The fair trade food labeling health halo: Effects of fair trade labeling on consumption and perceived healthfulness

The purpose of fair trade certification is to assure consumers that products support responsible companies, empower farmers, workers, and fisherman, and protect the environment. Yet, could it be possible that consumers infer greater healthfulness of foods containing such labels, and subsequently increase their consumption of fair trade certified foods? Across three studies, we demonstrate that fair trade labels can increase consumption by 26% to 31%. In study 1, we demonstrate that individuals consume more if the food product contains a fair trade label. In the subsequent studies we home in on the underlying process, demonstrating that the effect is mediated by the product’s perceived healthfulness (study 2 and 3) To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that (1) tests the effects of fair trade labels from third-party certifiers in package-based experiments, (2) examines the effects of fair trade labels on consumption, and (3) directly tests an overall health halo—perceived healthfulness—as the underlying process. In doing so, this research contributes to the values-based labeling and health halo literatures, while offering implications for public policy makers, consumers, and food marketers.     

Correlates of food consumption and perceptions of foods in an educated urban population in Ukraine

Taste, health and cost perceptions, and frequency of consumption of 34 food items, characteristic of the Ukrainian diet and representing the major food groups, were examined in 919 educated urban Ukrainian subjects (303 males and 616 females, ages 18–60). There were differences in food perception and consumption patterns according to gender. Although these findings parallel those obtained in Western populations, there were notable differences. For example, whole milk and butter were considered healthier than skimmed milk and margarine. While taste perceptions were highly correlated with consumption of most foods, cost affected consumption of fruits, sweets and some meats. Taste and health perceptions were intercorrelated, and usually not related to cost perceptions. Health perceptions had the least effect on consumption. This study provides insight into predictors of food choice, and has implications for developing nutrition policy and nutrition interventions in the Commonwealth of Independent States.     

Influences of table setting and eating location on food acceptance and intake

This study aimed to determine whether there is an interaction between “small” (i.e., table setting) and “large” (i.e., eating location) scales of the eating environments in affecting food acceptance and consumption. An identical roast chicken was presented at three table-setting conditions: plastic tray (PT), home-style table (HT), and gourmet table (GT) settings both in sensory testing booths and realistic contexts (e.g., classroom for PT, home-style dining room for HT, and restaurant for GT). Participants favored the appearance of food served at a gourmet table setting located in a restaurant setting significantly more than in a sensory testing booth. The participants were more willing to eat the food served using a gourmet table setting in the restaurant setting than in the sensory testing booth, leading to a significant increase in their food consumption. In addition, participants consumed food more slowly and perceived themselves to be less hungry when they ate in realistic contexts rather than in sensory testing booths. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that food acceptance and intake can vary according to whether the small (table setting) and large (eating location) scales of the eating environments are well-matched or not.     

An analysis of the incremental value of retaining brand-level information in food consumption databases in estimating food additive intake

In the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults (DNSBA) food consumption database, brand level intake data are recorded for 2197 subjects over 7 days. This study set out to examine the incremental value of such brand level data in food consumption studies to estimate additive intake. The food codes in the DNSBA database were re-arranged into 14 food categories within each of which were varying numbers of both sub-categories of foods and of brands. Intake of the 97.5th percentile for brands and sub-categories were compared with intakes at the 97.5th percentile of the appropriate food category. Taking ≥ 60 consumers as the minimal sample size for which a 97.5th percentile statistic can be calculated, only 6% of the 1363 brands listed had sufficient data to work with. Of the 14 food categories, six had a sub-category with a 97.5th percentile in excess of that of the category but none exceeded 1.3 x 97.5th percentile intake of the category. Of the 85 brands for which there were ≥ 60 consumers, only 11 had 97.5th percentile intakes in excess of that statistic for the relevant food category and none exceeded a multiple of 1.3 times the category 97.5th percentile intakes. Unless dietary surveys are very large and carried out for longer periods of time, there is little value in retaining food consumption data at brand level. If 1.3x the intake of an additive from a given food category at the 97.5th percentile does not exceed the ADI, no sub-category or brand appears to do so. This may provide a valuable technique in crude estimates of food additive intake.     

The spirit is willing,but the flesh is weak: The moderating effect of implicit associations on healthy eating behaviors

This paper examines how implicit processes shape consumer’s food decision making. A series of three empirical studies combines questionnaire data with the Implicit Association Test to demonstrate that the effect of nutrition self-efficacy on behavioral intentions and eating behavior is moderated by food associations that are activated automatically and unconsciously. The Main Study provides evidence that consumers with a low ability to adopt a healthy diet behave according to their self-efficacy if implicit associations are negatively connoted (e.g., “healthy food products are less tasty”). A mediated moderation model shows that the interaction effect exerts its influence via intentions to adopt a healthy diet. Replication Study A confirms that this interaction effect even shapes the consumption patterns of at-risk consumers who have received nutritional counseling. Study B confirms the moderating role of implicit associations in a different setting and for different implicit associations. The article reveals that solely increasing consumer’s self-efficacy will not result in substantial changes towards a more healthy diet. By addressing implicit processes, food producers and policy makers can improve the effectiveness of their efforts to induce changes in consumers’ food consumption patterns.     

Associations between nutritional properties of food and consumer perceptions related to weight management

Consumer perceptions of food (for example, how filling or healthy) influence eating behaviour and appetite control. Therefore approaches to understand the global nutritional attributes of foods that predict the strength of consumer perceptions are of academic and commercial interest. The current research describes the development of a flexible platform for systematically mapping the global nutritional attributes of foods (both objective and perceived) to consumer perceptions of those foods. The platform consists of a database of standardised UK food images (currently n = 300), linked to a catalogue of detailed perceptual, nutritional, sensory, cost, and psychological information (‘nutritional attributes’). The platform also incorporates demographic and psychometric questionnaires to examine the importance of nutritional attributes on consumer perceptions within or between relevant target groups. In the current study, the platform was applied to a sample of dieting and non-dieting British men and women (n = 887) to examine the global attributes of a subset of foods (n = 75) and their association with successful weight management (i.e. supportive of weight loss, weight loss maintenance or prevention of weight gain). Generalised linear models identified energy density, cost (£/kcal), perceived energy content and satiating capacity as the main nutritional attributes underlying dieters’ and non-dieters’ perception of successful weight management food. Additionally, pleasantness, and desire not to (over) eat were uniquely associated with dieters’ perception of food as good for weight management; pleasantness was positively associated with weight management and desire to eat was negatively associated with weight management. Therefore, global nutritional attributes of foods can predict and distinguish the extent consumers’ perceive a food to be related to successful weight management. This platform will be extended to increase the variety of foods and specificity of nutritional attributes in the database suitable for a range of commercial, academic or clinical research applications.     

An application of meta-analysis in food safety consumer research to evaluate consumer behaviors and practices

Meta-analysis provides a structured method for combining results from several studies and accounting for and differentiating between study variables. Numerous food safety consumer research studies often focus on specific behaviors among different subpopulations but fail to provide a holistic picture of consumer behavior. Combining information from several studies provides a broader understanding of differences and trends among demographic subpopulations, and thus, helps in developing effective risk communication messages. In the illustrated example, raw/undercooked ground beef consumption and hygienic practices were evaluated according to gender, ethnicity, and age. Percentages of people engaging in each of the above behaviors (referred to as effect sizes) were combined using weighted averages of these percentages. Several measures, including sampling errors, random variance between studies, sample sizes of studies, and homogeneity of findings across studies, were used in the meta-analysis. The statistical significance of differences in behaviors across demographic segments was evaluated using analysis of variance. The meta-analysis identified considerable variability in effect sizes for raw/undercooked ground beef consumption and poor hygienic practices. More males, African Americans, and adults between 30 and 54 years (mid-age) consumed raw/undercooked ground beef than other demographic segments. Males, Caucasians, and Hispanics and young adults between 18 and 29 years were more likely to engage in poor hygienic practices. Compared to traditional qualitative review methods, meta-analysis quantitatively accounts for interstudy differences, allows greater consideration of data from studies with smaller sample sizes, and offers ease of analysis as newer data become available, and thus, merits consideration for its application in food safety consumer research.     

"委托生产食品"卫生监督管理方法的探讨

为规范“委托生产食品”的卫生监督管理工作，对目前“委托生产食品”卫生监督管理中存在的未取得卫生许可证生产经营“委托或受委托生产食品”、“委托生产食品”的卫生许可项目不规范、产品标识不规范等问题进行讨论，提出委托方和受委托方均需取得卫生许可证方可从事“委托生产食品”的生产经营活动。并在如何规范委托生产食品的卫生许可项目、产品标识、以及卫生监督中对委托或受委托生产食品方的监督管理各重点、允许委托生产的地区范围等方面提出建议。对“委托生产食品”的卫生监督管理工作有一定帮助。     

国际食品安全立法现状及我国立法对策分析

为了解世界其他国家食品安全立法的情况，对美国、欧盟、日本等国家的食品安全法律体系进行比较分析。分析发现，大部分发达国家都有一个在食品安全方面的基本大法，同时再有许多相关的具体法律。各国食品安全立法体系中主要是保护消费者健康的内容，同时强调食品立法必须建立在科学即危险性分析的基础上。通过分析，为我国当前食品卫生法的修订提出建议，食品安全法律体系要面向从农场到餐桌的全过程，把消费者的健康放在第一位。     

食品卫生行政时效制度初探

运用法学理论 ,阐述行政时效制度的概念、含义及价值取向 ,分析了现行食品卫生行政时效制度的现状及缺陷 ,提出了完善该项制度的原则及方法。     

辐照食品的卫生安全性研究和管理现状

为促进食品辐照技术的商业化应用，给我国食品辐照管理部门提供借鉴，综述了食品辐照的目的、经电离辐照加工后食品的变化、食品辐照加工的优势、食品辐照技术的历史回顾。介绍了美国、加拿大、欧盟等世界主要贸易国对辐照食品的管理和应用及其辐照方法的发展前景。辐照方法加工食品是一种安全、卫生、经济的新型技术。食品辐照技术既保护环境，又以很少的能量防止了粮食等食物的损失，还可保证食品的安全卫生。     

Pathways to increase consumer trust in meat as a safe and wholesome food

This paper focuses on the effect of information about meat safety and wholesomeness on consumer trust based on several studies with data collected in Belgium. The research is grounded in the observation that despite the abundant rise of information through labelling, traceability systems and quality assurance schemes, the effect on consumer trust in meat as a safe and wholesome product is only limited. The overload and complexity of information on food products results in misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Functional traceability attributes such as organisational efficiency and chain monitoring are considered to be highly important but not as a basis for market segmentation. However, process traceability attributes such as origin and production method are of interest for particular market segments as a response to meat quality concerns. Quality assurance schemes and associated labels have a poor impact on consumers' perception. It is argued that the high interest of retailers in such schemes is driven by procurement management efficiency rather than safety or overall quality. Future research could concentrate on the distribution of costs and benefits associated with meat quality initiatives among the chain participants.     

The influence of product preparation,familiarity and individual traits on the consumer acceptance of insects as food

Insects are highly valued as food in many cultures but have only recently gained interest in the West as a sustainable alternative to reduce the environmental impact of meat production. Despite the growing consumer interest in insect consumption, there is still a great disparity between curious trying and actual acceptance. The aim of this study was to examine how the product preparation, familiarity and individual traits (e.g. food neophobia) influence the consumer acceptance of insects as food. Dutch consumers (n = 976) evaluated 8 mealworm product images on 4 acceptability measures (product appropriateness, expected sensory-liking, willingness to buy, willingness to try). Product images varied according to mealworm visibility (visible/invisible), carrier flavour (savoury/sweet) and carrier origin (Western/Asian). High product acceptability was not simply achieved by adding mealworms to familiar foods. Acceptability depended very much on the perceived appropriateness of mealworms as food and the perceived appropriateness of the product combination. However, mealworm products were always expected to be inferior to the carrier products, even when visually identical. Familiarity with mealworms and individual traits played a relatively minor role, and influenced the willingness to try more than the other acceptability measures. We conclude that appropriate product design is important but insufficient to achieve consumer acceptance of insects as food in the West. Additional incentives are required to encourage acceptance beyond the mere willingness to try. We discuss the complexities underlying the consumer acceptance of insects as food and reflect on how acceptance might be increased in the future.     

试论农村家宴食品卫生监督管理对策

据统计,2000年至2003年4年间,甘肃省共报告发生食物中毒71起,其中发生在农村35起.35起中,有25起发生在农村家宴举办时.因此,农村家宴已成为食物中毒发生的重要场所.为了能够从不同方面探讨预防和控制农村家庭宴席食物中毒的方法,对近年来甘肃省发生的农村家宴食物中毒案例进行了分析,主要是农村家宴举办者食品卫生意识差,加工设备不卫生,环境卫生不好所造成.希望该分析能对预防和控制农村家庭宴席食物中毒提供借鉴.     

安阳市1996年～2003年食品卫生监督监测公告分析及管理对策

为维护公告的权威性，对河南省安阳市1996年～2003年的食品卫生监督监测公告进行了分析。结果发现，食品卫生监督监测公告呈明显的季节性，且年度间频次不平衡；发布公告的单位不统一；部分公告用语不规范，对被监督单位使用简称。为提高执法的严肃性，应注意公告的规范化问题。     

The relative importance of primary food choice factors among different consumer groups: A latent profile analysis

Food choices determine consumers’ dietary and energy intakes, and in turn their risk of obesity and diet-related diseases. Factors affecting food choices are complex, varied, and inter-connected. The aims of this study were to assess the relative importance of four factors influencing food choices (taste, price, healthiness, and convenience) and identify segments of consumers according to their ratings. Australian consumers (n = 1,558) aged 18 + years completed an online survey assessing a range of factors influencing their food choices, including the perceived importance of taste, price, healthiness, and convenience. Latent profile analysis was undertaken to identify segments, with bivariate analyses then conducted to describe the differences between the derived segments. Overall, taste was reported to be the dominant factor determining food choices (Mean (M) = 4.42; SD = 0.72; z-score = 0.43), followed by price (M = 4.19; SD = 0.78; z-score = 0.15), healthiness (M = 4.07; SD = 0.82, z-score = 0.00), and finally convenience (M = 3.79; SD = 0.82, z-score = -0.35). However, there were variations in absolute and relative ratings across the four identified segments. Two segments (‘High involvement’ and ‘Taste focused’, together accounting for 53% of the sample) rated taste highest, and the other two segments (‘Moderate involvement’ and ‘Indifferent’, 47% of the sample) rated price highest. Age, gender, residential location, and responsibility for grocery shopping were associated with segment membership. Understanding the dominant drivers of food choices across different consumer segments is useful for the development of tailored nutrition promotion messages and interventions to address obesity and other diet-related diseases.     

食品污染物监测及其健康影响评价的研究简介

为保障食品安全，“食品污染物监测及其健康影响评价的研究”被列入国家科技部“十五”攻关课题。主要研究内容为食品污染物分析质量控制研究；污染物(包括金属污染物，农药残留)监测技术研究；建立有害物质暴露危险性评估技术；生物学标志物研究。研究完成后，建立了我国与国际接轨的污染物监测网框架，提出了我国食品污染物监测分析质量控制评价原则，提高了我国污染物监测水平。绘制了我国食品污染物基本状况表。我国食品中重金属污染主要是铅污染，各年龄段铅的摄入量偏高，特别是儿童已经达到PTWI的105．6％～109．7％。说明我国食品中铅的含量偏高，应该修订国家标准。镉污染主要在鱼类，全国平均值超过国家标准，其中河南省淡水鱼的镉平均值是国家标准的近3倍，其他食品镉的污染不严重。砷、汞在食品中的污染不严重。成功地以总膳食研究为手段进行膳食暴露评估。在国际上首先建立了反映人体微量氯丙醇暴露的8—氯乳酸的痕量检测技术，并作为理想的接触标志物用于人体氯丙醇的暴露评价；初步建立了以监测母乳中二噁英负荷水平作为接触标志物和生殖内分泌指标作为效应标志物的体系；应用人胚肾LH／CG受体重组细胞株生物发光法测定血清中的BCG。研制出监测网研制数据上报系统计算机软件。该研究对保障食品安全提供了方法和科学依据。     

一起误食光硬皮马勃中毒事件调查

目的 对2019年9月4日发生在云南省楚雄彝族自治州的一起误食光硬皮马勃中毒事件进行调查分析,明确中毒原因,总结中毒特点及救治方法,为该蘑菇中毒事件的处置提供借鉴。方法 收集中毒病例资料、进行流行病学调查、对蘑菇样品进行形态学和分子生物学鉴定。结果 2例患者各进食了约50 g购买于市场的马勃后,出现了腹痛、恶心、呕吐、腹泻及低血压的症状,潜伏期0.5～1 h,经过对症治疗后好转出院。蘑菇标本经形态学和分子生物学鉴定为光硬皮马勃。结论 此次事件是因误食光硬皮马勃引起的急性中毒事件。光硬皮马勃与可食用的云南硬皮马勃外形相似,常因误食而中毒。鉴于很多毒蘑菇与一些食用菌形态上极为相似而导致误采误食,建议不要随意采食野生蘑菇。     

济南市学校食堂经营方式与食品卫生状况关系的分析

为掌握市场经济形势下济南市的学生食堂食品卫生管理状况，随机抽取70所学校食堂(大学30所、中学30所、培训学校10所)进行调查。调查结果显示，与计划经济时相比。所有食堂的经营方式都发生了改变，或本单位小集体承包，或外单位、校外个人承包。单位承包的食堂的食品卫生状况明显优于个人承包。对调查结果进行分析后，针对所存在的食品卫生问题提出了学校食品卫生管理建议和监督建议。