In adjusted linear regression analysis, traffic light labelling was associated with fewer unhealthy purchases and thus may have potential to decrease the amount of unhealthy items purchased in a children's hospital food retail venue.

A corner store intervention to improve access to fruits and vegetables in two Latino communities.

Investments have been made to alter the food environment of neighbourhoods that have a disproportionate number of unhealthy food venues. Corner store conversions are one strategy to increase access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Although the literature shows modest success, the effectiveness of these interventions remains equivocal. The present paper reports on the evaluation of Proyecto MercadoFRESCO, a corner store conversion intervention in two Latino communities. A repeated cross-sectional design was employed. Data were stratified by intervention arm and bivariate tests assessed changes over time. Logistic and multiple regression models with intervention arm, time and the interaction of intervention and time were conducted. Supplementary analyses account for clustering of patrons within stores and staggering of store conversions. Three stores were converted and five stores served as comparisons in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, California, USA. Store patrons were interviewed before (n550) and after (n407) the intervention. Relative to patrons of comparison stores, patrons of intervention stores demonstrated more favourable perceptions of corner stores and increased purchasing of F&V during that store visit. Changes were not detected in store patronage, percentage of weekly dollars spent on food for F&V or daily consumption of F&V. Consistent with some extant food environment literature, findings demonstrate limited effects. Investments should be made in multilevel, comprehensive interventions that target a variety retail food outlets rather than focusing on corner stores exclusively. Complementary policies limiting the availability, affordability and marketing of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods should also be pursued.

Food Environment and Weight Change: Does Residential Mobility Matter?: The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

Associations between neighborhood food environment and adult body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) derived using cross-sectional or longitudinal random-effects models may be biased due to unmeasured confounding and measurement and methodological limitations. In this study, we assessed the within-individual association between change in food environment from 2006 to 2011 and change in BMI among adults with type 2 diabetes using clinical data from the Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry collected from 2007 to 2011. Healthy food environment was measured using the kernel density of healthful food venues. Fixed-effects models with a 1-year-lagged BMI were estimated. Separate models were fitted for persons who moved and those who did not. Sensitivity analysis using different lag times and kernel density bandwidths were tested to establish the consistency of findings. On average, patients lost 1 pound (0.45 kg) for each standard-deviation improvement in their food environment. This relationship held for persons who remained in the same location throughout the 5-year study period but not among persons who moved. Proximity to food venues that promote nutritious foods alone may not translate into clinically meaningful diet-related health changes. Community-level policies for improving the food environment need multifaceted strategies to invoke clinically meaningful change in BMI among adult patients with diabetes.