35 research outputs found
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Environmental Impact of the Diet on Primary School Children Living in Parma (Italy)
The key role of diet in both human health and environmental sustainability is well known. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the environmental impact of childrenâs dietary behavior. The aim of this observational study was to investigate the dietary environmental impact in a sample of primary school children living in Parma (Italy, n = 172, 8â10 years), in relation to their adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD). Children completed a 3-day food record in both winter and spring. Dietary records were processed to obtain: (i) adherence to the MD and (ii) mean daily carbon and ecological footprints. Adherence to the MD was similar in winter and spring, with almost half of the participants showing a medium MD score. Carbon and ecological footprints were higher during winter, and the main dietary contributors were red and processed meat for both indexes. A small positive correlation was observed between adherence to the MD and total carbon and ecological footprints. This study provided the first analysis of the relationship between adherence to the MD and environmental impact of primary school children. Further research is needed to better investigate the environmental impact of primary school childrenâs diet and the possible relationship between the MD and environmental sustainability
Claimed Effects, Outcome Variables and Methods of Measurement for Health Claims on Foods Related to Vision Proposed Under Regulation (EC) 1924/2006
Adequate visual function has a strong impact on the quality of life of people. Several foods and food components have been hypothesized to play a role in the maintenance of normal visual function and in the prevention of eye diseases. Some of these foods/food components have been the object of a request of authorization for use of health claims under Articles 13(5) or 14 of the Regulation (EC) 1924/2006. Most of these requests have received a negative opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) due to the choice of inappropriate outcome variables (OVs) and/or methods of measurement (MMs) applied in the studies used to substantiate the claims. This manuscript refers to the collection, collation and critical analysis of OVs and MMs related to vision. Guidance document and requests for authorization of health claims were used to collect OVs and MMs related to vision. A literature review was performed to critically analyse OVs and MMs, with the aim of defining their appropriateness in the context of a specific claimed effect related to vision. The results highlight the importance of adequate choices of OVs and MMs for an effective substantiation of claims related to visual function
Claimed Effects, Outcome Variables and Methods of Measurement for Health Claims on Foods Related to Vision Proposed Under Regulation (EC) 1924/2006
Adequate visual function has a strong impact on the quality of life of people. Several foods and food components have been hypothesized to play a role in the maintenance of normal visual function and in the prevention of eye diseases. Some of these foods/food components have been the object of a request of authorization for use of health claims under Articles 13(5) or 14 of the Regulation (EC) 1924/2006. Most of these requests have received a negative opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) due to the choice of inappropriate outcome variables (OVs) and/or methods of measurement (MMs) applied in the studies used to substantiate the claims. This manuscript refers to the collection, collation and critical analysis of OVs and MMs related to vision. Guidance document and requests for authorization of health claims were used to collect OVs and MMs related to vision. A literature review was performed to critically analyse OVs and MMs, with the aim of defining their appropriateness in the context of a specific claimed effect related to vision. The results highlight the importance of adequate choices of OVs and MMs for an effective substantiation of claims related to visual function
Routes to sustainability in public food procurement:An investigation of different models in primary school catering
Measuring and comparing the carbon footprints of different procurement models for primary school meals:Analysis of cases across five European countries
Sustainable Public Food Procurement (PFP) represents a key game changer for food systems transformation. It can influence both food consumption and food production patterns. It can deliver multiple social, economic and environmental benefits towards sustainable food systems for healthy diets.
This publication aims to contribute to the improved understanding, dissemination and use of PFP as a development tool in particular in the case of school meals programmes.
In Volume 1, researchers, policymakers and development partners can find evidence on how PFP can be used as a development tool and deliver multiple benefits for multiple beneficiaries. It argues that PFP can provide a market for local and smallholder farmers, promote the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, and improve the nutrition and health of children and communities.
Volume 2 of this publication, available at https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7969en, presents further analysis of the instruments, enablers and barriers for PFP implementation. It also provides case studies with local, regional and national experiences from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America
Alternative protein sources in the European diets: the contribution of ALTERNATIVA project to One Health perspective
A abordagem como a One Health, baseada em princĂpios que promovem a coexistĂȘncia saudĂĄvel, bem-estar e sustentabilidade entre humanos, animais e ambiente, tem surgido como indispensĂĄvel para fazer face aos diversos problemas globais associados Ă s alteraçÔes climĂĄticas e sus- tentabilidade. A mesma multidisciplinaridade do conceito One Health Ă©, tambĂ©m, uma caracterĂstica do conceito e aplicação da Avaliação de Risco-BenefĂcio (ARB).
Este estudo tem como objetivo demonstrar de que forma Ă© que o projeto ALTERNATIVA â Alternative protein sources in the European diets integrating health risk-benefit and sustainability (Fontes alternativas de proteĂnas nas dietas europeias â integrando risco-benefĂcio para a saĂșde e sustentabilidade) contribui para o desenvolvimento e aplicação do conceito One Health, tendo por base a ARB de diferentes dietas alimentares.
Realizou-se uma pesquisa bibliogrĂĄfica sobre o conceito âOne Healthâ atravĂ©s da base de dados Pubmed/U.S. National Library of Medicine e no Google Scholar, nos quais foram efetuadas pesquisas avançadas, que in- cluĂram os termos: âOne health approachâ, âRisk benefit food one healthâ, âAlternative proteinâ, âOne health foodâ e âOne health food assessmentâ. Os resultados deste estudo demonstram de que forma Ă© que o projeto ALTERNATIVA, atravĂ©s das suas diferentes atividades desenvolvidas, integra os principais pilares do conceito One Health (Humano, Animal e Ambiental) em todas as suas dimensĂ”es.
Conclui-se que o projeto ALTERNATIVA aliado ao conceito One Health, constitui uma ferramenta inovadora para apoiar as melhores decisĂ”es sobre as dietas do futuro, garantindo a nutrição humana e a saĂșde planetĂĄria, ao contribuir para a mitigação das tendĂȘncias adversas que estĂŁo diretamente associadas Ă s nossas escolhas alimentares.One Health approach, based on principles that promote healthy coexis- tence, well-being and sustainability between humans, animals and the environment, has emerged as crucial to tackle the various global problems associated with climate change and sustainability. The same multidisciplinary of the One Health concept is also a characteristic of the concept and application of the Risk-Benefit Assessment (RBA).This study aims to demonstrate how the ALTERNATIVA Project
Alternative protein sources in the European diets â integrating health risk-benefit and sustainability contributes to developing and applying the One Health concept based on the RBA of different diets. Bibliographical research was carried out on the concept One Health through the Pubmed/U.S. National Library of Medicine and Google Scholar, which included advanced searches with the terms: âOne health approachâ, âRisk-Benefit food one healthâ, âAlternative proteinâ, âOne health foodâ and âOne health food assessmentâ.
The results of this study demonstrate how the ALTERNATIVA Project, through its different activities, integrates the main pillars of the One Health concept (Human, Animal and Environmental) in all its dimensions. It is concluded that the ALTERNATIVA Project combined with the One Health concept constitutes an innovative tool to support the best decisions about the diets of the future, guaranteeing human nutrition and planetary health, by contributing to the mitigation of the adverse trends directly associated with our food choices.Trabalho desenvolvido no Ăąmbito do projeto projeto ALTERNATIVA â
Alternative sources of protein in European diets - integrating risk-benefit for health and sustainability financiado pelas EFSA Partnering Grants (Grant Agreement Number â GP/EFSA/ENCO/2020/03 - GA 2).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Sustainable dietary choices: the contribution of the ALTERNATIVA project as a tool for selecting alternative protein sources
O aumento da população humana e a consequente pressão exercida
pelos sistemas alimentares desafiam a saĂșde e o meio ambiente, cujo
impacto se reflete, entre outros, ao nĂvel das alteraçÔes climĂĄticas
associadas ao aquecimento global, exploração de recursos naturais e
da perda de biodiversidade. Entre os fatores que mais contribuem para
esse impacto estĂĄ a produção de proteĂnas de origem animal, como a
carne vermelha e os lacticĂnios. Neste sentido, urge uma transformação dos sistemas alimentares, sendo que esta transformação deverĂĄ
ser sustentada numa avaliação dos impactos de fontes alternativas
de proteĂnas, quer na saĂșde quer na sustentabilidade. Este artigo tem
como principal objetivo discutir os desafios colocados aos sistemas alimentares e a necessidade de avaliar o impacto destes, Ă luz do projeto ALTERNATIVA (Alternative sources of protein in European diets â
integrating risk-benefit for health and sustainability) como uma ferra menta para o desenvolvimento sustentĂĄvel nas diferentes vertentes â
ambiental, social e econĂłmica, atravĂ©s de uma metodologia que reĂșne
e combina conhecimentos em avaliação do risco-benefĂcio (ARB) de
alimentos e a avaliação da sustentabilidade. A utilização de abordagens holĂsticas, como a que estĂĄ a ser aplicada no projeto ALTERNATIVA
com o objetivo de fornecer ferramentas inovadoras para apoiar decisÔes sobre as futuras dietas, é fundamental para minimizar os efeitos
dos desafios atuais tentando garantir alimentos seguros, economicamente justos, acessĂveis, dietas nutricionalmente adequadas e saudĂĄveis com menores impactos ambientais.The growth of human population and the consequent pressure
exerted by food systems challenge health and the natural environment, whose impact is reflected, among others, in terms of contribu tion to climate change associated with global warming, exploitation
of natural resources and loss of biodiversity. Among the major contributors to this impact is the production of proteins of animal origin,
such as red meat and dairy. Therefore, the need of transforming food
systems is urgent and should be supported by assessing the overall health impact of alternative protein sources considering also sus tainability aspects. Our main objective is to discuss the challenges
posed to food systems and the need to assess their impact under the
umbrella of the ALTERNATIVA (Alternative sources of protein in Euro pean diets â integrating risk-benefit for health and sustainability)
as a tool for sustainable development in different aspects â health,
environmental, social and economic, through a methodology that
brings together and combines knowledge in risk-benefit assessment
(RBA) and sustainability assessment. The use of holistic approaches,
such as the one being applied in the ALTERNATIVA project aiming to
provide innovative tools to support decisions about the future diets,
is fundamental to minimize the effects of the current challenges trying to guarantee secure, economically fair, affordable, nutritionally
adequate and healthy diets having lower environmental impacts.Trabalho desenvolvido no Ăąmbito do projeto ALTERNATIVA
(Alternative sources of protein in European diets â integra ting risk-benefit for health and sustainability) financiado pelas
EFSA Partnering Grants (Grant Agreement Number â GP/EFSA/ENCO/2020/03 â GA 2.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Predicting the Adoption of a Sustainable Diet in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy
Shifting food choices towards sustainability entails the analysis of dietary behavior determinants. This study aimed to explain and predict the intention to follow a sustainable diet and its adoption in a representative sample of adults (n = 838) in Italy. An online survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was developed. The adoption of a sustainable diet was measured as self-perceived behavior, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and food consumption frequencies. Psychometric analysis and correlations between attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) with both intention and behavior assessments were evaluated. Structural equation models were used to test whether and to what extent attitude, subjective norms, and PBC explained intention and behavior. Significant associations were found between TPB constructs and the behavior measures underlining the main role of intention and PBC in affecting behavior. The applied TPB models explained behavioral intention at most (78%). The results suggested promising interventions in narrowing the attitudeâbehavior gap to encourage specific adult population groups in Italy to adopt virtuous food consumption habits. Beside the implementation of price mechanism strategies, educational initiatives to increase awareness about food and diet sustainability issues and the reinforcement of the perceived control on food consumption at the individual level are recommended
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Association with Self-Perception of Diet Sustainability, Anthropometric and Sociodemographic Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italian Adults
The adoption of sustainable dietary models, such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD), can be a valuable strategy to preserve ecosystems and human health. This study aims to investigate in an Italian adult representative sample the adherence to the MD and to what extent it is associated with the self-perceived adoption of a sustainable diet, the consideration of the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and anthropometric and sociodemographic factors. By applying an online survey (n = 838, 18â65 years, 52% female), an intermediate level of MD adherence (median: 4.0, IR: 3.0â4.0) in a 0â9 range was observed. Only 50% of the total sample confirmed the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and 84% declared no or low perception of adopting a sustainable diet. Being female, having a higher income and education level, considering the MD as a sustainable dietary model, as well as the perception of having a sustainable diet were the most relevant factors influencing the probability of having a high score (â„6) of adherence to the MD. This study suggests a gradual shift away from the MD in Italy and supports the need to address efforts for developing intervention strategies tailored to adults for improving diet quality. Furthermore, a public campaign should stress the link between a diet and its environmental impact to foster nutritionally adequate and eco-friendly dietary behaviors
Changes in terms of risks/benefits of shifting diets towards healthier and more sustainable dietary models
Abstract Food production and therefore human diet are identified as important sources of environmental impact. Unhealthy and unsustainable diets with high intake of meat and low intake of plantâbased products are predominant worldwide. On the other hand, a balance between health and sustainability is necessary, since diets that are environmentally sustainable could lack essential macroâ and micronutrients and result in nutrient deficiencies, nonâcommunicable diseases and malnutrition. The aim of this project was to investigate the nutritional adequacy and environmental impact of adults' diet by comparing current dietary habits and new alternative dietary scenarios. First, a systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to assess the environmental impact of current diets and sustainable dietary scenarios such as vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivorous and optimised dietary patterns worldwide. In the second part of the project, an optimisation study was conducted, based on a multiâobjective optimisation approach, with the purpose of creating the optimal diet based on nutritional and environmental constraints for the adult Italian population. The dietary scenarios of the optimised models were developed in accordance with the Italian foodâbased dietary guidelines. Food consumption data was extracted from the INHES study and used as baseline diet. A clear evaluation of the current environmental impact because of diet and potential sustainable dietary scenarios globally is challenging. Finally, national foodâbased guidelines should be adjusted by suggesting healthy and sustainable dietary recommendations in line with traditional eating habits and local food availability in order the desirable dietary shifts towards sustainability to be feasible