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The Breadfruit Institute, a program at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaiʻi, is dedicated to conserving, studying, and utilizing breadfruit for food and reforestation purposes. Breadfruit is a versatile fruit that grows on a long-lived tree and provides energy, protein, and essential nutrients. The institute has been working to reintroduce breadfruit through research, propagation, and education, and has distributed over 10,000 trees throughout Hawaii since 2007. Their goal is to promote local food production, improve nutrition, and reduce reliance on imported food. The article also discusses the concept of regenerative agriculture and the challenges faced by breadfruit, such as saltwater intrusion and climate change. Dr. Diane Ragone, the director of the Breadfruit Institute, shares her research and efforts to document and preserve breadfruit varieties. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, recognition has grown of the significant role that food systems play in driving climate change, constituting about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, while also playing a key role in sequestering carbon and adapting to climate changes. The COP28 climate conference signaled a pivotal shift, spotlighting food and agriculture in discourse. However, despite pledges and declarations, concrete plans and targets to address emissions from food chains remain elusive. Urgent action is imperative to transform food systems and avert surpassing critical warming thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the social processes of solidarities under pressure and their articulation with food in migratory contexts, in both urban and rural settings around Bordeaux (Gironde, South-West France). It is based on the actual experiences of vulnerable individuals in migration situations (the Outsiders) and “the Established” (cf. Elias and Scotson), who engage in various actions for, and sometimes with, the former. Our methodology included observing participants in several dwelling places and food-aid initiatives, as well as conversations with adults, unaccompanied minors, and families. Adopting an “embedded” anthropology approach (Dubey; Lewis and Russell), we followed long-term residents and new arrivals in their interactions. We conducted a multi-level analysis of the different approaches and positions adopted by the protagonists providing and receiving assistance, sometimes both at once, exerting their agency in order to create spaces of freedom within structural constraints, thus expressing their participation in society. One of the aims was to contribute to a situational anthropology approach that ultimately challenged the position of foreigners in our societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the major short-chain fatty acids produced via microbial fermentation, butyrate serves as not only a preferred energy substrate but also an important signaling molecule. Butyrate concentrations in circulation, tissues, and gut luminal contents have important pathophysiological implications. The genetic capacity of butyrate biosynthesis by the gut microbiota is frequently compromised during aging and various disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders and colorectal cancer. Substantial efforts have been made to identify potent butyrogenic substrates and butyrate-hyperproducing bacteria to compensate for butyrate deficiency. Interindividual butyrogenic responses exist, which are more strongly predicted by heterogeneity in the gut microbiota composition than by ingested prebiotic substrates. In this review, we catalog major food types rich in butyrogenic substrates. We also discuss the potential of butyrogenic foods with proven properties for promoting gut health and disease management using findings from clinical trials. Potential limitations and constraints in the current research are highlighted. We advocate a precise nutrition approach in designing future clinical trials by prescreening individuals for key gut microbial signatures when recruiting study volunteers. The information provided in this review will be conducive to the development of microbiota engineering approaches for enhancing the sustained production of butyrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children today have limited food origin awareness. The further we move away from food production practices, the less exposure children have to them, and the more food vulnerable we become. This is especially true for children growing up in urban areas where there is limited space for food gardens. Schools have developed targeted pedagogical approaches to raise food origin awareness, and this paper examines one such attempt in Cairns, Australia. We compare how students aged 5-6 responded to an activity where they drew their immediate response to the word ‘food'. Comparisons were then made between those learning under explicit instruction and those using a more experiential, place-based pedagogical approach. The findings suggest students in the experiential class who regularly use the garden as a learning space drew significantly higher levels of fresh, place-appropriate fruits and vegetables (U = 61.5, P = 0.002). We discuss the ramifications of exposure to a globalised food system and how experiences at school can nurture children's understanding of food. We interpret the outcomes of the different pedagogical approaches and unravel the importance of ‘place' in a child's food experience. The evidence presented suggests that children’s food knowledge could improve if food education is bolstered with experiential and place-responsive pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing food prices have implications for basic subsistence, have a strong price visibility and symbolic value, and are characterized by high volatility and inelasticity of demand. Research thus assumes that food price is an important trigger for unrest. Yet, whether food is an especially potent driver for people's willingness to engage in collective action, or whether it concerns grievances about general inflation, is unknown. Does food have a greater effect on the willingness to participate in unrest? The paper investigates the relative importance of food in mobilization potential by using unique data from a survey experiment in Johannesburg, South Africa. The experiment collects information on how price increases in food, fuel, and electricity affects respondents' willingness to engage in unrest. The results show a higher willingness to engage in collective action when presented with increasing living expenses, regardless of whether it is food, fuel or electricity, compared to stable prices. We also consider the level of risk exposure to price hikes, and find that those who report going hungry in the last year have a higher willingness to engage in unrest than those who do not. Thus, food access influences the willingness to partake in unrest during price hikes, also for commodities seemingly unrelated to food. This suggests that for those who are most affected by a price hike it is less important what type of commodity it is. The question is whether it introduces further strain on an already hard-stretched budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of steam pressure cooking on sensitivity for the ω-3 fatty acids of fish. Five different cooking processes were applied including grilling (Gg), baking (Bg), steaming (Sg), steam pressure (Spg), and super heated steam group (Shsg). The application of steam pressure cooking was made at 120°C and steam pressure (1.5 atm) depending on different cooking time (10, 15, 20, and 25 min). The Sp cooking conditions are similar the domestic steam cooking conditions. In this regard, Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA), PUFAω-3, PUFAω-6, and Unsaturated Fatty Acid (UFA) were determined. The results showed that PUFAω-3 and PUFAω-6 were more stable during the Spg than Gg, Bg, and Sg cooking. Accordingly, it is expected that, in terms of PUFAω-3 and PUFAω-6, the most stable group was steam pressure cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this narrative study was to explore experiences and assigned meanings in stories about self-directed weight loss (WL) maintenance after severe obesity (SO). In-depth interviews were conducted with eight women and two men, aged 27 to 59 years, who had carried out self-directed WL from SO for 5 years or more. fear of weight-regain, and food and emotion. We performed a case-based narrative analysis of especially rich interviews that illustrate these. Results pointed to persistently cultivating new competencies, establishing new eating habits, re-establishing old physical-training habits, and forming new relational bonds. Participants reinvented themselves and their lives. However, the stories are not all about transformation, but also about new and old health problems. The study directs attention to 'different obesities', not only to initial weight from which WL takes place, but also linked to the experiential horizons that the persons embody from childhood on. Furthermore, there was no way back in the present stories, always haunted in the wake of the lost weight. A double burden imposed on the person with obesity related to meta-stories in society deepens the understanding of this imperative: being vulnerable health-wise and exposed to stigmatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explore how the concepts of food and kinship function within the book of Ruth. First, we want to argue that the book of Ruth tells the story of how a רג is incorporated into the society, family, and nation of Israel via the legislations outlined in Deuteronomy. Second, in order to accomplish such an endeavour, food is used not only as a means to welcome Ruth into the society, but it is also used symbolically as a promise for what is come. Third, despite her status as a lowly רג, Ruth challenges what it means to be an Israelite. Finally, her actions show that even a Moabitess can have an impact on the story of Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This autoethnographic essay portrays how a profound change of thinking and lifestyle can be triggered by mass media coverage and how a lifestyle can be sustainably changed although it goes against deeply rooted values and at first glance seems to be highly inconvenient. Considering different meanings of care, I reflect upon growing up with animal agriculture, how information deficit can be a barrier to behavioral change, and the ways a vegan diet matters to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study evaluates the nutritional quality and level of processing of food and beverage products advertised on television channels most watched by children, in Italy. Data were collected over 20 non-consecutive days from the five top channels in Italy. A total of 209 food items were analysed using the Nutri-Score and the NOVA classification. Additionally, compliance with nutritional criteria established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the EU-PLEDGE was assessed. Results indicate a high proportion of energy-dense and low nutritional quality foods, with 68% falling into less favourable Nutri-Score categories (C, D, and E), and 61% classified as ultra-processed by NOVA classification. When applying WHO and PLEDGE criteria, 71% and 56% of products, respectively, did not meet nutritional standards. This study underscores the low prevalence of nutritionally adequate products in food advertisements targeting children on Italian television, despite differences found based on methodological variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractGraphene, renowned for its exceptional physicochemical attributes, has emerged as a favored substrate for integrating a wide array of inorganic and organic materials in scientific endeavors and innovations. Electrochemical graphene-based nanocomposite sensors have been developed by incorporating diverse nanoparticles into graphene, effectively immobilized onto electrodes through various techniques. These graphene-based nanocomposite sensors have effectively detected and quantified various electroactive species in samples. This review delves into using graphene nanocomposites to fabricate electrochemical sensors, leveraging the exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties inherent to graphene derivatives. These nanocomposites showcase electrocatalytic activity, substantial surface area, superior electrical conductivity, adsorption capabilities, and notable porosity, which are highly advantageous for sensing applications. A myriad of characterization techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), BET surface area analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), have proven effective in exploring the properties of graphene nanocomposites and validating the adjustable formation of these nanomaterials with graphene. The applicability of these sensors across various matrices, encompassing environmental, food, and biological domains, has been evaluated through electrochemical measurements, such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). This review provides a comprehensive overview of synthesis methods, characterization techniques, and sensor applications pertinent to graphene-based nanocomposites. Furthermore, it deliberates on the challenges and future prospects within this burgeoning field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers are confronted with conflicting information regarding the safety of specific foods. For example, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an annual consumer guide in which they rank the pesticide contamination of 46 popular fruits and vegetables, which includes designating the 12 with the greatest pesticide contamination as the "Dirty Dozen," to help consumers reduce exposures to toxic pesticides. However, consumer guides like EWG's only incorporate some hazard assessment principles and do not reflect a dietary risk assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to apply risk assessment techniques to EWG's Dirty Dozen list using a uniform screening-level approach to estimate pesticide exposures for U.S. consumers and to characterize the associated chronic human health risks. The most commonly detected pesticide and its representative residue concentrations were identified for each produce type on the 2022 Dirty Dozen list using the USDA Pesticide Data Program database. Estimates of mean dietary consumption in the U.S. were used to calculate dietary exposure to each pesticide-produce combination for adults and children. Pesticide-specific U.S. EPA dietary health-based guidance values (HBGVs) were then used as benchmarks to evaluate the chronic human health risk of consuming each produce type. Overall, the estimated daily exposure for each pesticide-produce combination was below the corresponding HBGV for all exposure scenarios. The current analysis demonstrates that excessive produce-specific pesticide exposure is unexpected as the amount of produce that would need to be consumed on a chronic basis, even among children, far exceeds typical dietary intake. Future research is necessary to assess acute dietary exposure scenarios and to consider cumulative risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to develop an understanding of food and meals as a family practice of migrant families living in structural homelessness. It is based on a study in which 15 children (aged 9–16) photographed events in their everyday lives and spoke about them. In addition, the children's parents (17 mothers and fathers) were interviewed. This article reveals that meals have different meanings for these families: as a structure in the everyday life, as a form of caring for the family, and as a social occasion in which the family's culture becomes expressed through traditional foods and dishes. Meals also become a means of maintaining a sense of normality in a difficult life situation. They function as a unifying family practice and a bearer of emotions as they communicate a sense of security, tradition, and identity. The photographs allowed meal practices to be displayed and acknowledged in relation to their surroundings. Despite difficult living conditions and restricted economic circumstances, the photographs indicate that the children are given well-balanced meals. The families try to make the best of the opportunities available to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of whole fish derived from low trophic-level fisheries (also known as small pelagic species, or reduction fisheries) is often criticised as being inefficient. This paper offers a general view of the production of fishmeal and fish oil by species, country and region. The available edible yield of food produced using this resource under business as usual practices (i.e via fishmeal and fish oil production, aquafeed and aquaculture and a proportion consumed directly as food) against a hypothetical 100% consumption as food (with available by-product going to fishmeal and fish oil manufacture) is calculated using 2019 data. The results indicate that a 588,061 tonnes greater volume of available processed edible aquatic protein (wet weight) is estimated to be produced under business-as-usual practices, amounting to an additional 3.58 billion meals provided per annum. This is based on current conversion factors resulting from the use of fishmeal and fish oil as ingredients in combination with others in the manufacture of aquafeed. The paper discusses the use of this resource as raw material in the production of fishmeal and fish oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring infrastructure has much to offer for economic anthropology. Inspired by the convergence of literatures on value and infrastructure in studies of financialisation, we develop the analytics of 'infrastructures of value' on old terrain: agriculture. Infrastructure facilitates valuation practices and enables valorisation as fixed capital. Material networks emerging from practices of infrastructuring also mediate value by facilitating, channelling, or hindering the circulation – movement and metamorphoses – of objects, people and ideas. Shifting attention from the social life of things to the infrastructure undergirding their circulation fills a major gap in David Graeber's theory of value: it directs attention to how actions become incorporated into larger wholes. Various infrastructures and the frictions between them shape value by connecting producers and consumers, separating contents, and communicating evidence of qualities of food. Ethnographic attention to this material relationality of value invigorates dialogue between new and historical materialism and challenges binaries in economic thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serbia has exported raspberries since socialism. Its production network withstood the post-Yugoslav property transformations and grew despite global competition. This article traces the configuration of the 'infrastructures of value' that underwrite the raspberries' spatio-temporal reach to distant markets. Combining new and historical materialism, it contributes to economic anthropology by studying the interplay between two infrastructures – agronomics and the 'cold chain' – and their differential weathering of historical transformations. During socialism, the agronomists 'infrastructured' the environment in collaboration with farmers and plants, while the containment technologists upgraded the freezing infrastructure, solidifying the fruits into graded, storable, and transportable commodities. After socialism, private entrepreneurs replicated the cold-chain modules, while agronomic research and quality control became de-institutionalised. As the agronomic infrastructure stagnated, the cold chain went into overdrive. In this late-capitalist 'infrastructural involution', political-economic transformations reshaped multispecies infrastructures, devaluing the contributions of plants and rural labour while benefiting entrepreneurs and wholesalers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joining the growing scholarly conversation on food rhetorics and technical and professional communication (TPC), this rhetorical analysis addresses two themes that arise in a Jell-O booklet (circa 1913): 1) constructing white femininity through women's frustration and technical failure related to cooking and 2) asserting the Black mammy stereotype as a mechanism of maintaining white supremacy. Such analysis illustrates how food-related artifacts construct ideologies as they simultaneously offer technical instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In prior punishment studies, researchers examining food in prisons focused on incarcerated people’s experiences with food insecurity, food nutrition, and access to food, some even connecting food to deprivations as per the “pains of imprisonment” . Others have studied the evolving expectations that correctional officers (CO) care and deliver care to incarcerated people who rely on COs to meet their basic needs (food, clothing, shelter). We, in this article, analyzed interviews with federal COs (n = 101) to reveal how food can become a source of stress for COs in ways remarkably similar but starkly different than how food can stress a prisoner. Departing with the knowledge that COs are responsible for the reproval and supervision of food for incarcerated people within the penitentiary food system. The food system, in turn, affects COs’ abilities to access, produce, and consume their own food while overseeing food delivery, supervision, and reproval among imprisoned people. Policy considerations and recommendations are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is an indispensable element in every culture. However, it is often regarded as trivial, mundane, and inconspicuous in daily life and, in turn, its role has often been overlooked in intercultural research. Through the lens of food culture, this paper draws insights from three independent yet related studies which investigated Chinese international students’ acculturation experiences in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (USA). Semi-structured individual interviews analyzed thematically were conducted with 23 participants in the UK and 29 participants in the USA. By applying the concepts of “invisible learning” and “unconscious competence” to food in Chinese international students’ acculturation experiences, we highlight the crucial hidden learning and engagement opportunities to enrich the current appreciation of student sojourners’ acculturation experiences. Findings in this paper suggest that food serves as a meaningful invisible or unconscious but powerful acculturation pathway in the personal, psychological, and social domains, which support these learners’ acculturation experiences and facilitate their competence development in new cultural environments. Arguably, understanding this nuanced dimension could better assist student sojourners in developing more effective acculturative strategies, and for host universities or other stakeholders to better support international students with more diverse opportunities and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food and eating habits contribute to gender differentiation. This article aims to empirically explore gender and food-related socialization of transgender individuals. We contemplate food and gender socialization of transgender individuals as an ongoing, productive process across the life course. To investigate food habits of transgender individuals four biographical interviews were conducted with trans persons. The empirical results show that trans persons orient themselves toward the social ideas concerning their lived gender. During primary socialization through the family, the sex assigned at birth initially manifests itself in the adaptation of socially normed sets of rules regarding gender and eating habits. During the transition to the opposite gender, food serves as a means of creating a gendered body that corresponds to the social ideals of a female or male body. Accordingly, food is a means of expressing conformity to societal ideas of gender. With our first insights we explore possible avenues for future research into transgender food cultures. For example, the congruence of inner and outer reality, but also the role of the body in food habits might need more attention. In addition, further food research could consider non-binary gender paradoxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated whether the nutritional status of preschoolers is influenced by secondhand smoke. Pairs of mothers-children (N = 201) were allocated in "children exposed to secondhand smoke (ESHS)" or "not exposed (N_ESHS)." Mothers answered, "The Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire (PFSQ)." The nutritional status and oral conditions were evaluated using WHO criteria. ESHS was 3.5 more likely to have a high BMI and their mothers had 10 kg more than N_ESHS. The probability of having dental caries was 2.28 and 3.68 times greater when the mother's BMI increases and when family/mothers were smokers, independently whether they smoke in the child's presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on the significance of gastronomy as an emblem of cultural identity in Toni Morrison's God Help the Child. It shows how Morrison imbues the narrative with instances of food and drinks which reflect certain racial stereotypes to which Lula Ann is prone during her struggle to reach self-definition. The colour, taste, diversity, quality and manners of food are all rigorously woven to portray Lula's Journey. Onomastically, some characters and places are purposefully named after food such as Sweetness, Whisky land, Raisin, and Mrs. Queen Olive; all of them represent an outstanding stage in Lula's identity development. Finally, food takes a further dimension in the way it reflects the spiritual food that Lula receives throughout her journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of water deficit stress during fruit cultivation on the δ13C values of citric acid and malic acid in Japanese apricots at different ripeness stages and their resulting liqueurs. Our experiments show that water deficit stress increases the δ13C values of citric acid and malic acid in tree-ripened fruits, counteracting the typical decrease during ripening. However, water deficit treatment has a minimal effect on the δ13C values of organic acids in green fruits. Regardless of fruit ripeness or water status, the δ13C values of organic acids in fruits are directly reflected in the resulting liqueurs. Overall, water deficit stress during fruit cultivation has the potential to promote similarity in the δ13C values of organic acids across fruits at different ripeness levels, reducing variations among liqueurs derived from fruits of varying ripeness levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to provide data on the amount of acrylamide (AA) in 270 heat-treated carbohydrate-rich foods in Turkey, determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 270 samples were analysed and it was found that 85% of potato chips, 80% of biscuits, 85% of cakes, 80% of bread, 80% of roasted peanuts, 80% of roasted nuts and 85% of pretzels contained AA above the limit of quantification (LOQ). Analytical results indicated that 10 corn chips samples, 4 biscuits samples, all bread samples, all wheat bread samples, 2 dried bread samples and 1 pretzel sample contained AA levels above the benchmark levels of 150, 350, 50, 50, 300 and 300 µg/kg, respectively, as set by the European Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloroform or trichloromethane is one of the trihalomethanes formed during disinfection of water with chlorine, and residues of chloroform can be detected in foods and food products due to the use of chlorinated drinking water and disinfecting food processing equipment with chlorine-based disinfectants. In this study, chloroform was detected in 37 (or 23%) of the 159 composite food samples from the 2014 Canadian Total Diet Study, but was not detected in cereals, fruits, fast foods, and most of the meat samples. Chloroform was detected in almost all 14 composite samples of dairy products, with the highest level (58 ng/g) observed in butter, followed by cream (26 ng/g), and cheese (12–21 ng/g). Chloroform was detected in tap water (23 and 29 ng/g) and most of the beverage samples, but concentrations were lower than those reported in other studies possibly due to evaporation during the preparation of the composite samples. Dietary exposures to chloroform are higher for younger age groups (0.51–1.41 µg/kg body weight/day) than for adults (0.25–0.42 µg/kg body weight/day). Drinking water contributed most to daily intakes for all age groups, accounting for between 62% and 86% of the total chloroform dietary intakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted tremendous attention due to their superparamagnetic properties, large specific surface area, high biocompatibility, non–toxicity, large–scale production, and recyclability. More importantly, numerous hydroxyl groups (–OH) on the surface of Fe3O4 MNPs can provide coupling sites for various modifiers, forming versatile nanocomposites for applications in the energy, biomedicine, and environmental fields. With the development of science and technology, the potential of nanotechnology in the food industry has also gradually become prominent. However, the application of composite Fe3O4 MNPs in the food industry has not been systematically summarized. Herein, this article reviews composite Fe3O4 MNPs, including their properties, modifications, and physical functions, as well as their applications in the entire food industry from production to processing, storage, and detection. This review lays a solid foundation for promoting food innovation and improving food quality and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on scholarship on racial melancholia and food studies, this article traces the melancholic appetites manifested in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and examines how alimentary desires stand in for the consumptive desires of the US nation state in relation to the model minority as well as the recuperative mourning undertaken by the protagonist Changez upon his return to Pakistan. A double encounter with Lahori cuisine and melancholic testimony in the novel pushes the American interlocutor towards acknowledging a political responsibility for the consequences of US actions during the War on Terror. Hamid's work highlights how melancholic subjects challenge nationalist narratives of racial progress by unearthing those racialized experiences which have been submerged, silenced, or underemphasized. This article thus highlights the possibility raised by the novel for grieving and healing the psychological wounds of racism so that Changez, the minoritized subject, does not remain locked into generational cycles of dejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractResearch on consumer responses to sustainable food packaging often only compares materials or evaluates one sustainable aspect within a material category at a time. However, sustainability improvements are proliferating and can co-appear in the packaging design. This study builds upon existing research by identifying and describing the heterogeneity of consumer responses when three sustainable aspects (combinations) of plastic are simultaneously assessed. Bio-based, active technology, and compostable aspects were considered because they improve sustainability at different lifecycle stages of packaged foods. Using conjoint analysis, model guided segmentation and profiling, we found that consumer preferences for sustainable aspects vary, and that considering this heterogeneity matters to best understand consumer responses. Consequently, differences between the five identified consumer mindsets suggest that ecologically conscious consumers were more likely to prefer sustainable over conventional options and vice versa. Our findings underscore the importance of taking consumer diversity into account when introducing sustainable packaging innovations to the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of deepening environmental and economic crises, the concept of precarity helps to draw out the grave problems that permeate contemporary foodscapes. In this special issue introduction, we lay the conceptual groundwork for connecting the concept of precarity with contemporary foodscapes by identifying four key sources of precarity within precarious foodscapes: life, caring, digitization, and labor. Life becomes a source of shared precarity with human and non-human life in the face of a destabilizing climactic and health ecologies. Caring becomes a source of precarity as food becomes intertwined with gendered food work and emotional labor. Digital information technologies become a source of precarity as discourses and ideas of food become destabilized and recreated by digital platforms, algorithms, and technologies. Labor becomes a source of precarity as the corporate food regime deepens its exploitation of compensated human labor, unpaid human labor, and non-human labor. This discussion contextualizes the articles that follow and aims to open up and invite further research on precarious foodscapes going forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammageing is a persistent low-level inflammatory burden that accompanies age-related dysregulation of the immune system during normative aging and within the diseasome of aging. A healthy diet containing a balanced amount of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, adequate in calories and rich in poly(phenols), has an essential role in mitigating the effects of inflammageing and extending healthspan through modulation of the activity of a range of factors. These include transcription factors, such as nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-kB), the inflammasome and the activities of the gut microbiota. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the potential of food to ameliorate the effects of the diseasome of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensorceled Food: Social power and control in early modern Malta. If conviviality carries inherent meanings of power and control, then food activates those emotions that generate a reciprocal understanding between members of a family, a neighbourhood, and even an entire community. Consequently, food empowers individuals with the possibility of either exerting influence on, or resistance to, adverse situations. This study will provide an analysis of criminal proceedings of the tribunal of the Holy Office in early modern Malta. Inquisition cases involving love magic will form an integral part of this exploratory research. Some women ensorceled food in the hope of reversing the coercion imposed on them by their husbands. Conversely, the reaction of those who believed to have been fatturati [lit. bewitched] indicates how cursed food formed an integral part of the early modern mindset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary school food and nutrition education helps to establish healthy dietary patterns among young children. Teachers play an important role in the success of this form of education. This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of opportunities and challenges associated with food and nutrition education in Sri Lankan primary schools. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted in the Sinhala or Tamil languages with 21 primary school teachers from April to June 2019. The recorded interviews were transcribed and later translated into English. The themes were identified using the template analysis technique. Lack of time and resources for teaching, lack of support from parents in practising healthy dietary habits, and availability of unhealthy foods in the school canteen and near-by food outlets were identified as the main challenges associated with teaching food and nutrition concepts to the students. School mid-day meal programmes, simple food and nutrition-related subject contents, and practical activities were identified as opportunities that facilitate food and nutrition teaching. The findings indicate that teachers face some challenges in teaching food and nutrition-related subject matters in the primary school set-ups. Policy planners and education officials have to work with primary school teachers to find ways to overcome these challenges and to further take up new opportunities. This will help to uplift the status of this form of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geospatial technologies have seen increased utilization in the social work profession for a variety of topics. Most of this usage has centered around the creation of digital maps to visualize social issues and/or affected populations. Innovative technology allows for the collection of field data resulting in real-time creation of such maps. ArcGIS Survey123 is a mobile app that allows for traditional survey data collection to be conducted digitally in the field, while also providing the ability to obtain photos and spatial coordinates. Resultant outputs can include traditional tabular datasets, photo arrays, and digital maps. A pilot project using ArcGIS Survey123 as the data collection tool was conducted in a rural area of Southwest Florida to examine access to food by establishment type as well as to expose social work students to a novel data collection technique. The result of the project was a comprehensive food system map that provided data on availability of certain food products as well as anecdotal data on the relationship between housing locations and food prices. Given the ease with which surveys could be employed for data collection purposes, it is recommended that ArcGIS Survey123 be considered for inclusion in research curricula in academic social work programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on challenges faced by refugee youth in Uganda, who often lack access to basic needs like food and education. Despite these obstacles, the Africa Education & Leadership Initiative (Africa ELI) is implementing The Wellbeing Club, a curriculum designed to enhance the resilience, voice, and expression of refugee and local Ugandan youth through activities promoting wellbeing, language, and community engagement.

This study aimed to evaluate the personal water footprint individuals, and was conducted with 3431 individuals İbetween 18–95 years. A questionnaire form included questions about demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and food consumption was applied. The "Extended Water Footprint Calculator" was used to evaluate the personal water footprint, and various questions were asked to determine the components of food consumption, domestic water, and industrial water use. The average age of the participants was 34.6 ± 13.93 years. The total water footprint of the male was significantly higher than the female. The total water footprint of individuals between the ages of 41–64 was higher than other age groups, and also obese individuals had the highest total water footprint (p < 0.05). Meat and meat products contributed the most to the total water footprint. Having a normal body weight and adopting more sustainable dietary patterns should be emphasized because of their impacts on the environment and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for data on the occurrence of alkylfurans in food and feed from EFSA triggered the development of new methods to cover next to furan also 2- and 3-methylfuran, 2,5-dimethyl- and 2-ethylfuran as well as 2-pentylfuran. A significant variability was noticed when comparing analysis of 2-pentylfuran and furans in the same matrix performed by different laboratories. To assess the variability an interlaboratory study including eight laboratories was organised. The highest variabilities were observed when analysing cereals, with measurements of 2-pentylfuran indicating concentrations from 8 mg/kg up to more than 1000 mg/kg in the same sample. This study illustrates that the analysis of 2-pentylfuran requires special attention, and that additional method development would be necessary to ensure reliable and reproducible determination of 2-pentylfuran at contamination level. Moreover, a recent evaluation of the EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings indicates that concerns for genotoxicity, reason why it was grouped with the shorter alkylfurans, are now ruled out. We question the need and justification to include 2-pentylfuran in the analytical method as requested by EFSA, from both the analytical and the safety perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluate college students' perception of the effectiveness of different vending machine (VM) interventions for improving snack selection. A total of 194 college students with the age of ≥18 years. A cross-sectional survey among a purposive sampling near VM. Most students use VM frequently or occasionally (63.4%). The intervention perceived as most helpful for choosing healthier snacks was labeling (on or near) which snack is healthy (score 3.83/5) followed by lowering the price of healthy options (score 3.33/5), while the least helpful was having posters nearby explaining which snacks are healthier (2.35/5). Participants suggested including snacks high in protein (58.8%) and low in sugar (56.2%). Most would like to see more healthy options in VM (83.5%) and will purchase them if available (67%). Lowering the price for healthy snacks and including labels to indicate which are healthy may be the interventions to test for improving snack intake among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable food practices are increasingly of interest to scholars and practitioners concerned with the impacts of food production, consumption, and waste in an age of climate change. Attention has been paid to households as actors in addressing sustainability concerns. This paper draws on a national survey of Australian sustainable household practices to offer insights into the ways households are practicing sustainability across three everyday entanglements with food: (1) growing food, (2) consuming food and (3) wasting/disposing of food. The paper explores the types of practices enacted across the three entanglements and provides an understanding of the prevalence and barriers for households adopting sustainable food practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has two main objectives. First, to investigate the various attributes influencing food innovation. Second, to analyze the relationships of different factors and their implication on food innovation in India's restaurants (fine dining &multi-cuisine). A quantitative methodology with exploratory and confirmatory analysis was conducted. Data collection was conducted by questionnaire (n356) survey. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were used to identify factors influencing food innovation among the chefs, and inferential statistics were used to analyze the significant relationship among the factors influencing food innovation. Results show that food innovation is influenced by recipe development, menu merchandising, customer satisfaction, and advertising. This study also underlines the significant relationships that exist among different factors which impact food innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicinoids, whose basic chemical structure is the vanilla amide of n-nonanoic acid, are responsible for chili pepper fruits' spicy flavor (pungency) and multiple pharmacological actions. Capsaicinoids are widely used to produce intense flavor food additives due to their sensory attributes of pungency, aroma, and color. To ensure strict quality control for capsaicinoids and maximize their positive effects, valid and sensitive pretreatment and determination methods are urgently needed. Consequently, this review provides a comprehensive summary of capsaicinoids' preparation and analytical technologies in food samples. Pretreatment techniques mainly include liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, and dispersive solid-phase microextraction, among others. Detection methods include liquid chromatography coupled with different detectors, gas chromatography, electrochemical sensor methods, capillary electrophoresis, etc. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of various pretreatment and analytical methods are compared and discussed. Thus, the present paper has attempted to shed light on novel and traditionalpretreatment methods and determination approaches and provided proper comments about their new developments and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the limited empirical evidence on conceptualizing authenticity in food, this study explored the dimensionality of perceived authenticity in food within a state fair setting. By using a rigorous scale development procedure through a mixed method, this study developed and validated a set of scales to measure authenticity in food and confirmed four underlying factors of food authenticity: unique, original, local, and traditional. The findings provide a foundation for scale development along with theoretical insights on authentic food with the four dimensions identified. Practically, this study provides managerial guidelines for state fair organizers to better evaluate food authenticity concerning the four dimensions, plan strategic marketing tools that could attract more consumers, and improve their offerings to visitors' authentic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) has been recognized as an effective one-step sample preparation method for the extraction of semi-solid, and solid samples. MSPD has been applied for environmental, food, and biological samples. Its simplicity, adaptability, speed, robustness, and straightforwardness have all been significantly improved by numerous advancements since its introduction. Recently, MSPD has continued to progress with the introduction of newly generated and modified sorbents and solvents to the procedure, which has considerably expedited the miniaturization process. In certain cases, these enhanced properties have also promoted the combination of MSPD with other improved extraction approaches, leading to quicker, greener, and less designing procedures. The review provides an update on MSPD's progress from 2019 to June 2022. The review emphasizes the latest advances in MSPD sorbent, solvents, and miniaturization through illustrative application studies including the identification of organic contaminants in food and environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While food and eating are important determinants of health, there is limited information on how they affect quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to understand (1) the factors that impact QOL, (2) the effect of food and eating on QOL, from the perspective of community-dwelling older adults. Twenty-five older adults completed semi-structured interviews. The constant comparative method was used to assign codes to participant's responses and organize them into categories, which were used to form a conceptual framework. Five main themes emerged showing factors affecting QOL: health and vitality; independence; mental and emotional well-being; socialization and support; and activities. Four themes were identified demonstrating how food and eating affect QOL: food access and choice; food preparation; health and vitality; and food enjoyment. Relationships between themes suggest food and eating have a broad effect on factors impacting QOL. To develop and tailor community interventions to improve older adults' QOL, measurement tools should include these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic has enhanced the health consciousness among the people which in turn induces them to shift toward more healthier and sustainable consumption patterns. Therefore, in the face of changing consumer preferences toward healthy products, the participants in the food industry need to redesign and reposition their products to match the consumer expectations. The current research aims to unearth if COVID-19-induced health consciousness has an impact on the individual’s intention to purchase packaged immunity boosting food products. The research is based on primary data collected from 300 respondents from Punjab and Delhi NCR region who were involved in household grocery purchasing and whose age was more than 18. PLS-SEM has been used in the present study for data analysis. Findings concluded that all the constructs measuring health consciousness had a positive impact on attitude toward packaged immunity boosting foods except health information seeking and knowledge which influenced the attitude negatively. Further attitude was found to be positively influencing purchase intention. The outcomes of the study offer significant practical implications for the producers, marketers, and researchers in the food industry. The advertisement and promotional strategies can be framed in the light of results of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide/polydopamine-polyacrylamide nanocomposite as sorbent for dispersive micro-solid phase extraction of diazinon from environmental and food samples was synthesised and coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector. The prepared sorbent was characterised by analytical techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. Main parameters affecting extraction efficiency of diazinon using dispersive micro-solid phase extraction such as sorbent amount, elution solvent and its volume, sorption and desorption times and pH of sample solution were investigated and optimised. The optimum values are as follow; sorbent amount, 0.2 g; elution solvent, methanol; elution solvent volume, 2.5 mL; sorption time, 10 min; desorption time, 4 min and pH of sample solution, 3. Under the optimised conditions, method detection limit and limit of quantitation values were 0.24 and 1.0 ng/mL, respectively. Relative recovery data for several real samples were obtained within the range of 82.0–98.0% with a relative standard deviation less than 6.5%. The proposed method was successfully applied to quantitative determination of diazinon in several environmental and food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal with high toxicity and non-biodegradability that could accumulate in food sources. In Iran, studies on the Pb contamination in plant food sources (including cereals and legumes, vegetables and their derived products, fruits and fruit products, tea leaves, and vegetable oils) were systematically reviewed in the present work. Almost half of the studies conducted in each plant food category reported the Pb contamination higher than the maximum allowable limits, posing health risks to consumers. Therefore, these results could be considered in risk management to decrease Pb exposure from dietary intake and improve food safety in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine which variables affect the viability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) added to different types of refrigerated foods during the first 28 days. Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Reviews databases were searched from 1997 to April 2022. A total of 278 studies, which showed randomized and controlled experiments published in peer reviewed journals, were included. The viability of LAB in different moments during the storage process was synthesized as mean point estimate (MPE) via random-effects meta-analyses and the effect of multiple factors on the LAB´s viability was evaluated by multiple meta-regression. The meta-analysis showed that the decrease in LAB viability will be more abrupt the greater the initial dose. The physical structure of food may influence bacterial viability. Fruit was the type of product that most quickly lost viability. Co-culture of two or more species did not affect viability. Preservation methods had an unfavorable effect and prebiotics had a beneficial effect on bacterial viability. Viability was genus dependent. The data obtained in this study provide an overview of the factors to be taken into account for the design of new foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After nearly two decades since acrylamide was first raised as a potential safety issue in foods, significant progress has been made in understanding its formation during cooking, how to reduce levels in the most concerned foods, and the possible cancer risk to humans. Despite the huge wealth of knowledge gathered on this topic over the past years, a few new discoveries in occurrence, mitigation, analysis and risk assessment are worthy to note. This short review highlights the salient novelties pertaining to acrylamide, particularly in the areas of formation & analysis, existing and possible future regulations in the European Union, and finally considerations that may lead to possibly revisiting the toxicity of acrylamide and the main metabolite, glycidamide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the lack of consensus regarding which life satisfaction domains should be included in the study of children's subjective well-being (SWB), some domains are frequently considered, such as satisfaction with health. However, some others, such as satisfaction with food, are barely taken into account, despite the impact eating habits have on children's health and well-being. We adopt a qualitative approach to explore the role food plays in children's SWB, providing for a more in-depth analysis of children's perceptions and evaluations on a still insufficiently known domain of life satisfaction. Method: Sixteen discussion groups were held with 112 Spanish students (10-12 years old) from six schools. The transcripts were analy sed and themes reflecting the key concepts were defined using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Five themes emerged from the children's discourses on the relationship between food and SWB: health, pleasure, emotions, commensality--i.e., eating together--and foodempowerment-- thus offering new insights from children's perspectives. Conclusion: Almost all of the participants established a relationship between their SWB and their eating behaviour, meaning that, within the challenges facing public health, SWB must be taken into account when promoting healthy eating programmes for children. Also, group discussion is found to be a very powerful tool for exploring topics with subjective connotations among child populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]