When a portion becomes a norm: Exposure to a smaller vs. larger portion of food affects later food intake

BackgroundPortion sizes in the food environment may communicate information about what constitutes a ‘normal’ amount of food to eat. Here we examined whether mere visual exposure to a smaller vs. larger portion size of snack food affects perceptions of how much a ‘normal’ sized portion is and how much people choose to eat of that food in future.MethodsUnder the guise of a study on taste preference and personality, 104 female participants were randomly allocated to be exposed to either a smaller or larger portion size of snack food. Twenty-four hours later participants freely selected a portion of the snack food to consume and reported on their perception of what constituted a normal sized portion of the snack food.ResultsParticipants that were exposed to a smaller, as opposed to larger portion size subsequently believed that a normal portion of the snack food was smaller in size. Exposure to the smaller as opposed to the larger portion size also resulted in participants consuming less snack food the next day.ConclusionsEnvironmental exposure to smaller, as opposed to larger portion sizes of food may change perceptions of what constitutes a normal amount of food to eat and affect the amount of food people choose to eat in future.     

Dimensions of parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages

Effective health interventions rely on a detailed understanding of the target audience’s attitudes relevant to the desired behavioural change. In the context of obesity interventions targeting parents, understanding parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages is necessary to overcome barriers to adopting recommended behaviours. The aim of the present study was to assess the factors influencing parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages to identify potential elements to incorporate into future obesity prevention programs. A sample of 1302 parents responded to an online survey that assessed their perceptions of the two product categories of soft drinks and energy dense, nutrient poor (EDNP) foods. Overall, attitudes to these products were favourable, with perceived convenience and enjoyment receiving higher scores than value for money and health considerations. The results suggest that interventions designed to improve children’s diets should aim to enhance perceptions of the convenience and taste of healthier alternatives, while also addressing factors such as food advertising and child pestering that can influence parents’ attitudes to unhealthy products.     

Surprise labels increase indulgent food portion size choice

Food package labels can significantly influence food portion size choice. In this research we investigate whether package labels featuring the word ‘surprise’ influence food portion size choice of hedonic snacks. Surprise appeals are used frequently by the food industry to encourage product choice (e.g., surprise menus at restaurants), but their effect on portion size choice is not yet well understood. In four experimental studies, we investigate the effect of surprise labels—without changing the level of information about the product—on food portion size choice. We consistently find that surprise labels (e.g., surprise chocolates box)—compared to conventional labels (e.g., chocolates box)—increase food portion size choice. We furthermore show that this effect is driven by an increase in anticipated enjoyment associated with the surprise-labeled snack. Theoretically, our findings contribute to literature on the implications of the halo effect in food portion size choice by showing that a surprise label triggers a positive halo effect and thereby increases portion size choice.     

Application of ethnic food composition data for understanding the diet and nutrition of South Asians in the UK

Lack of food composition data, recipe information and portion sizes for ethnic foods are commonly reported problems for dietary assessment of ethnic minority groups. One of the main aims of this study was to use food composition data to validate portion sizes, identify important sources of nutrients and describe the characteristics of the South Asian diet. The top five ethnic foods containing highest levels of selected nutrients were lamb balti (3 mg/100 g iron), lamb kebab (3.2 mg/100 g zinc), mixed dhal (62 μg/100 g folate), fish curry (1.4 μg/100 g vitamin D), ghee (968 μg/100 g retinol) and toor dhal (9.1 g/100 g dietary fibre). Typical adult South Asian diets included traditional cereals (chapatti, rice and paratha) and low consumption of meat dishes; with vegetable curries contributing most towards energy intake. A higher consumption of full fat milk and fruit juices by toddlers and school children were observed when compared with the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of the UK.     

Approach and avoidance motivation and interest in new foods: Introducing a measure of the motivation to eat new foods

In this paper we introduce a new measure of the motivation to eat new foods, the MENF. The measure is based upon the assumption that people’s interest in new foods reflects a combination of two distinct motives, an approach motive and an avoidance motive. In a series of studies (ns of 703, 411, and 777; collegians and nationally representative samples in the US and Poland) we developed a ten-item measure that has two subscales, one measuring approach motives to new foods, labeled AppNF – Motivation to Approach New Foods, and another one measuring avoidance motives to new foods AvdNF – Motivation to Avoid New Foods. The existence of these subscales was confirmed by Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The scales are reliable, and convergent validity was established by examining relationships between the scales and measures of motivation, curiosity, and personality. The scales also possessed incremental validity when compared to the Food Neophobia Scale. Distinguishing approach and avoidance motives locates the study of the motivation to eat new foods more firmly in the study of motivation per se, in which approach and avoidance motives are conceptualized as two distinct, albeit related, systems.     

各国预包装食品标签食品添加剂标示规定的对照分析

食品添加剂的标示是食品标签的重要内容，为规范食品添加剂在预包装食品标签中的标示行为，本文就国内外预包装食品标签对食品添加剂标示的规定进行分析比较。     

Consumers’ willingness to pay for upcycled foods

Research on food waste reduction suggests that solutions aimed at reducing waste early in the consumption cycle are the most impactful. Based on this premise, food research labs and food manufacturers have started creating and selling foods made from food ingredients that are generally discarded. Such foods, termed upcycled foods, are safe for human consumption and provide a promising solution to reduce food waste. However, the commercial success of this new category of foods will depend on consumers’ acceptance. This research examines a key indicator of acceptance – consumers’ willingness to pay. We find that although consumers are willing to pay less for upcycled foods compared to conventional alternatives, messaging increases consumers’ willingness to pay. Specifically, we find that rational messaging is more effective than emotional messaging. Overall, our findings suggest that upcycled foods may command good acceptance among consumers.     

Strategies to compensate for undesired gritty sensations in foods

This study investigated whether the addition of macroparticles or fat can be used to compensate for negative texture sensations in quark. Cellulose beads were added as model microparticles (1.5% w/w; average size: 263 µm) to quark (0% fat) to induce unpleasant gritty sensations. The addition of microparticles to quark significantly increased grittiness and dryness, while creaminess and liking decreased. Three strategies were explored to reduce the impact of unpleasant gritty sensations on consumer perception: two strategies involved the addition of macroparticles (granola or peach gel pieces); the third one consisted of increasing the fat content of the quark (4.4 and 8.8% w/w). For all three strategies, grittiness caused by microparticles did not significantly decrease when macroparticles or fat were present. Addition of peach gel pieces to quark with microparticles did not increase liking. When granola pieces were added to quark containing microparticles, liking increased significantly despite that grittiness was still perceived. Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) revealed that addition of granola pieces caused prolonged dominance of positive, crunchy sensations and minimized dominance of negative, gritty sensations. The addition of fat did not lead to a significant increase in liking of quark, although when a medium amount of fat was added (4.4%), it also did not decrease liking significantly. This was probably due to an effective hedonic compensation triggered by more positive sensations (i.e. sweetness). We conclude that addition of crunchy granola pieces or fat can be used as strategies to shift and increase dominance of positive and liked attributes, leading to an increase of overall liking, although negative sensations (grittiness) caused by microparticles are still perceived. This approach could be used to compensate for undesired texture sensations in different types of foods, such as high protein foods.     

Food neophobia and willingness to try non-traditional foods for Koreans

Non-traditional ethnic foods are a new category of foods that have not been experienced by consumers. The objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes of consumers toward the familiarity and willingness to try non-traditional foods by food neophobia level, as well as to determine the relationship between non-traditional ethnic food experiences and food neophobia in Korea. Food neophobia was measured by the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS). The mean FNS score among Koreans was 33.5 (SD = 9.0). The high food neophobia group was less likely to have experiences with non-traditional foods in comparison to the low food neophobia group. Food neophobia significantly predicted the familiarity and willingness to try various non-traditional ethnic foods. Among the 12 non-traditional ethnic foods, the participants had the least familiarity and willingness to try African and Mongolian foods. In terms of the level of willingness, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Turkish, Greek, Mongolian, African, Japanese and Italian foods showed significant differences among the food neophobia groups but Chinese and American foods did not. This study was a first and meaningful attempt to validate FNS in Asia for the delineation of consumer responses of various non-traditional food products.     

The effect of perspectives in food pictures on unhealthy food choices

Consumers choose less unhealthy food when seeing pictures of food shot in a top perspective vs. a diner’s eye perspective. These two commonly used perspectives in food pictures respectively show the food vertically downwards, or mimic the viewing point of a person sitting at a table, looking at the food in front of them on the table. Although both perspectives are frequently used in food pictures, consumers are more used to seeing their food from a diner’s eye perspective. We show that lower familiarity with seeing food in top perspective (vs. diner’s eye perspective) decreases product vividness and subsequently lowers consumers’ need for instant gratification. Hence, less unhealthy food is chosen.     

转基因食品的致敏性评估

为推动中国转基因食品安全性评价工作，通过回顾转基因食品致教性评估策略的发展，重点介绍2001年FA0／wH0生物技术食品致教性联合专家咨询会议推荐的转基因食品致敏性树状评估策略，并对目前国内外关于转基因食品致敏性评估的不同方法进行了论述。     

Ultraprocessed plant-based foods: Designing the next generation of healthy and sustainable alternatives to animal-based foods

Numerous examples of next-generation plant-based foods, such as meat, seafood, egg, and dairy analogs, are commercially available. These products are usually designed to have physicochemical properties, sensory attributes, and functional behaviors that match those of the animal-sourced products they are designed to replace. However, there has been concern about the potential negative impacts of these foods on human nutrition and health. In particular, many of these products have been criticized for being ultraprocessed foods that contain numerous ingredients and are manufactured using harsh processing operations. In this article, the concept of ultraprocessed foods is introduced and its relevance to describe the properties of next-generation plant-based foods is discussed. Most commercial plant-based meat, seafood, egg, and dairy analogs currently available do fall into this category, and so can be classified as ultraprocessed plant-based (UPB) foods. The nutrient content, digestibility, bioavailability, and gut microbiome effects of UPB foods are compared to those of animal-based foods, and the potential consequences of any differences on human health are discussed. Some commercial UPB foods would not be considered healthy based on their nutrient profiles, especially those plant-based cheeses that contain low levels of protein and high levels of fat, starch, and salt. However, it is argued that UPB foods can be designed to have good nutritional profiles and beneficial health effects. Finally, areas where further research are still needed to create a more healthy and sustainable food supply are discussed.     

Harmonised procedures for producing new data on the nutritional composition of ethnic foods

Food composition databases provide important data that can be used in a variety of ways to improve the nutritional quality of food and the health of the populations. The multicultural nature of European populations, together with increased travel and the globalisation of the food supply, has led to an increase in the consumption of ethnic foods by both mainstream and ethnic populations. However, the information that is available on the composition of ethnic foods is currently incomplete and fragmentary which both prevents effective health and disease interventions and limits the provision of dietary advice and information. One of the aims of the ethnic foods work package within the European Commission’s FP6 Network of Excellence EuroFIR is the provision of new and reliable data on the nutritional composition of ethnic foods from seven EU Member States and Israel for inclusion in national food composition databases. To achieve this goal, specific standards and mechanisms were developed to sample and analyse foods to harmonise procedures. Given the anticipated usage of the data it was essential that they were representative of the foods consumed in the country or region and that proper sampling procedures of the foods were employed. The most important nutrients were prioritised and analysed by selected accredited laboratories. The analytical methods selected were appropriate to fulfil the requirements of the resulting data. Quality assurance measures (ISO 17025, CRMs, IQC) were in place and the data accurately reflected the composition of chosen foods. This paper describes the procedures for producing validated new data for inclusion in forthcoming publications.     

Portion size selection as related to product and consumer characteristics studied by PLS path modelling

Expectations of satiation and satiety have been increasingly investigated because of the interest in how they, along with liking, can modulate portion-size selection. Consumer characteristics can also be important when consumers select their portion size. However, the contribution and interaction of consumers and product aspects to portion size selection has not been unveiled. This study aims to better understanding these complex relations by simultaneously assessing the relative influence of consumer characteristics and product related properties on portion size selection utilizing PLS-Path Modelling (PLS-PM) approach.In this study, consumers (n = 101) answered questions regarding attitudes to health and hedonic characteristics of foods, and completed hunger and fullness questions. In an evaluation step, they tasted eight samples of yogurt with different textures and rated liking, expected satiation, expected satiety and portion size. The consumers were also classified on their mouth behaviour by using the JBMB™ tool.Results showed that liking, satiation, satiety and portion size depended firstly on the thickness, and then on the particle size of samples. PLS-PM was used to generate a model, indicating that liking was a direct predictor of portion size, with a stronger effect than satiation or satiety. The relationship between liking and satiety was observed both in direct direction (liking-satiety) and also indirect direction throughout satiation (liking-satiation-satiety). The former was negative effect and the latter was positive effect depending on the criteria which consumers used.These findings implied that liking is a main factor in the prediction of portion size however the relations are complex.     

Differences in habitual eating speed lead to small differences in dynamic sensory perception of composite foods

Previous studies demonstrated that variability in oral processing behaviors impacts bolus properties and consequently texture and flavor perception. However, most studies followed a prescribed mastication protocol during the products’ sensory evaluations. A better understanding of how variability in habitual eating behavior impacts sensory perception of foods is needed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of habitual eating speed (slow vs. fast eaters) on dynamic sensory perception of composite foods. Habitual oral processing behavior of different composite foods was quantified in 105 participants. Participants were divided in fast (n = 53) and slow (n = 52) eaters using a median split. Three formulations of strawberry jams varying in viscosity and sugar content (High Sugar/Low Pectin [Control], High Sugar/High Pectin, Low Sugar/Low Pectin) were used. Composite foods were prepared by spreading jams on breads. Dynamics of dominant sensory attributes of strawberry jams presented with and without breads were evaluated using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). Dynamic sensory perception of jams and jam–bread combinations differed only slightly for short periods of time between habitual slow and fast eaters. The addition of breads to jams reduced especially the ability of the fast eaters to discriminate between jams differing in formulation. Slow eaters discriminated between different formulations of jams better than fast eaters, regardless of whether jams were presented alone or in combination with breads. We conclude that differences in habitual eating speed between consumers lead to small differences in dynamic sensory perception and discrimination ability of composite foods.     

Gender differences in the influence of personality traits on spicy food liking and intake

It has been proposed, and only minimally explored, that personality factors may play a role in determining an individual’s sensitivity to and preference for capsaicin containing foods. We explored these relationships further here. Participants rated a number of foods and sensations on a generalized liking scale in a laboratory setting; after leaving the laboratory, they filled out an online personality survey, which included Arnett’s Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) and the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). Recently, we reported strong and moderate correlations between the liking of a spicy meal and the personality constructs of Sensation Seeking (AISS) and Sensitivity to Reward (SPSRQ), respectively. Here, we use moderation models to explore the relationships between personality traits, perceived intensity of the burn of capsaicin, and the liking and consumption of spicy foods. Limited evidence of moderation was observed; however differential effects of the personality traits were seen in men versus women. In men, Sensitivity to Reward associated more strongly with liking and consumption of spicy foods, while in women, Sensation Seeking associated more strongly with liking and intake of spicy foods. These differences suggest that in men and women, there may be divergent mechanisms leading to the intake of spicy foods; specifically, men may respond more to extrinsic factors, while women may respond more to intrinsic factors.     

Oral processing behavior and dynamic sensory perception of composite foods: Toppings assist saliva in bolus formation

Composite foods consist of combinations of single foods, such as bread with toppings. Single foods can differ considerably in their mechanical and sensory properties. This study aimed to investigate the effect of toppings on oral processing behavior and dynamic sensory perception of carrier foods when consumed as composite foods. Two carriers (bread, crackers) and three toppings (firm cheese, cheese spread, mayonnaise) were selected and six carrier-topping combinations were prepared. Mastication behavior, bolus properties (33, 66 and 100% of total mastication time) and dynamic sensory perception were determined for single carriers and all carrier-topping combinations. Both carriers with cheese spread and mayonnaise were chewed shorter and with fewer chews than single bread and crackers, although twice the mass of food was consumed. These toppings contributed to a faster bolus formation by providing moisture, so that less saliva was incorporated into the bolus during mastication. As a result of the moisture incorporation, carrier boli with toppings were softened and perceived less firm and less dry than carrier boli alone. The largest effects of toppings on oral processing behavior and perception were found for liquid-like mayonnaise, and these effects were more pronounced in dry crackers than in moist bread. We conclude that toppings assist saliva in bolus formation of carriers. Carriers drive oral processing behavior and texture perception whereas toppings drive overall flavor perception. This knowledge contributes to food design tailored for specific consumer segments and future personalized nutrition.