Generation of food waste in the hospitality and food retail and wholesale sectors: lessons from developed economies

Food wastage is a major challenge in the global food value chain. In an attempt to explain and better understand the determinants of food waste across the supply chain, this paper closely examines the Hospitality, Restaurants and Canteens/Cafeterias (HORECA) as well as food retail and wholesale sectors, as being interrelated with the final consumer at the post-harvest and post-processing levels. Data from 33 developed countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania were compiled from secondary sources and analyzed by means of a regression model in order to identify the macroeconomic factors contributing to generation of food waste in the HORECA industry at the national level. The results of our analysis suggest that a well-defined and inclusive legislative framework, awareness campaigns as well as fiscal incentives significantly reduce generation of food waste by an average of 17.6, 21.3 and 14.3%; respectively. Accordingly, these measures can be used in conjunction as effective schemes for controlling food wastage in the HORECA industry. On the other hand, non-legally binding initiatives by government authorities among other actors did not seem to have any significant impact on the food waste generated and quantities reported.     

美国食品安全教育及对中国的启示

美国食品安全教育实行全民教育,不仅有健全的法律依据,而且有多元体系的配套制度给予保障,其主管部门权责明确,根据受教育对象的不同实行分层教育,实施中职业教育特色浓厚,具有教育方式灵活、教育面广、针对性强的特点。由于缺乏明确的法律依据,中国食品安全教育存在责任主体边界模糊,责任不清晰的问题,在临时性的推进中,教育的系统性不足,导致生产者盲目逐利、消费者法律意识淡薄、监管者不作为的问题。借鉴美国的成熟经验,中国的食品安全教育应立足中国国情,确立其教育对象、原则、体系与方法,创新教育途径,形成有本国特色的食品安全教育机制。     

The Role of Auditing,Food Safety,and Food Quality Standards in the Food Industry: A Review

Food safety and quality audits are used widely in the food industry for various reasons (to evaluate management systems, obtain certifications to certain food safety and quality standards, assess the condition of premises and products, confirm legal compliance, and so on). Nowadays, the increased interest of consumers on food safety and quality matters, triggered mainly by recent food scandals, has enabled the public and private food sectors to develop a variety of food safety and quality standards. These standards have both advantages and disadvantages and their effectiveness depends on several factors such as the competency and skills of auditors and the standard used in each case. Although the industry continuously invests in developing and improving these systems, the number of foodborne outbreaks per year appears to be quite stable in both Europe and the United States. This may be an indication that additional measures and techniques or a different approach would be required to further improve the effectiveness of the food safety and quality management systems. This article examines the role of audits and food safety and quality assessment systems in the food industry, presenting the results of several studies and briefly describing the main food safety and quality standards currently used in Europe (with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom and Greece), the U.S., Australia–New Zealand, and Asia.     

Consumer food handling in the home: a review of food safety studies

Epidemiological data from Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand indicate that a substantial proportion of foodborne disease is attributable to improper food preparation practices in consumers' homes. International concern about consumer food safety has prompted considerable research to evaluate domestic food-handling practices. The majority of consumer food safety studies in the last decade have been conducted in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (48%) and in the United States (42%). Surveys (questionnaires and interviews), the most frequent means of data collection, were used in 75% of the reviewed studies. Focus groups and observational studies have also been used. One consumer food safety study examined the relationship between pathogenic microbial contamination from raw chicken and observed food-handling behaviors, and the results of this study indicated extensive Campylobacter cross-contamination during food preparation sessions. Limited information about consumers' attitudes and intentions with regard to safe food-handling behaviors has been obtained, although a substantial amount of information about consumer knowledge and self-reported practices is available. Observation studies suggest that substantial numbers of consumers frequently implement unsafe food-handling practices. Knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and self-reported practices did not correspond to observed behaviors, suggesting that observational studies provide a more realistic indication of the food hygiene actions actually used in domestic food preparation. An improvement in consumer food-handling behavior is likely to reduce the risk and incidence of foodborne disease. The need for the development and implementation of food safety education strategies to improve specific food safety behaviors is reviewed in this paper.     

亚洲和欧美地区霉菌毒素及其暴露风险分析

霉菌毒素是一种由霉菌产生且广泛存在于食物的有毒次级代谢产物,是膳食质量安全的重要危险因子之一,严重威胁了人类和动物的健康。本文主要对亚洲和欧美地区中几种主要的霉菌毒素毒性及暴露量进行系统的论述,指出亚洲地区膳食中黄曲霉毒素、赭曲霉毒素、脱氧雪腐镰刀烯醇均可能存在风险;欧美地区为黄曲霉毒素和脱氧雪腐镰刀烯醇。亚洲和欧美地区膳食中黄曲霉毒素及脱氧雪腐镰刀烯醇应该重点关注。通过对比发现欧美地区霉菌毒素暴露的风险小于亚洲。     

A red code triggers an unintended approach motivation toward sweet ultra-processed foods: Possible implications for front-of-pack labels

Front-of-package labels (FOPL) are recommended to reduce consumer intake of ultra-processed food products (UPP). The multiple traffic-light label is one example of FOPL that indicates the content of target nutrients in products by displaying red (high), amber (medium), and/or green (low) color-coding. The red code may implicitly enhance sweetness perception and approach dispositions toward sweet UPP via cross-modal visual-taste interactions. We conducted two experiments to examine the possibility of contradictory influence of explicitly learned and implicit cross-modal associations on the emotional responses evoked by UPP pictures. In both experiments, we first explicitly associated the color codes with health-related meanings. In Experiment I (n = 78), a psychometric tool estimated the emotional responses (pleasantness and arousal ratings) evoked by UPP pictures when preceded by red, amber, or green color-codes. In Experiment II (n = 24), we recorded participants’ electrocortical brain activity to assess the early posterior negativity (EPN) component as an index of the emotional responses to UPP. The reported pleasantness (Experiment I) and the EPN amplitude (Experiment II) were greater for sweet UPP relative to salty UPP when primed with red codes but not when primed with green or amber. A red code increased positive emotions toward sweet UPP despite its explicit association with increased health-risks. Thus, the use of multiple traffic-lights might lead to an unintended implicit approach behavior toward sweet UPP. Designers, researchers, and policy makers may consider color-taste cross-modal associations when designing, testing, and applying FOPL.     

ADSA Foundation Scholar Award: Trends in culture-independent methods for assessing dairy food quality and safety: Emerging metagenomic tools

Enhancing the quality and safety of dairy food is critical to maintaining the competitiveness of dairy products in the food and beverage market and in reinforcing consumer confidence in the dairy industry. Raw milk quality has a significant effect on finished product quality. Several microbial groups found in raw milk have been shown to adversely affect the shelf life of pasteurized milk. Current microbiological criteria used to define milk quality are based primarily on culture-dependent methods, some of which are perceived to lack the desired sensitivity and specificity. To supplement traditional methods, culture-independent methods are increasingly being used to identify specific species or microbial groups, and to detect indicator genes or proteins in raw milk or dairy products. Some molecular subtyping techniques have been developed to track the transmission of microbes in dairy environments. The burgeoning “-omics” technologies offer new and exciting opportunities to enhance our understanding of food quality and safety in relation to microbes. Metagenomics has the potential to characterize microbial diversity, detect nonculturable microbes, and identify unique sequences or other factors associated with dairy product quality and safety. In this review, fluid milk will be used as the primary example to examine the adequacy and validity of conventional methods, the current trend of culture-independent methods, and the potential applications of metagenomics in dairy food research.     

The role of time constraints in consumer understanding of health claims

The growing market for healthy foods has contributed to increased interest in communicating the health-related benefits of food products. Health claims are becoming an increasingly used instrument to communicate such benefits. In the European Union, consumer understanding of health claims was set as condition for use in order to protect consumers against misleading claims. However, consumer understanding has received little attention compared to consumer perceptions of claims. Consumers only have limited time in a normal shopping situation, which can impact the meanings they attach to claims. This study’s aim was to examine the effect of time constraints on consumer understanding of health claims and the potential link between understanding and intention to buy. A survey conducted among respondents in Denmark (N = 1483) used a time constraint manipulation and varied the health claim shown to respondents when assessing consumer understanding. The results showed that consumers’ objective understanding is lower under time constraint. Specific inferences were associated with increased intention to buy. Implications for public policy and food industry are discussed.     

食品乳状液中脂质氧化的影响因素及抑制方法

脂质氧化是造成食品乳状液质量下降的一个主要原因。乳化体系中脂质氧化的机理及影响氧化的因素与均相体系中脂质的氧化有很大不同。综述了油脂、氧、抗氧化剂、界面特性、油滴大小以及体系中各成分对食品乳状液中脂质氧化的影响,对于了解食品乳状液中脂质氧化的机理和有效防止食品乳状液中脂质氧化具有实际意义。     

消减食品加工过程中的真菌毒素：来自欧洲和东南亚的经验分享（网络首发、推荐阅读）

在世界范围内,由真菌毒素造成的经济损失估计达数十亿美元,给人类和动物带来安全风险。粮食中真菌毒素的预防可以通过食品加工过程中进行真菌毒素的消减处理。在过去几十年里,虽然发表的科技论文中报道了大量真菌毒素防控措施,但实际生产往往需要更容易实施的、简单易行的建议和指导方针。欧洲和东南亚在真菌毒素处理到数据分析、风险评估到污染防控、差异分析到流通途径等方面可以做到相互协作,互相补充。欧洲和东南亚政府及相关行业必须在综合考虑地域、农业系统和不同国家消费者偏好的背景下,寻求平衡食品安全和地区贸易二者关系,协同管控食品供应链。以谷物为例,加工过程包括初级加工（谷物清理和碾磨操作）和二次加工（如烘焙过程中的发酵和烘烤）,欧洲尤其关注烘焙食品安全性及全麦面包生产工艺对呕吐毒素的影响。结合农业、咖啡工业和科学研究人员的专业知识及亚洲咖啡生产者的具体情况,重点关注东南亚地区咖啡中赭曲霉毒素A污染问题。在农场环境中减少真菌毒素的措施给咖啡农民带来了较大的挑战,包括在规范种植农场模式下咖啡生产者和消费者之间社会经济效益和个人行为模式的相关影响因素。随着世界变得更加全球化,食品和饲料供应链也变得日趋复杂,因此,需要制定更全面的策略来确保食品供给及品质安全。     

Identification of Drivers of Liking for Bar‐Type Snacks Based on Individual Consumer Preference

Understanding consumer hedonic responses on food products are of greatest interests in global food industry. A global partial least square regression (GPLSR) had been well accepted method for understanding consumer preferences. Recently, individual partial least square regression (IPLSR) was accepted as an alternative method of predicting consumer preferences on given food product, because it utilizes the individual differences on product acceptability. To improve the understanding of what constitutes bar‐type snack preference, the relationship between sensory attributes and consumer overall liking for 12 bar‐type snacks was determined. Sensory attributes that drive consumer product likings were analyzed using averaged‐consumer data by GPLSR. To facilitate the interpretation of individual consumer liking, a dummy matrix for the significant weighted regression coefficients of each consumer derived from IPLSR was created. From the application of GPLSR and IPLSR, current study revealed that chocolate and cereal‐flavored bars were preferred over fruit‐flavored bars. Attributes connected to chocolate flavor positively influenced consumer overall likings on the global and individual consumer levels. Textural attributes affected liking only on the individual level. To fully capture the importance of sensory attributes on consumer preference, the use of GPLSR in conjunction with IPLSR is recommended.     

Opportunities for product innovation using authorised European Union health claims

For authorisation of a health claim in Europe, applicants must follow the procedures in the legislation and in the guidelines for submission of a dossier, as well as the guidance in the European Food Safety Authority's opinions on the scientific requirements for health claims. In addition to the authorised functional benefits of the vitamins and minerals, certain foods and food constituents offer beneficial physiological effects that extend beyond traditionally accepted nutritional effects. The elucidation of these effects is becoming more important, as reflected by the increasing amount of nutrition research and number of product innovations. Provided that they are scientifically substantiated, health claims linked to food and food supplement products can help consumers make well‐informed food choices. The present review focuses on scientific substantiation and consumer understanding of health claims, and it aims to help those involved in academic research, food product development and consumer education about food and health.     

消费者食品安全风险认知现状及影响因素

食品安全问题是公共卫生的重中之重,随着世界经济环境的不断发展,食品传播范围增大,食品安全在生产加工、储存、分销等方面都面临着巨大的压力和挑战。频繁发生的食品安全事件冲击着公众的信任,也影响消费者对食品安全风险的认知。对消费者风险认知的测量,逐渐由双因素风险认知理论模型转变为多因素模型。影响人们食品安全风险认知的因素有很多,比如人口特征属性,包括年龄、性别、种族和受教育程度等;接收食品信息的渠道,例如媒体、政府和企业;以及消费者对食品加工过程中涉及的技术和概念的了解程度等。这些因素对消费者的食品安全风险认知有不同程度的影响,对这些因素进行总结概述,能够为有关部门提供未来食品安全工作中可以采取的有效措施,且提升消费者对食品安全和质量的信心。     

The Worldwide Potential for Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoaWilld.)

Quinoa is a highly nutritious food product, being cultivated for several thousands years in South America, with an outstanding protein quality and a high content of a range of vitamins and minerals. Other positive aspects of quinoa are the saponins found in the seed hull and the lack of gluten. Quinoa is one of the main food crops in the Andean mountains, but during recent times there has been increased interest for the product in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Quinoa has been selected by FAO as one of the crops destined to offer food security in the next century.

The genetic variability of quinoa is huge, with cultivars of quinoa being adapted to growth from sea level to 4000 meters above sea level (masl), from 40°S to 2°N latitude, and from cold, highland climate to subtropical conditions. This makes it possible to select, adapt, and breed cultivars for a wide range of environmental conditions. A major constraint for growth in northern parts of Europe, Canada, and in high altitude regions is the short growth season, because quinoa requires a maximal developmental time of 150 days in order to secure seed harvest. Hence, early maturity is one of the most important characteristics if quinoa is grown under these conditions. In southern Europe, the United States in certain parts of Africa and Asia there is good potential for increased production of quinoa.

Quinoa has a significant, worldwide potential as a new cultivated crop species and as an imported commodity from South America. The main uses of quinoa are for cooking, baking, etc.; various products for people allergic to gluten; animal feed, green fodder, and pellets; modified food products such as breakfast cereals, pasta, and cookies; industrial use of starch, protein, and saponin; and as a game-cover crop. In developing countries of Africa and Asia, quinoa may be a crop able to provide highly nutritious food under dry conditions.     

The Worldwide Potential for Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoaWilld.)

Quinoa is a highly nutritious food product, being cultivated for several thousands years in South America, with an outstanding protein quality and a high content of a range of vitamins and minerals. Other positive aspects of quinoa are the saponins found in the seed hull and the lack of gluten. Quinoa is one of the main food crops in the Andean mountains, but during recent times there has been increased interest for the product in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Quinoa has been selected by FAO as one of the crops destined to offer food security in the next century.

The genetic variability of quinoa is huge, with cultivars of quinoa being adapted to growth from sea level to 4000 meters above sea level (masl), from 40°S to 2°N latitude, and from cold, highland climate to subtropical conditions. This makes it possible to select, adapt, and breed cultivars for a wide range of environmental conditions. A major constraint for growth in northern parts of Europe, Canada, and in high altitude regions is the short growth season, because quinoa requires a maximal developmental time of 150 days in order to secure seed harvest. Hence, early maturity is one of the most important characteristics if quinoa is grown under these conditions. In southern Europe, the United States in certain parts of Africa and Asia there is good potential for increased production of quinoa.

Quinoa has a significant, worldwide potential as a new cultivated crop species and as an imported commodity from South America. The main uses of quinoa are for cooking, baking, etc.; various products for people allergic to gluten; animal feed, green fodder, and pellets; modified food products such as breakfast cereals, pasta, and cookies; industrial use of starch, protein, and saponin; and as a game-cover crop. In developing countries of Africa and Asia, quinoa may be a crop able to provide highly nutritious food under dry conditions.     

Kava aus dem Internethandel – Genussmittel,Nahrungsergänzung,Medizin oder Krebsrisiko?

The inhabitants of the South Pacific islands traditionally use the kava plant (Piper methysticum) for producing a beverage with relaxing effects. Since the 1990s, Kava is also popular in the western countries and has been used in Europe and America in tablet and capsule form to treat anxiety disorders. Kava exhibits anxiolytic and sleep-enhancing effects in humans. Research in experimental animals has proven sedative, anticonvulsant and central muscle relaxant effects, which may be caused by kavalactones as major constituents of kava. In 2002, kava has lost its authorisation as a medicinal product because of considerable side effects, particularly damage to the liver. Test purchases and analyses show that medicinal products containing pharmacologically active concentrations of kavalactones are still sold over the internet to the German consumer as food supplements. The natural origin is highlighted as an advantage over synthetic tranquilizers. A high priority to control the internet market with kava products may arise from its recent evaluation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B) by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).     

Investigation of food microstructure and texture using atomic force microscopy: A review

We review recent applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize microstructural and textural properties of food materials. Based on interaction between probe and sample, AFM can image in three dimensions with nanoscale resolution especially in the vertical orientation. When the scanning probe is used as an indenter, mechanical features such as stiffness and elasticity can be analyzed. The linkage between structure and texture can thus be elucidated, providing the basis for many further future applications of AFM. Microstructure of simple systems such as polysaccharides, proteins, or lipids separately, as characterized by AFM, is discussed. Interaction of component mixtures gives rise to novel properties in complex food systems due to development of structure. AFM has been used to explore the morphological characteristics of such complexes and to investigate the effect of such characteristics on properties. Based on insights from such investigations, development of food products and manufacturing can be facilitated. Mechanical analysis is often carried out to evaluate the suitability of natural or artificial materials in food formulations. The textural properties of cellular tissues, food colloids, and biodegradable films can all be explored at nanometer scale, leading to the potential to connect texture to this fine structural level. More profound understanding of natural food materials will enable new classes of fabricated food products to be developed.     

Familiarizing Food: Frozen Food Chains,Technology, and Consumer Trust,Norway 1940–1970

This article investigates the relationship between food chains and the production of consumer trust through cases drawn from the introduction of frozen fish fillets in Norway. Specifically, it will discuss how the frozen fish industry worked to create consumer trust in this new food product despite initial skepticism. Conventional ways of building trust such as quality control systems, branding, and marketing are investigated, but in addition to these mechanisms, the article discusses how the frozen fish industry utilized a range of more mundane technologies as trust-producing technologies. By investigating this effort, the article argues that technology is a valuable lens for understanding how consumers are familiarized with new foods.     

Developments in food processing and increasing gaps in consumers competence of food handling––the challenge for nutrition policy in Europe

Human evolution is accompanied by innovations in food processing. The results are remarkable: there is food security, as there is surplus on cheap, safe and high quality food. Despite this situation nutritional studies reveal that there are still nutritional problems in the world. Food security is only a precondition but no guarantee for nutrition security.The causes of nutritional problems are complex. In industrialised societies the importance of the last links of the food chain, being the competence of consumers regarding food and nutrition, is ignored. Whereas the global knowledge on food processing is increasing continuously, a reverse trend regarding consumer competence can be observed. The consequences of these trends have to be observed and studied. People with less food and nutrition competence are susceptible to disorientation and misguided behaviour. It is likely that the trend accelerates since the traditional ways to learn food and nutrition competence are diminishing; even in the case of food professionals, like cooks or bakers, there is clear evidence of lack of practical experiences.Nutrition and food policy has to focus on this gap. The most important nutritional problems are no longer those of food quality, but related to consumer behaviour. Today’s consumers need high qualification to use all the opportunities to manage the everyday tasks. Without fostering such training (not only for the general population, but also for food professionals) we in Europe are in danger of becoming a food illiterate population.