Healthy Food Supply Research Articles

It's here! Are we ready? Five case studies of health promotion practices that address climate change from within Victorian health care settings

Climate changes and environmental degradation caused by anthropogenic activities are having an irrefutable impact on human health. The critical role played by health promotion in addressing environmental challenges has a history in seminal charters--such as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion--that explicitly link human well-being with the natural environment. The lack of documented practice in this field prompted an investigation of health promotion practice that addresses climate change issues within health care settings. This qualitative study involved five case studies of Victorian health care agencies that explicitly identified climate change as a priority. Individual and group interviews with ten health promotion funded practitioners as well as document analysis techniques were used to explore diverse practices across these rural, regional and urban health care agencies. Health promotion practice in these agencies was oriented toward: active and sustainable transport; healthy and sustainable food supply; mental health and community resilience; engaging vulnerable population groups such as women; and organisational development. Despite differences in approach, target population and context, the core finding was that health promotion strategies, competencies and frameworks were transferable to action on climate change in these health care settings.

Comparison of Menus to Actual Foods and Beverages Served in North Carolina Child-Care Centers

Menus from child-care centers are an important source of information for parents, researchers, and child-care regulators, but previous research suggests that menus do not accurately represent foods served. The purpose of this study was to compare menus with actual foods and beverages served to children in child-care centers. Menus were collected and a dietary observation was conducted to document all foods and beverages served to children during the course of 1 day in 84 child-care centers in North Carolina in the fall of 2005. Frequencies of foods and beverages on the menus vs those served were computed by eating occasion, food category, and individual foods and beverages. Of the 254 meals and snacks served, 131 (52%) meals and snacks matched entirely what was stated on the menu. Of the 820 individual foods and beverages served, 710 (86.6%) matched those listed on the menus. An additional 110 foods and beverages were served but not listed on the menus. Grains, juice, and vegetables were served less often than indicated on the menus, and milk, protein-rich foods, fruits, mixed dishes, and foods of low nutritional value were served more often than listed on the menus. Overall, just over half of all meals and snacks matched menus, and nearly 90% of individual foods and beverages served matched those stated on menus. Parents of children in child care and dietetics practitioners providing consultation to child-care centers can encourage not only provision of healthy foods and beverages, but also accurate menus in child care.

P32 Using evidence to prioritise areas for public health actions for tackling childhood overweight

ObjectiveTo use evidence from systematic reviews of environmental influences on childhood overweight to prioritise areas for development of public health interventions.DesignSystematic literature reviews of intervention and longitudinal studies of environmental...

Microbiological assessment of food crops irrigated with domestic greywater

Two of the challenges facing Africa in the 21stcentury are effective use of restricted water resources and ensuring food security. The eThekwini Municipality is not exempt from these challenges and is investigating ways in which they can be addressed in the local context. One of the aims of national government has been to ensure the supply of clean drinking water and suitable sanitation to every household. As part of its efforts in this regard, eThekwini Municipality has introduced a multi-tiered water supply programme ranging from full-pressure water systems and flush toilets to stand pipes and dry toilets. In the dry sanitation systems, there is no real provision for the disposal of domestic greywater and, bearing in mind that South Africa is a water scarce country, the municipality is investigating ways of using this water as a resource rather than viewing it as a waste. A preliminary trial was set up in 2003 using this water to irrigate vegetables to be used for home consumption. The microbiological safety of this practice needed to be examined to ensure that it would indeed help to uplift communities by the provision of healthy food as well as provide an ecologically sound use and reuse of available water. The initial proposal was to investigate total coliforms, E. coli and Enterococcus as the normal faecal indicators for health purposes as well as Staphylococcus as a human skin surface micro-organism and coliphage as a viral indicator. The first controlled field trial was put in at the test site at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2005 using several crop types and three irrigation regimes. The vegetable samples were examined both internally and externally for the selected micro-organisms. It was found that very few E. coli were detected and in later crops the micro-organism list was expanded and further identification of the total coliform organisms detected is being addressed. This paper presents the results from the analyses to date.

Introduction to the special issue on food technology

Food technologists are striving to provide the world with a safer and healthier food supply with better taste and higher stability. This special issue presents some new advances in food technology from my colleagues around the world, including Prof. Theodore P. Labuza of the University of Minnesota, Prof. Patrich Y. Martin Lo of the University of Maryland, Prof. Stephanie Clark of Iowa State University, Prof. Qingrong Huang of Rutgers University, Prof. Yifen Wang of Auburn University, and Prof. Mengshi Lin of the University of Missouri. I am also grateful to Prof. Zeyuan Deng of Nanchang University, Prof. Mouming Zhao of South China University of Technology, Prof. Shiping Tian of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Bo Jiang, Prof. Jie Chen, and Dr. Huaneng Xu of Jiangnan University. This special issue features 13 papers, including 10 research articles and 3 review papers. It covers several scientific topics in the field of food research, including food biotechnology and bioengineering, food nanotechnology, food texture and rheology, food stability and shelf life, novel food processing technology, and advanced separation and purification technology of bioactive compounds. I thank Dr. Peng Zhou of Jiangnan University for his assistance in editing this special issue. I am also grateful to all the referees for their selfless contributions and their concern for quality work. Finally, I express my great appreciation to Dr. Fei Yuan and her colleagues at the Higher Education Press for providing us with this wonderful opportunity and for their constant encouragement and extraordinary patience.

Diet, smoking and cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia in high and low care supported housing

People suffering from schizophrenia have markedly increased physical morbidity and mortality. A poor diet and sedentary lifestyle make a significant contribution to this ill health. Healthcare professionals need to include assessments of diet and to promote a 'healthy living' lifestyle. To describe the dietary habits and cardiovascular risk factors of people with chronic schizophrenia living in supported accommodation and to audit the provision of cardiovascular health screening in this population. The dietary habits of 69 people with chronic schizophrenia living in community settings were assessed. Tobacco smoking, body mass indices and waist circumference were also measured. The dietary behaviour of patients living in high care settings with care staff present every day was compared with those in low care settings. Residents in both levels of care made poor dietary choices. Patients in high care were consuming more fast food than those in low care. The dietary habits of men and women in both levels of care were worse than reported by surveys of the general population in England. All patients had seen their GP in the previous year though only 3 had received diabetes screening and fewer than half had lipid profiles. People with schizophrenia do not improve their diet just by the provision of healthy food as was the case in high care settings. Secondary care services must address physical health monitoring as well as mental health if the increased mortality of patients with schizophrenia is to be addressed effectively. More effective interventions are necessary to improve and sustain a healthy diet.

Food at work: a qualitative study to investigate the drivers and barriers to healthy eating in two public sector workplaces in Barnsley

Background: Workplaces are increasingly being seen as important settings for health promotion in national strategies (Black, 2008). They have the potential to reach a large proportion of the adult population and are a key setting to improve not only the health of employees, but also that of the local population (Chu et al., 2000). The aim of the study was to provide a deeper understanding of the perceptions and views of staff on the drivers and barriers to the provision, promotion and consumption of healthier food and drink. The study took place in two public sector workplaces in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Method: A qualitative study in which 23 staff employed by either Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council or Barnsley Primary Care Trust were interviewed. Purposive sampling was used to ensure representation of different grades, job roles, hours worked, gender and age groups. All interviews took place in the workplace and were completed by the principal researcher using a semi‐structured interview schedule. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework analysis.Results: Four major themes (workplace structures and systems; cost, choice and availability of food; personal versus institutional responsibility; and food messages and marketing) were identified as drivers and barriers to healthy eating in the workplace. Foods promoted in workplaces were perceived as traditional ‘stodgy’ foods and affordable healthy choices had limited availability. Catering staff were ultimately driven to run their service as a business. Time constraints and tight deadlines imposed upon staff led to people not eating lunch.Discussion: Similar to other studies, this study found that values relating to taste, cost and perceived value, convenience, quality and health affected food choice (Drewnowski & Darmon, 2005). Lunch was often missed due to work pressures, and the organisational culture of not taking lunch (Devine et al., 2007). The viewpoints and accounts of a range of different staff on food provision in two workplaces were considered and the study has generated ideas for improvement of food provision and ways to promote healthy eating in these two public sector workplaces that can extend to the home and employees families.Conclusions: A qualitative methodological approach has facilitated the exploration of a range of staff views and experiences, suggesting complexity around healthy eating and food provision in the workplace. A quantitative study is needed to confirm and quantify the results.References Chu, C., Breucker, G., Harris, N., Stitzel, A., Gan, X., Gu, X. & Dwyer, S. (2000) Health promoting workplaces – international development. Health Promot. Int.15, 155–167.Black, C. (2008) Working for a Healthier tomorrow: Review of the Health of Britain's Working Age population. London: TSO, Presented to the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State.Devine, C., Nelson, J.A., Chin, N., Dozier, A. & Fernandez, I.D. (2007) ‘Pizza is cheaper than salad’: assessing workers’ views for an environmental food intervention. Obesity15 (Suppl.), 57S–68S.Drewnowski, A. & Darmon, N. (2005) Food choices and diet costs: an economic analysis. J. Nutr.135, 900–904.

A qualitative study of the food‐related experiences of rural village shop customers

In the UK, although food choice in urban contexts has been widely studied, far less empirical information has been gathered from rural settings. With the closure of local services, some rural dwellers were believed to experience difficulties in meeting healthy eating recommendations. The present study aimed to explore perceptions of village store users. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted individually with 40 adults who were frequent users of rural village shops in Norfolk, UK. Participants were purposively selected to ensure that a wide demographic cross-section of customers was obtained. Interviews focused upon food choice strategies; attitudes towards rural food retail; and the provision of healthy foods. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively, using an established interpretative phenomenological approach. Four main themes emerged as drivers of food choice in rural villages: (1) village store as icon, which described how the perceived centrality of village shops influenced food choices; (2) village store as a service provider, which described top-up shopping behaviours; (3) alternative food sources, which described store users desires for local foods and their attitudinal conflicts towards supermarkets; and (4) lifestyle factors, which described the influence of factors such as time pressures, access to cars and family structures. Food choices were strongly influenced by the distinctive characteristics of the rural environment. Village shops were seen as important for community identity ('rural idyll'), as well as providing access to food and services. However, desires were made apparent for a greater range of healthy, fresh and locally-sourced foods.

Neighbourhood Provision of Food and Alcohol Retailing and Social Deprivation in Urban New Zealand

Recent research has considered whether a range of social and physical characteristics of residential neighbourhoods are important in explaining social and spatial inequalities in health. One strand of this research has investigated the role of neighbourhood access to retail provision of healthy and affordable food. In this national study we used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to examine the association between food retail (supermarkets, convenience stores and fast food outlets) and licensed alcohol outlet locations, and an area measure of deprivation for urban neighbourhoods across New Zealand. We found that contrary to the international evidence, for all outlet types, access to a range of retail options tended to be better in more deprived neighbourhoods. The implications of this socio-spatial distribution of food and alcohol retailing in reducing health inequalities are discussed.

Novel Recipes of Probiotic Low Fat Labneh Cheese as Natural Flavouring Salads in Hotel Meals

The glowing demand for functional foods is stimulating innovation and new product development in the food industry internationally. The food industry has a central role in facilitating healthier eating practices through the provision and promotion of healthy foods. Flavoured probiotic low fat labneh cheese as salad was prepared by incorporating 15 % of natural vegetables ( red beet, carrot and chicory ) which have natural flavouring : colouring : prebiotic and antioxidant components. Novel recipes were seived in hotels and fast foods resturant for sensory evaluation. Data indicated that the addition of carrot and chicory to the labneh resuted in elevting the viability of lactic acid bacteria at a range of 2.8 and 8.8 % respectively as compared with plain control labneh after 7 days of storage at 5°C. It was obvious that addition of the aforementioned vegetables resulted in lowering the degree of syneresis of labneh. On the othre hand, chicory labneh was more acceptable than their counterparts containing carrot and red beet along with the control labneh. Chicory and carrot labneh were more acceptable in hotels wherease chicory and beet labneh were more acceptable in fast foods restaurants. The successful flavouring and colouring of low fat labneh with natural vegetables(beet. carrot .chicory ) could add to the variety of prepared salads. Moreover, the labneh recipes formulated in the present study allows production of various recipes of flavouring cheeses based salads that cope with current demands or needs of hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets and institutional consumption.

Delivering multidisciplinary public health in action – the Cardiff Food Strategy case study

There is an increasing awareness that the provision of healthy food relies on the co-ordinated efforts of a number of diverse disciplines, not merely those traditionally linked with food. This paper documents the development of a food and health strategy, commissioned by the health alliance for the city of Cardiff, and focuses on the areas of sustainability, education and training as well as nutrition, food provision and food safety. The aim of the strategy was to increase the uptake of a healthy, safe and sustainable diet for all those living in Cardiff. The methodology included a rapid appraisal of food initiatives operating within the city, establishing a food and health strategy working group and the production of strategy documentation. Multi-agency collaboration and consultation were key components of the approach. As the strategy developed, seven action areas became apparent, including education and training, public sector procurement and rewarding excellence. These action areas were incorporated into seven 'action tables', which constitute the core of the strategy. The food and health strategy document was ratified by the Local Health Alliance board in August 2004. But, far greater benefits were realised as a consequence of setting up the strategy working group. Long before the document was written, the strategy process was operating as 'multidisciplinary public health in action'. The network that comprised the food and health strategy working group was already able to commence delivery of a more integrated approach to food and health within Cardiff.

The essential balance: Risks and benefits in food safety and quality

Food composition analysis is concerned with both beneficial and harmful food components in the human diet: nutrients, bioactive non-nutrients, anti-nutrients, toxicants, contaminants and other potentially useful and dangerous elements. The concept of food safety in the past excluded elements of nutrition such as known risk factors for certain chronic diseases and nutrients in the form of fortificants and supplements. Concerns about genetically modified foods, functional foods, high levels of nutrient additives and nutritional supplements are now being taken into consideration in the risk and safety activities of both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). “Food safety” generally refers to the content of various chemical and microbiological elements in food. More consumer awareness of food safety and quality issues, along with government and industry action, is bringing about a more preventive, food chain approach—sometimes called “from farm to table”—in many countries, so as to improve traditional food safety systems. FAO has adopted this food-chain approach and defines it as recognition that the responsibility for the supply of safe, healthy and nutritious food is shared by all involved, from primary production to final preparation and consumption. Compositional changes (representing either risks or benefits) in food can be introduced at every link. Although developments may be largely beneficial, food composition needs to be monitored to ensure that no harm results to consumers. Finally, collaborative international efforts are needed in order to resolve issues of food-quality and safety across boundaries in a global world trade context. A “holistic food chain approach” would recognize that responsibility for supplying safe and nutritious food lies with all those involved in food production.

Trends in dietary patterns of Latin American populations.

It is important to characterize the level and magnitude of changes in food consumption patterns in Latin American populations as they undergo demographic and developmental transitions because of the effects of such changes on the development and progression of chronic diseases. This paper examines trends in food intake across regions in Latin America. Although trends in apparent food consumption differ in magnitude and timing, the overall patterns of change are remarkably consistent. Intakes of total fat, animal products, and sugar are increasing, even while there have been rapid declines in the intake of cereals, fruit, and some vegetables. The costs of the increased prevalence of chronic disease associated with these dietary changes are already affecting health systems still coping with malnutrition and infectious disease. Because this pattern of change is predictable, it is important to learn from the experiences gained in countries that are more advanced in the transition. Efforts to educate the population on the importance of a healthy diet and to issue policies to improve the availability of a healthy food supply can help to reduce the rapid escalation of obesity and chronic diseases.

Contribution of European research to anti-microbials and hormones

The EC Quality of Life (QoL) Programme, Key Action 1 (KA1)—Food, Nutrition and Health is mission oriented and aims, amongst other things, at providing a healthy, safe and high-quality food supply leading to reinforced consumer confidence in the safety of European food. Its objectives also include the enhancing of competitiveness of European industry and ensuring the safety of the European food supply. Key Action 1 is currently supporting a number of different types of European collaborative projects in the area of anti-microbial and hormone residue analysis. The objectives of these projects range from the development and validation of screening and confirmatory analytical methods and sensors for a cost-effective and time efficient control strategy for synthetic glucocorticoids, nitrofurans including their possible bound residues, coccidiostatics, β-lactam residues, and androgen residues in live and post-mortem animals; via contributing to a harmonisation of risk assessment of chemicals in foods; and a bio-safety evaluation of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used for human consumption in order to detect resistance and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes among LAB. An overview of these projects including their initial results is presented in this paper.

Impact of the Pick the Tick food information programme on the salt content of food in New Zealand

The Pick the Tick programme of the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand aims to provide a framework for cooperation with the food industry to improve nutrition labelling and to develop a healthy food supply. Food manufacturers, whose products meet defined nutritional criteria, are able to display the Pick the Tick logo on food labels. The tick is used by 59% of shoppers in assisting them make healthy food choices. Food companies are encouraged to reformulate product composition if they fail to meet criteria and develop new products to specifically meet the Pick the Tick criteria. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the programme on food formulation. The main outcome measure was the amount of salt not added to food products. Changes to sodium levels were multiplied by the volume of sales and then converted to salt in tonnes to provide a tangible measure of the impact of the programme. In a 1-year period, July 1998 to June 1999, Pick the Tick influenced food companies to exclude approximately 33 tonnes of salt through the reformulation and formulation of 23 breads, breakfast cereals and margarine. Breakfast cereals showed the largest reduction in sodium content by an average of 378 mg sodium per 100 g product (61%). Bread was reduced by an average of 123 mg per 100 g product (26%) and margarine by 53 mg per 100 g (11%). Pick the Tick appeals to the food industry as a tool for marketing food products and has provided an incentive to improve the nutritional value of foods. The tick on approved products not only acts as a 'nutrition signpost' for consumers but can also significantly influence the formulation of products without sacrificing taste or quality.

Contribution of European research to risk analysis

The European Commission's, Quality of Life Research Programme, Key Action 1—Health, Food & Nutrition is mission-oriented and aims, amongst other things, at providing a healthy, safe and high-quality food supply leading to reinforced consumer confidence in the safety of European food. Its objectives also include the enhancing of the competitiveness of the European food supply. Key Action 1 is currently supporting a number of different types of European collaborative projects in the area of risk analysis. The objectives of these projects range from the development and validation of prevention strategies including the reduction of consumers risks; development and validation of new modelling approaches; harmonization of risk assessment principles, methodologies, and terminology; standardization of methods and systems used for the safety evaluation of transgenic food; providing of tools for the evaluation of human viral contamination of shellfish and quality control; new methodologies for assessing the potential of unintended effects of genetically modified (genetically modified) foods; development of a risk assessment model for Cryptosporidium parvum related to the food and water industries; to the development of a communication platform for genetically modified organism, producers, retailers, regulatory authorities and consumer groups to improve safety assessment procedures, risk management strategies and risk communication; development and validation of new methods for safety testing of transgenic food; evaluation of the safety and efficacy of iron supplementation in pregnant women; evaluation of the potential cancer-preventing activity of pro- and pre-biotic (‘synbiotic’) combinations in human volunteers. An overview of these projects is presented here.

The Heartbeat Award Scheme: an evaluation of catering practices

The Heartbeat Award Scheme was launched in England in 1990 by the Health Education Authority as part of the national strategy to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease. To date there has been no formal evaluation of the impact the award has had on catering practices. This study aimed to compare the differences between those premises with and without the award with regard to their catering practices. All Heartbeat premises (497) within the former Wessex region, along with 495 control premises without the award, were sent postal questionnaires. A total of 380 premises with the award and 306 premises without responded, representing a response rate of 77% and 62%, respectively. Respondents were grouped into one of three categories: public eating places, workplaces or educational establishments. Differences were found between award and non‐award holders, particularly with regard to the provision of healthy food, including brown rice and semi/skimmed milk, healthy options available to the consumer and commitment to healthy eating. While this research suggests that the award scheme may be increasing consumer choice, it is not possible to draw conclusions about the impact of the scheme on eating habits.

International Conference on Antioxidants and Lipid Peroxidation in Atherosclerosis and Cancer (ALPAC), Helsinki, 22–25 August 1995

The major focus of ALPAC was on the role of nutrition, in particular of antioxidative micro-nutrients, in the etiology of cardiovascular disease and cancer discussed by some of the world's leading scientists. Concurrently, the International Conference on Quality and Safety Aspects of Food and Nutrition in Europe (QSFNE) was held, which concentrated on the provision of well-balanced, healthy and non-contaminated food to the consumer. In the following report, only the ALPAC meeting will be considered.

A Healthy Diet: Whose Responsibility?

Focuses on particular aspects of a healthy life style, diet and eating behaviours. Specifically considers the role which catering managers play in the provision of healthy food, the main proposition of the discussion being that this group has an important contribution to make in the establishment and maintenance of a healthy diet. Commences with a consideration of the responsibilities of catering managers and the factors which influence food selection. Then proceeds to examine the results of a recent research programme which surveyed attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of final year hospitality management students. These students are likely to find employment in the hospitality industry, many as food and beverage managers and, as such will be involved in planning menus and providing meals for the population across a wide variety of sectors.

Assuring a Healthy Food Supply: A Case for Fundamental Reform of Regulatory Programs

Recent months have brought a steady procession of well publicized food scares-some more perceived than real—that have alarmed consumers and drawn attention to the surveillance and inspection activities of various regulatory programs. Investigations by Congressional committees, the General Accounting Office and others have revealed significant shortcomings in program design and execution. Many problems are deeply rooted in a history of food regulation too often characterized by hasty, piecemeal solutions to health threats that have arisen in one food sector or another. Less attention has been paid to examining potential hazards in the food supply as a whole and directing limited federal resources toward areas where risks to health are greatest. The result is a system replete with inconsistencies, conflicts and gaps. Nor have regulatory programs kept pace with science. In some instances, regulators continue to use analytical tools that are decades out of date. State governments increasingly are moving into what they perceive as a regulatory vacuum with the best of intentions but the very real prospect of adding to regulatory conflicts and contradictions, without any corresponding benefit to public health. There is a pressing need to harmonize and modernizing the food regulatory system as a whole. A growing number of policymakers, consumer groups and industry leaders believe that this can be accomplished through the implementation of a science-based set of regulatory principles known as Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Points (HACCP). These principles, applicable to every link in the food production, processing and distribution chain, focus on the process rather than the product, and seek to control potential hazards at critical points on the farm, in the plant, in the market and elsewhere. However, the introduction of science based systems of food safety assurance will pose numerous challenges to the federal, state and local agencies charged with food regulation. Moreover, since HACCP transfers much of the burden of safety assurance onto the industry itself, its success ultimately depends on the good faith commitment of the food industry. The lively dialogue now taking place in the food regulatory arena has widespread implications for other sectors of the economy where government safety assurance activities may also require harmonization and modernization.