Food Consumption Structure Research Articles

Garlic-Induced Enhancement of Bifidobacterium: Enterotype-Specific Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Probiotic Populations

The gut microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem crucial for maintaining its host’s health by regulating various immune and metabolic functions. Since diet plays a fundamental role in shaping the gut microbiome, understanding the relationship between food consumption and microbiome structure is essential. Although medicinal plants are widely recognized for their broad health benefits, their specific impact on the gut microbiome remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of garlic (Allium sativum) on the gut microbiome using an in vitro human fecal incubation model. Our findings revealed that the impact of garlic on gut microbial structure varied depending on the dominant gut microbiome components (enterotypes). The Bacteroides-dominant enterotype exhibited significant changes in overall microbial diversity in response to garlic, while the Prevotella-dominant enterotype remained unaffected. Additionally, the garlic treatment led to specific alterations in microbiota composition, such as an increase in beneficial probiotics like Bifidobacterium. We validated garlic’s prebiotic potential by promoting the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis under in vitro culture conditions. Our study highlights the importance of understanding enterotype-specific responses to diet and suggests that garlic may serve as a dietary supplement for modulating gut microbiota and promoting the growth of beneficial probiotics.

An analysis of the relationship between domestic trade costs and the dietary quality of Chinese residents

Abstract Domestic trade flow in China is an indispensable factor affecting food availability to the public. The aim of this study is to focus on the cost of domestic trade within China and the dietary health of Chinese residents. Based on the China-regional input-output tables and the CHNS micro-database, we calculated China’s domestic trade costs and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) of Chinese urban and rural residents. We find that domestic trade costs are negatively correlated with residents’ whole grain and mixed beans, vegetables, fruits, beef, mutton, poultry, and aquatic products consumption, having a significant negative influence on residents’ dietary quality score. Domestic trade costs can influence residents’ food consumption structure by affecting income and traditional market scores. Domestic trade costs have a greater negative influence on the dietary quality of rural residents, low-income residents, and elderly residents. The results suggest that reducing domestic trade costs increased residents’ food consumption and improved their dietary quality. Increasing the people’s income and stimulating traditional markets can alleviate the decline in dietary quality of the population caused by an increase in domestic trade costs.

Changes in food consumption and nutrition intake of rural residents in central China

Food security and diet diversity is essential to sustainable food system all over the world. As the income of rural residents achieves great increase, the structure of food consumption and food diversification face significant change. Rural residents' food consumption and nutrients intake worth more attention. Chinese government has been striving to achieve sustainable development in rural areas. We conducted this study to explore area-level practices aiming at achieving food and nutrition security in rural China. In order to search for the change principle and main influencing factors of residents' food consumption, three rural areas in Henan Province were selected. According to the data obtained from the Henan Province Bureau of Statistics, changes in food consumption from 2012 to 2021 in three rural areas were analyzed in this study. This study led to the following remarkable results: (1) The per capita consumption of poultry, meat, sugar, and eggs of the three rural residents has increased much more than that of other food items. (2) In the three rural areas, the proportions of grains, vegetables, liquor, and edible oils have decreased overall. The proportions of other categories, such as poultry, meat, and fruits, have increased. (3) The rural residents’ per capita nutrition intake has increased remarkably. The results provide some empirical foundation for local government who need suggest that rural residents should control their intake of high-energy food, such as poultry, meat, and sugar. This study has significant policy implication for achieving sustainable goals in rural areas of China.

A fenntartható élelmiszer-fogyasztás összefüggései

The past seventy years have been perhaps the fastest development phase in human history. The concept of sustainable development is the sense of responsibility towards future generations, the so-called emphasizes intergenerational solidarity by recognizing the right of future generations to meet their needs. The biggest challenge facing humanity is finding solutions to reduce the damage it causes. The key to this is changing consumption habits. We believe that a food consumption structure that has a low environmental impact, but at the same time an insufficient nutrient density, cannot be considered sustainable, as this leads to malnutrition and deficiency diseases. A sustainable food system (SFS) is a food system that ensures food security and healthy nutrition for all, in a way that does not jeopardize the economic, social and environmental foundations for future generations. Based on what has been described so far, it is clear that the environment and health are two key dimensions of a sustainable diet or sustainable food consumption. The article presents the implementation possibilities of sustainable food consumption through examples.JEL Codes: E2, Q5

Consumer behavior and healthy food consumption: quasi-natural experimental evidence from Chinese household participation in long-term care insurance

IntroductionThere is a strong link between consumer behavior and healthy food consumption. However, how to narrow the gap between consumption intentions and actual healthy food consumption is still under discussion.MethodsThis study takes Chinese families as the research object, based on the family participation in long-term care insurance (LTCI) policy, and constructs an analytical framework including healthy eating behavior, food consumption, and insurance system to discuss how to narrow the gap between consumption intention and actual healthy food consumption. In addition, the intermediary role played by the risk prevention mechanism is also analyzed. Based on data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study uses a difference-in-differences analysis framework to empirically examine the impact of changes in consumption behavior on healthy food consumption after households participate in the LTCI pilot.Results and discussionThe research results show that implementing LTCI can increase the frequency of healthy meal preparation methods by 0.045 units and the frequency of not including processed foods in the meals of households participating in the policy by 0.033 units compared with households that do not participate. The daily meal quantity is increased by 0.198 (converted to 1.219 grams), and 0.198 units increase the healthy food consumption structure. This conclusion holds under a series of robustness tests. Mechanism test shows that LTCI affects healthy food consumption through risk prevention mechanisms. The impact of the LTCI policy will also not be affected by similar competitive policies. The heterogeneity test further proves that LTCI policies are more likely to increase healthy food consumption among urban households, larger households, and households employed in private enterprises. Based on these findings, it is recommended that families participate in LTCI to reduce the financial stress faced by families due to illness and care needs while increasing the demand for and consumption of healthy foods. The findings also provide a valuable reference for current policy formulation on improving family dietary quality in China.

Особенности потребления продуктов питания в Республике Саха (Якутия)

Over the past decades, industrial development, urbanization, globalization, as well as economic development and socio-economic crises have caused rapid changes in diet and lifestyle of the population of Yakutia. According to existing international statistics, quality of diet has a significant impact on health and life expectancy of population. The article is concerned with specific features of food consumption patterns in Yakutia as a region, as well as with compliance of energy and nutritional value of the food consumed with the recommended standards. The study is based on a summary of state statistics data starting from the mid-1990s, which allowed to compare behavior and structure of food consumption with the key socio-economic indicators of living standards. Standard statistical methods were used for the analysis.

Methodological Approach to the Bioactive Emulsion Food Systems Development

The macro- and micronutrients deficiency in the diet of the population contributes to the alimentary disorder occurrence requiring correction. The development of new foods enriched with BAS, enabled a targeted impact on the functional activity of individual organs, systems and the body as a whole, solves the issue. Fortification (amplification, enrichment) of food systems ensures the nutrient delivery to all population groups without radical changes in the food consumption structure. To induce the BAS permeability, increase its stability, mask undesirable flavors, control the rate of release and targeted delivery, a man uses various effective BAS encapsulation systems including emulsions. Based on the “food systems” and “emulsion food systems” concepts, the author defines the concept of “bioactive emulsion food systems”. The study aimed at methodology formation for the development of bioactive emulsion food systems of optimized composition. On the basis of a system of basic principles and research methods, a set of applied methods united by a common goal and study direction, a man formulated the development methodology for bioactive emulsion food systems of optimized composition; determined its content and structure.

China’s Water Footprint on Urban and Rural Food Consumption: A Spatial–Temporal Evolution and Its Driving Factors Analysis from 2000 to 2020

To comprehend the intricate interaction between water resources and food security, it is critical to examine the hidden water footprint (WF) of food consumption and its underlying causes within specific nations or areas. This study investigates the changes in the quality and structure of food consumption in China’s urban and rural areas from 2000 to 2020. Following the calculation of the WF associated with food consumption for both urban and rural populations, this study uses ArcGIS 10.6 software to map the spatial configuration of the provincial per capita WF. Moreover, the random forest model is utilized to uncover the salient determinants influencing the WF of food consumption in urban and rural contexts. Quantitatively, rural populations have witnessed a more pronounced acceleration in their per capita food WF compared with urban entities, with a notable upswing in the proportion of meat and poultry consumption. Spatially, regions exhibiting elevated WF for urban populations have transitioned from the western zones toward the southeast and northeast, whereas a marked east–west dichotomy is evident in rural areas. In terms of drivers, for urban demographics, economic variables emerge as paramount determinants for food WF, while rural areas underscore the prominence of natural and technological parameters. The insights garnered from this investigation bear profound implications for facilitating balanced nutritional intake among China’s urban and rural populations, alleviating food-related water resource pressures, and optimizing water resource utilization.

Agri-food evolution and carbon emissions in Chinese residential consumption: A life cycle analysis of urban-rural disparities and socioeconomic influences

At present, residential food consumption is not only the main driver of global energy expenditure but also a crucial factor shaping the development of the agri-food system. It is guided by the macro-food paradigm and serves as a cornerstone for ensuring comprehensive food security. This study examines both direct and indirect carbon emissions stemming from urban and rural food consumption in China between 2000 and 2021, employing a life cycle perspective. The research also delves into the associated factors influencing these emissions. Through the utilization of the LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) decomposition method, the study estimates the contributory significance of total carbon emissions attributed to residents' food consumption. Furthermore, the investigation undertakes an in-depth analysis of the disparities in the compositional makeup of food consumption among urban and rural populations, along with an exploration of the pertinent driving forces behind these distinctions. The study's outcomes indicate that, overall, there is a reduction in per capita direct carbon emissions, accompanied by a corresponding rise in per capita indirect carbon emissions. Relative to the index of plant-based food consumption, both the carbon emissions associated with, and the proportion of animal-based food consumption exhibited an ascending trend. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions stemming from the dietary patterns of urban inhabitants notably surpass those attributed to their rural counterparts, with a discernible and widening disparity between the two cohorts. Within the context of the life cycle analysis, consumption and production serve as pivotal components of the intricate network of indirect carbon emissions. Notably, the proportion of carbon emissions attributed to urban residents surpasses that of their rural counterparts in both the domains of food production and the subsequent phases of processing and transportation. Owing to the irrational configuration of cooking energy utilization among rural inhabitants, direct carbon emissions within the food consumption continuum, as well as carbon emissions derived from cooking energy usage, surpass corresponding metrics among urban dwellers. This discrepancy can be attributed to the unsystematic nature of the cooking energy framework prevalent in rural contexts. Population growth, per capita food consumption and changes in the structure of food consumption are important factors driving the growth of total food carbon emissions. Within this context, an augmentation in the intake of vegetables, alongside desiccated fruits, and vegetables, exhibits the potential to notably curtail carbon emissions emanating from the dietary practices of rural denizens. Similarly, an elevation in egg consumption emerges as a key determinant in substantially mitigating the carbon emissions stemming from the dietary patterns observed among urban inhabitants. The carbon emissions originating from both animal-based and plant-based food consumption among urban and rural populations are substantially influenced by the intricate interplay of factors such as the demographic composition and the per capita disposable income within both these strata of society.

Sales Growth, Company Size, Profitability, and Non-Debt Tax Shield on Capital Structure In Food and Beverage Sub-Sector Companies Listed on The Indonesia Stock Exchange

This study aims to determine the effect of sales growth, company size, profitability, and non-debt tax shield on the capital structure of food and beverage sub-sector consumption companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2017-2020 period. This study used secondary data. The sampling technique in this study used purposive sampling. The number of samples obtained amounted to 38 companies. Data analysis in this study used quantitative descriptive and several calculations using the SmartPLS software. From this study, it can be concluded that only the non-debt tax shield significantly affects capital structure. While sales growth, company size, and profitability do not have a significant effect on capital structure.

The Reasonableness and Spatial Differences of the Food Consumption Structure of Urban and Rural Residents in China, 2015-2021.

Based on residents' food consumption data from 31 provinces in China from 2015-2021, this study analyzes the deviation in food consumption from nutrition targets and the spatial distribution characteristics of urban and rural residents in China from 2015-2021, and finds that there are irrationalities in the structure of food consumption of Chinese residents as well as regional differences in consumption. The food consumption of Chinese residents deviates from the recommended values of the Chinese Food Guide Pagoda to a certain extent, with large differences between urban and rural areas and provinces. Therefore, a new concept of food security with nutrition as the target should be established to guide residents' food consumption scientifically and rationally, and to adopt focused attention and targeted measures for regions with serious imbalances in food consumption.

Effects of the Eating Habits of Romanian Residents on the Water Footprint

Water footprint assessment is an analytical tool that helps us understand how activities, actions, and products from human activity influence the scarcity and pollution of water resources. The objectives of the paper are to study the water footprint that is necessary for the production of food for human consumption as an effective way to determine how food habits put pressure on water resources and to identify ways to reduce the stress found on them. To calculate the water footprint of food products consumed by Romanian residents, two types of data were used: information on the average annual net food consumption of each type of food considered during the research and the water footprint per unit of food consumed. In addition, an analysis was carried out based on the structure of the water footprint and the structure of food consumption. In terms of the structure of the water footprint, the contribution rate of the green water footprint is the highest, reaching 83.5%. This is followed by the blue water footprint and the gray water footprint, accounting for 9.04% and 7.46%, respectively. From the perspective of the structure of food consumption, the consumption of cereals, meat, milk, and dairy products contributed the most to the water footprint of residents’ food consumption, reaching 21.8% and 26.6%, respectively, and contributing 24.2% to the total water footprint of food consumption. Our research is useful for water management, improving the efficiency of use in agricultural technologies, and optimizing the structure of food consumption, such as reducing grain and meat consumption.

A Whey-Based Diet Can Ameliorate the Effects of LPS-Induced Growth Attenuation in Young Rats.

Chronic inflammation in childhood is associated with impaired growth. In the current study, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model of inflammation in young rats was used to study the efficacy of whey-based as compared to soy-based diets to ameliorate growth attenuation. Young rats were injected with LPS and fed normal chow or diets containing whey or soy as the sole protein source during treatment, or during the recovery period in a separate set of experiments. The body and spleen weight, food consumption, humerus length, and EGP height and structure were evaluated. Inflammatory markers in the spleen and markers of differentiation in the EGP were assessed using qPCR. The LPS led to a significant increase in the spleen weight and a decrease in the EGP height. Whey, but not soy, protected the animals from both effects. In the recovery model, whey led to increased EGP height at both 3 and 16 d post treatment. The most affected region in the EGP was the hypertrophic zone (HZ), which was significantly shortened by the LPS treatment but enlarged by whey. In conclusion, LPS affected the spleen weight and EGP height and had a specific effect on the HZ. Nutrition with whey protein appeared to protect the rats from the LPS-induced growth attenuation.

Changes in China's food security driven by nutrition security and resource constraints.

Food security and the utilization of natural resources in a sustainable manner are vital to the expansion of China's agricultural system. The relationship between environmental pressure and dietary structure has influenced the quantity and spatial distribution of China's food supply and demand, but it has not been evaluated. Our research centered on the security of China's food nutrition-resources-food (NRF) system, considering the inherent relationship between food security, nutritional health, and resource security. The following are the study's findings: (1) The Chinese population is rapidly changing from a diet focused on grains to a more diverse diet. Between 1990 and 2019, the dietary quality and nutritional status of Chinese individuals have vastly improved. In terms of nutrient levels, discrepancies between urban and rural resident persist, with urban residents consuming a diet that is closer to the ideal structure. However, the structure of rural residents' food consumption is diversifying, and the gap between urban and rural residents is gradually narrowing. (2) From 2000 to 2019, the pressure, status, and response indices of China's NRF system all show an upward trend, and the security of the NRF system has steadily grown. The magnitude of change in the response index exceeded that of the state index, which exceeded that of the pressure index. This indicates that the increase in the pressure and state indices of the NRF system was primarily attributable to the effectiveness of policy efforts.

The methodology of forming the optimal structure of food production and consumption in the system of military and economic security of the state

The methodology of forming the optimal structure of food production and consumption in the system of military and economic security of the state

Towards a Win-Win Solution for Dietary Health and Carbon Reduction—Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta in China

Considering the contradiction between the need to change the food consumption structure of Chinese residents and the constraints of resources and the environment, as well as the changes in the consumption structure of Chinese residents in the Yangtze River Delta, we explore the path to achieve environmental sustainability while maintaining residents’ dietary health. Based on 1995–2019 Yangtze River Delta food consumption data, this paper uses the two-stage Engel–QUAIDS model to conduct an empirical analysis of the food consumption and carbon emissions of urban and rural residents in the Yangtze River Delta and simulates the impact of income growth and food price changes on per capita food consumption carbon emissions and nutrient intake. The results show that the residents of the Yangtze River Delta consume too much meat and poultry, and the carbon emissions are high; the consumption of eggs and fruits is obviously insufficient, and the carbon emissions are low. With an increase in income, the increase in food carbon emissions among rural residents (0.406%) is greater than that among urban residents (0.247%); higher prices of meat, poultry, and aquatic products can significantly reduce food carbon emissions, and higher prices of fruits will promote food carbon emissions. The nutritional intake of residents can still be guaranteed under the low-carbon policy. It is worth mentioning that after the price adjustment simulation, residents’ fat intake will be significantly reduced within the recommended range, which is also beneficial to residents’ health. Therefore, appropriately regulating food prices and increasing people’s income would not only ensure nutritional health but also contribute to reducing carbon emissions and creating a sustainable agricultural food system.

Agricultural restructuring for reducing carbon emissions from residents' dietary consumption in China

In an effort to contribute to climate change mitigation, China has committed to achieving its peak carbon by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. However, reaching these goals will require a massive reduction in carbon emissions. The humans have to consume food to meet their survival needs. Furthermore, the society's demand for food is consistent with the development level of agricultural structures. At present, reducing environmental costs associated with food to adjust the agricultural structure has not received sufficient scientific attention. Because of this, the present study combines food consumption, climate change, and agricultural structure to design future scenarios based on the widely used SSP storyline. Moreover, in order for China to reach its carbon peak in 2030, this study applies a life-cycle approach to uncover the potential carbon reduction of Chinese residents under different dietary structures. From a demand perspective, this study puts forward recommendations for dietary restructuring and guides the direction of future agricultural restructuring in China. It also shows that a diet structure that replaces red meat with plant foods such as vegetables and fruits will have a more significant carbon reduction potential. The traditional agricultural structure consumes a large amount of food and produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases. Reducing meat and high-fat foods consumption may help reduce GHG emissions produced by food consumption. In addition, reducing the proportion of food used for feeding in the agricultural structure will also help achieve peak carbon targets. The shift in diet structure will advance China's agricultural structure and promote green agriculture development.

PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FOOD PRODUCTS: CONTEMPORARY DINENSIONS AND ISSUE

One of the sources for the formation of Bulgaria's food resources is the production of food products from agriculture and the food industry. It provides raw materials for the processing industry, for export and for meeting the food needs of society. The extent to which national production can meet these needs in terms of quantity, quality and range largely determines national food security. The level and structure of food consumption is in turn important for the health status of both the individual and the nation as a whole. In recent years, the production and consumption of food products in the country have been evolving in a complex and dynamically changing environment, linked to challenges posed by overlapping crises (pandemic, economic). The aim of this paper is to examine the production and consumption of staple food products in the context of national food security and in the context of crises. For its realization, changes in the parameters of their production and consumption are consistently assessed, problems are highlighted on this basis and recommendations for their future development are substantiated. Special attention is paid to the competitiveness and sustainable development of Bulgarian agriculture as an important prerequisite for the country's food security.

배양육의 법률적 수용성의 한계와 과제에 관한 소고

Consumers' food consumption structure changes from grain-centered to meat-centered depending on economic factors and socio-cultural factors. As an alternative to the rapidly growing demand for meat, interest in alternative meat is rapidly increasing, and in particular, interest in cultured meat that is similar to meat in terms of sensuality is emerging.
 The cultured meat industry is expanding centered on research and development, and recently, commercialization and commercialization of cultured meat have begun in domestic and foreign companies. However, in the commercialization of cultured meat, there is little discussion about the scope and limits of legal acceptability, such as the uncertainty of scientific safety raised by the livestock industry and the ethical responsibility of consumers. Studies related to cultured meat are mainly limited to technical aspects, and studies examining the legal field are lacking. Therefore, in this study, we tried to find out how far cultured meat can be accommodated in the current legal system, that is, the scope, limitations and challenges of legal capacity.
 Cultured meat is not a product through livestock breeding from the viewpoint of the production system, so there are limitations in receiving the application of the 「Livestock Industry Act」, 「Food Sanitation Act」, and 「Food Code」. cultured meat has no legal basis to apply standards and specifications in the 「Food Sanitation Act」 and 「Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act」 even in the safety system. Even in the labeling system, it cannot be labeled as “meat” because it is not a livestock product stipulated by the 「Livestock Industry Act」. Cultured meat does not have a clear legal basis not only in Korea but also in major developed countries. This is due to ethical and scientific limitations, as well as being in conflict with the livestock industry and livestock products based on existing livestock breeding. Priority should be given to preparing legal regulations that can secure the reliability of the livestock industry, agricultural, and consumers. It is judged that it will be after that that cultured meat can be recognized as a substitute food to the extent that the scope of livestock industry and agriculture is not reduced.

R&D Performance Evaluation in the Chinese Food Manufacturing Industry Based on Dynamic DEA in the COVID-19 Era

Nowadays, China’s food consumption structure is shifting from being survival-oriented to health-oriented. However, the food industry is still facing a research and development (R&D) dilemma. Scientific evaluation of an enterprise’s R&D performance can help to reduce the investment risk of R&D and promote economic benefits. This study implements the dynamic data envelopment analysis (DDEA) technique to measure and evaluate the level of R&D performance in the Chinese food manufacturing industry. Twenty-eight listed companies were selected for the study, considering the time period from 2019 to 2021. After constructing a system of inputs, outputs and carry-over indicators, overall and period efficiency scores were obtained. The results reveal that the overall level of R&D in the industry is relatively low (0.332). Average efficiency scores across years were estimated as 0.447, 0.460, 0.430 for 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Lastly, this study considers the actual business situation of the industry and makes suggestions for improvement from the perspective of enterprises and the government; these anticipate aiding the food manufacturing industry to improve the performance management of R&D activities.