To promote the adoption of healthier eating patterns, this study was aimed to develop and evaluate alternative front of pack nutrition signposting concepts. Based on previous research, we developed two signposting concepts, Multiple Traffic Light (MTL) and Multiple Traffic Light with % Daily Value (MTL-%DV). The signposts featured three key nutrients, total sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. Actual food packaging with no front of pack signposting (NoSP) was included in the evaluation to act as a benchmark against which to compare the performance of the different signposting options. Using an interviewer administered method, we assessed the degree of understanding and time to interpret on a total of 534 subjects (194 elementary, 108 middle, and 103 high schoolers, 128 adults). In the individual product evaluations, MTL (87.0%) obtained the highest level of correct responses, followed by MTL-%DV (83.1%) and NoSP (52.2%). Except for signposting concepts, age, gender and living area were not associated with the degree of correct responses in multivariate analyses. When used to compare products with different colors of nutrient contents, correct responses were more than 90% for MTL-%DV (91.5%) and MTL (90.3%). The middle and high schoolers revealed the lower likelihood of correct response compared to the other two groups. In case of comparing products with same colors of nutrient contents, the proportion of correct responses was the highest in NoSP (90%), followed by MTL%DV (77.4%) and MTL (48.5%). In terms of time to interpret, MTL-%DV and MTL performed better than NoSP in the individual product evaluation and the comparison of two products with different colors of nutrient contents. NoSP performed the best in the comparison of two products with same colors of nutrient contents. A majority of the participants preferred MTL-%DV (78%) most and thought it the most useful in helping them make healthier food choices. Based on these findings, MTL-%DV was considered to most closely meet the objectives of the initiatives.
Adoption ; Eating ; Food Labeling ; Food Packaging ; Light ; Multivariate Analysis ; Sodium

The threshold of toxicological concern (TTC), a risk estimation method based on compound structurally-related toxicity data, has been widely used by many countries and regions for the safety risk assessment of food packaging materials and additives etc. Toxicological risk estimation is of importance in the biological evaluation of medical devices. Application of the TTC approach to leachable from medical devices may reduce or replace some unnecessary biocompatibility tests, but consideration should be taken for contact duration and route differences, which could affect the applicability of TTC. We herein focused on analyzing the eligibility of TTC for its further application in biological evaluation of medical devices.
Equipment and Supplies ; standards ; Food Packaging ; standards ; Risk Assessment ; Toxicological Phenomena

This study was conducted to do exposure assessment of the possible migration of antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) food contact materials (FCM). Consumption Factor (CF) and Food-type Distribution Factor (fT) were calculated from survey data with reference to the US FDA method. The most conservative migration conditions were obtained by testing Sb migration from PET FCM based on the Chinese national standard of GB/T 5009.101-2003[1]. Migration levels of Sb from PET FCM were tested and migration levels of Sb2O3 were obtained through molecular weight conversion between Sb and Sb2O3. Exposure assessment of Sb2O3 was undertaken. The Chinese Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of Sb2O3 resulted from PET FCM was 90.7 ng p-1d-1.
Antimony ; analysis ; China ; Environmental Exposure ; Food Contamination ; analysis ; Food Packaging ; standards ; Humans ; Polyethylene Terephthalates

OBJECTIVESTo study the migration of melamine into foods from plastic food packaging materials and dairy product containers commonly used in China.

METHODS37 samples were collected from the market. The EU migration testing conditions were adopted with distilled water, 3% acetic acid, n-hexane and 15% ethanol being chosen as the simulating solutions. The HPLC method was used to detect melamine.

RESULTSNo melamine was detected in 15 dairy product containers. Among the 22 plastic samples, 16 of polypropylene, and polycarbonate types had no detectable amount melamine while a low level of melamine was found in 3 of the 6 melamine resin containers.

CONCLUSIONMigration of melamine from food packaging materials in China market is in line with the requirements of EU.

Animals ; Cattle ; China ; Dairy Products ; Diffusion ; Food Analysis ; Food Contamination ; Food Packaging ; Milk ; Plastics ; chemistry ; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet ; Triazines ; chemistry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and use of flavor enhancer products. This study was carried out through questionnaire and the subjects were 503 housewives in Inchon. The results are summarized as follows. As for age, 51.9% of the subjects were 40 years or older. Also, 60.0% of the subjects had received a high school education. As for occupation, full-time housewives accounted for 63.7%. Monthly household income of most subjects were 1 million won or more, and monthly food expenses of most subjects were 300 thousand won or more. Also 71.0% of subjects lived in apartments. As for taste of flavor enhancer products, 58.3% of subjects perceived that it was mediocre, 31.3% said good, 6.2% said bad, and 1.8% said very bad. Most subjects perceived that the convenience of flavor enhancer products was good and there was a significant difference among the groups divided by education level. As for economy of flavor enhancer products, there were significant differences among groups divided by household income and food expenses. Most subjects perceived that the safety of flavor enhancer products was not good. Most subjects considered the date of manufacture, manufacturers, food additives, packaging and price when they purchased flavor enhancer products. Also, 70.0% of subjects were going to reduce the amount of flavor enhancer products they use in the future. Most subjects needed flavor enhancer products good for health. Therefore, it may be necessary to develop and to produce safe, nutritious, tasty, cheap and various flavor enhancer products.
Education ; Family Characteristics ; Food Additives ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Nucleotides ; Occupations ; Product Packaging ; Sodium Glutamate ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purposes of this study were to assess the school foodservice purchasing practices and to explore the ways to improve the school foodservice purchasing management. The purchasing questionnaire was composed of three parts, the part one consisted of questions on characteristics of dietitians and school foodservice operations, and the others consisted of questions concerning purchasing practices and importance & performance of food suppliers. 286 dietitians of elementary school foodservice operations in Seoul were participated with the survey. Statistical data analysis was completed using the SPSS/win for descriptive and t-test. The school foodservice operations which employed a chef were 50.3%. Only one third of the dietitians(34.1%) reported having been involved in the selection of food suppliers. In dietitians' demographic data, 36.6% were over 30 years old, 32.4% were 28~29 years of age and 31.0% were below 27 years old. Most of the respondents(68.3%) had overall working experiences less than 58 months and almost half of them(56.3%) were married. The food suppliers' attributes with high scores of mean importance were food quality, maintenance of food quality, accuracy in filling orders, quality of delivery facilities, on time delivery and packaging. Average mean scores for importance and performance were 4.33('important') and 3.50('so-so') out of 5. In the comparison of importance attributes, produce suppliers had a significant higher score on suppliers(P<0.05) than processing food suppliers. Processing food suppliers received significant higher performance scores on product(P<0.05) and service(P<0.05) compared to produce suppliers.
Adult ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Food Quality ; Humans ; Nutritionists ; Product Packaging ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sustainable practices in foodservice organizations including commercial and noncommercial ones are critical to ensure the protection of the environment for the future. With the rapid growth of the foodservice industry, wiser usage of input sources such as food, utilities, and single use packaging should be reconsidered for future generations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the customer's perceptions on sustainable practices and to identify the relationship among sustainable practices, social contribution and purchase intention. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was conducted using content analyses by reviewing articles on sustainable food service practices published domestically and abroad. Thereafter, data were collected with a face-to-face survey using a questionnaire and analyzed with factor analyses and multiple regressions. RESULTS: Sustainable practices classified with factor analysis consisted of 6 dimensions of green food material procurement, sustainable food preparation, green packaging, preservation of energy, waste management, and public relations on green activity, with a total of 25 green activities in foodservice operations. Consumers were not very familiar with the green activities implemented in the foodservice unit, with the lowest awareness of "green food material procurement (2.46 out of 5 points)", and the highest awareness of "green packaging (3.74)" and "waste management (3.28). The factors influencing the perception of social contribution by foodservice organizations among 6 sustainable practice dimensions were found to be public relations on green activity (beta = 0.154), waste management (beta = 0.204) and sustainable food preparation (beta = 0.183). Green packaging (beta = 0.107) and the social contribution of the foodservice organization (beta = 0.761) had strong relationships with the image of the organization. The purchase intentions of customers was affected only by the foodservice image (beta = 0.775). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that sustainable practices by foodservice organization present a good image to customers and increase the awareness of valuable contributions that benefit the customer as well as the community.
Food Services ; Intention ; Korea* ; Product Packaging ; Public Relations ; Social Responsibility ; Waste Management

Assessing human exposure to food-borne hazards requires standardized assessment tools. The objective of this study was to validate a newly developed dietary assessment questionnaire to assess human exposure to food-borne hazards, which include dietary behavior and food consumption patterns such as eating frequency, types of food containers and cooking methods. A total of 216 adults were recruited for two questionnaire surveys (questionnaire 1 and 2) about 1 week apart with a 3 day diet record. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing responses from questionnaires 1 and 2, and validity was checked by comparing responses from questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record. Comparisons were based on the percent agreement and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The mean exact agreement of food containers at purchase between questionnaires 1 and 2 was 73.5%, for storing containers it was 71.9%, and for cooking methods it was 83.0%. The mean correlation coefficient for food intake frequency between questionnaires 1 and 2 was 0.71 (range, 0.50?0.83). The mean correlation coefficient of the food intake frequency between questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was 0.21 (range, 0.04-0.48). The exact and adjacent agreement of food intake frequency quartile assessed by questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was 65.4% (range, 51.0-82.1%). Although the correlation coefficient for food intake frequency between questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was low, the exact and adjacent food intake frequency agreement was higher than 50% and reproducibility of the dietary behaviors exceeded 70%. Therefore, the questionnaire developed in this study could be applied to assess diets for the human exposure to food-borne hazards as a qualitative assessment in a large population.
Adult ; Cooking ; Diet ; Diet Records ; Eating ; Food Packaging ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In recent years, China has become an increasingly important and the largest chestnut producer in the world. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional value and microbiological quality of the roasted freeze-dried Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) (RFDC) coated with dark chocolate (DCC) and milk chocolate (MCC) for industrial use and commercial consumption. Chocolate coating significantly improved the nutritional value of chestnut. RFDC had high levels of starch (66.23%) and fibers (3.85%) while DCC and MCC contained significantly high amounts of sucrose, protein, fat and minerals. Furthermore, the protein content doubled in MCC rather than in DCC. This could be attributed to the different formulations in the two products. Milk powder and whey protein constituted the source of protein in MCC while cocoa powder added to MCC formulation constituted an additional source of minerals. The amino acid profile showed differences in amino acid composition related to the sample's protein content, indicating their good nutritional quality. The moisture contents in all RFDC, DCC and MCC were suitable for industrial processing. These results provide information about the additional nutrients of chocolate-coated chestnut and confirm that the product is an interesting nutritional food. The combination of freeze-drying and chocolate-coating generally results in greater reductions on microbiological loads, extending shelf life of harvested chestnut for commercial application. This is an alternative strategy to add value to chestnut, minimizing the significant losses in harvested fruits and providing a wider range of choices of new products to the consumer disposal.
Cacao ; chemistry ; microbiology ; China ; Fagaceae ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Food Analysis ; Food Handling ; methods ; Food Microbiology ; Food Packaging ; methods ; Fruit ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Nutritive Value

The main purposes of this study were to survey and assess the current situation surrounding solid waste generation in school foodservices, to identify and evaluate the measures(reduction and recycling programs) taken by the foodservices for waste disposal, and to suggest appropriate reform measures to improve the current status, especially in terms of environmental preservation. Questionnaires on solid waste management practices were mailed to 206 school foodservice dietitians in the Kyungbuk region : a 64.0%(N = 130) response rate was obtained. While there are food waste and packaging waste generated from the foodservice operations, about a third(34.1%) of the foodservice operations were responsible for the disposal of both the food wastes and packaging wastes. About 90% of school foodservice managers were responsible for managing solid wastes. The primary recycling methods of leftovers generated from the school food service operations were livestock feed(76.0%). About 60.0% of school foodservice managers conducted the food waste reduction program. The performance by the foodservice managers in reducing the food waste was not satisfactory in several fields, such as developing environmentally friendly menus or abiding by the standard recipe, etc. In addition, the government assistance system was not properly working in the food service management. In conclusion, we should focus on increasing the performance in reducing the food waste by the foodservice managers, strengthening and facilitating the government assistance system for the food waste management and to develop education methods and education materials for food waste management.
Education ; Food Services ; Humans ; Livestock ; Nutritionists ; Postal Service ; Product Packaging ; Recycling ; Solid Waste* ; Waste Management ; Surveys and Questionnaires