Sustainable Seafood Consumption: A Matter of Individual Choice or Global Market? A Window into Dublin’s Seafood Scene.

Seafood consumption is considered a key element for food security and for nutrition related policies. However, seafood is often not easily accessible or perceived as a popular option even by those living in close proximity to the sea. Common culprits are usually identified as a lack of specialized shops, culinary knowledge or as the disconnection with local coastal cultural heritage. This is for instance the case in Ireland: Irish waters provide a great diversity of seafood and yet, its domestic consumption remains unusually low for an island nation. Most of Ireland’s seafood is exported to other countries, whilst the Irish stick to the popular salmon, cod and tuna; a consumption habit that has obvious sustainability externalities. This contribution aims to unpack the issues connected to seafood consumption in Ireland’s coastal capital Dublin and offers a window into the city’s seafood scene. Data presented were gained within the Food Smart Dublin research project, a multidisciplinary project designed to encourage a behavioural shift of consumption towards more sustainable local seafood by rediscovering historical recipes and reconnecting Dublin’s society to their tangible and intangible coastal cultural heritage. The paper thus connects past, present, and future perspectives on the topic. First, the past is explored by delineating the potential of marine historical heritage in stimulating sustainable seafood consumption with the reintroduction of traditional Irish recipes. The present offers a data snapshot on consumption patterns towards seafood gathered from structured online questionnaires results from the Food Smart Dublin project. Respondents offered insights on their relationship with the sea, on the frequency with which they consume seafood and the obstacles they see in consuming more of it. Finally, these perspectives delineate possible future scenarios and recommended governance actions to support policymakers in designing a better and more sustainable seafood system

Tasting the ocean: How to increase ocean literacy using seafood heritage with a visceral approach

This contribution explores the growing interest in ocean literacy and sustainable seafood consumption through the lens of transdisciplinary and visceral research methods. It illustrates a series of experimental, marine-focused workshops, carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic for Irish students aged between 15 and 18. The empirical body builds on a series of questionnaires completed prior, during and at the end of the workshops as well as direct observations of feedbacks and interactions. By offering to the students creative and playful methods which included cooking classes, coastal explorations and information about their coastal cultural heritage, we argue that transdisciplinary and visceral methods can facilitate how ocean literacy and sustainable eating is understood and operationalised—in both educational programmes and policy frameworks

Food Sharing Initiatives and Food Democracy: Practice and Policy in Three European Cities

Calls for greater food democracy in Europe have emerged as the limitations of urban food systems dominated by commercial organisations are documented, but little attention has been paid to how policy arrangements affect attempts to transition to more democratic food futures. This article examines food sharing initiatives - increasingly facilitated by the use of information and communication technologies - as a potential means to enhance urban food democracy, and explores the role of policy in shaping those practices in three European capital cities: Berlin, London, and Dublin. We pose two related questions: To what extent are diverse food sharing initiatives exemplars of food democracy, and to what extent do policy arrangements affect food sharing practices and the nature of any food democracy they might embody? Our empirical evidence demonstrates where the goals and impacts of food sharing initiatives align with key dimensions of food democracy. We also consider how food sharing initiatives - and any food democracy dimensions that they support - are affected by the policy environment in which they operate. The food sharing initiatives examined revealed to be agents of pro-democratic change, at least within the boundaries of their spheres of influence, despite policies rarely having their activities and aspirations in mind

A New Genetic Risk Score to Predict the Outcome of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Treated With First-Line Exemestane: Results From a Prospective Study

Currently there are no reliable biomarkers to predict outcome of exemestane treatment. We designed a prospective study to investigate whether constitutive genetic background might affect response to therapy. In a population of 302 advanced breast cancer patients treated with exemestane we showed that a 5-polymorphism-based genetic score could be used to identify patients with different risks of progression and death.Introduction: Approximately 50% of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with first-line exemestane do not show objective response and currently there are no reliable biomarkers to predict the outcome of patients using this therapy. The constitutive genetic background might be responsible for differences in the outcome of exemestane-treated patients. We designed a prospective study to investigate the role of germ line polymorphisms as biomarkers of survival. Patients and Methods: Three hundred two locally advanced or MBC patients treated with first-line exemestane were genotyped for 74 germ line polymorphisms in 39 candidate genes involved in drug activity, hormone balance, DNA replication and repair, and cell signaling pathways. Associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were tested with multivariate Cox regression. Bootstrap resampling was used as an internal assessment of results reproducibility. Results: Cytochrome P450 19A1-rs10046TC/CC, solute carrier organic anion transporter 1B1-rs4149056TT, adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily G member 2-rs2046134GG, fibroblast growth factor receptor-4-rs351855TT, and X-ray repair cross complementing 3-rs861539TT were significantly associated with PFS and then combined into a risk score (0-1, 2, 3, or 4-6 risk points). Patients with the highest risk score (4-6 risk points) compared with ones with the lowest score (0-1 risk points) had a median PFS of 10 months versus 26.3 months (adjusted hazard ratio [AdjHR], 3.12 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.18-4.48]; P < .001) and a median OS of 38.9 months versus 63.0 months (AdjHR, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.22-4.79], P = .012), respectively. Conclusion: In this study we defined a score including 5 polymorphisms to stratify patients for PFS and OS. This score, if validated, might be translated to personalize locally advanced or MBC patient treatment and management

Pathologic response and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer: the Neopearl nationwide collaborative study

PurposeClinical trials have shown a significant increase in pathologic complete response (pCR) with the addition of pertuzumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with early-stage HER-2 positive breast cancer. To date, limited studies have examined comparative outcomes of neoadjuvant pertuzumab in real-world setting. The Neopearl study aimed to assess comparative real-life efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant pertuzumab for these patients.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide retrospective analysis involving 17 oncology facilities with a certified multidisciplinary breast cancer treatment committee. We identified patients with HER-2 positive stage II-III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on trastuzumab and taxanes with or without pertuzumab. All patients underwent breast surgery and received a comprehensive cardiologic evaluation at baseline and after neoadjuvant treatment. Patients who received the combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and chemotherapy constituted case cohort (PTCT), whereas those treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy accounted for control cohort (TCT). The pCR rate and 5-year event free survival (EFS) were the primary outcomes. Secondary end-points were rates of conversion from planned modified radical mastectomy (MRM) to breast conservation surgery (BCS) and cardiotoxicities.ResultsFrom March 2014 to April 2021, we included 271 patients, 134 (49%) and 137 (51%) in TCT and PTCT cohort, respectively. Positive axillary lymph nodes and stage III were more frequent in PTCT cohort. The pCR rate was significantly increased in patients who received pertuzumab (49% vs 62%; OR 1.74, 95%CI 1.04-2.89) and with HER-2 enriched subtypes (16% vs 85%; OR 2.94, 95%CI 1.60-5.41). After a median follow-up of 5 years, the 5-year EFS was significantly prolonged only in patients treated with pertuzumab (81% vs 93%; HR 2.22, 95%CI 1.03-4.79). The same analysis performed on propensity score matched population showed concordant results. On univariate analysis, only patients with positive lymph nodes were found to benefit from pertuzumab for both pCR and 5-year EFS. The rates of conversion from MRM to BCS and cardiologic toxicities did not differ between the cohorts.ConclusionOur findings support previous data on improved outcomes with the addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This benefit seems to be more significant in patients with clinically positive lymph nodes

Urban food strategies. Exploring definitions and diffusion of European cities' latest policy trend

none1noFood, notably its logistics, security, quality, sustainability and social inclusiveness, is increasingly considered as a crucial element in urban settings, deserving specific institutional and strategic instruments. This is testified by the proliferation of urban food strategies, that is municipal strategic documents that various European cities have adopted during the last decade. This chapter examines the emergence and diffusion of the concept in Europe, contextualizing it in connection with broader thesis on 'alternative' food systems, 'new localism' and 'strategic planning', in order to unpack how the notion has been constructed. The first part of the chapter reviews the existing literature on urban food strategies, by presenting the debate over the definition of the concept and discussing the normative stance of scholars in regard to 'alternative' practices. After providing a working definition of urban food strategies, the second part presents an overview of their diffusion in Europe and briefly maps the historical diffusion of the model since the first appearance in Toronto in 2000. The fast adoption of urban food strategies in different urban contexts suggests the necessity of further investigations on the motivations behind the cities' drive towards food governance. In this sense, the chapter argues in favour of a more cautious assessment of food strategies on behalf of scholars, beyond the positive enthusiasm that has been so far connected to them. In particular, the chapter calls for a critique on the political implications of food strategies, which urgently need to be assessed within strategies of city branding, and to be tested on their actual consequences on urban regeneration and development processes.mixedCretella A.Cretella A

Beyond the Alternative Complex. The London Urban Food Strategy and Neoliberal Governance

In this paper we will introduce the concept of Urban Food Strategies (UFSs) and describe the specific case of the city of London, the first European municipality to develop a governance experiment specifically on food. In particular, we will discuss the positioning of the London Food Strategy (LFS) within the alternative idea of urban development strategies and the mainstream, neoliberal entrepreneurial model by way of discourse analysis. This paper questions the nature of the LFS in relation to the introduction of the sustainable development dogma in London urban governance from the early 2000s to the recent 2012 Summer Olympics, declared as the “greenest games ever”. By way of conclusion, we will argue that alternative projects are not free of neoliberal influences, and even if they are, they will likely be the subject of strategic manipulation to counter balance other reckless institutional entrepreneurial projects.Cet article introduit le concept de stratégies alimentaires urbaines et décrit le cas spécifique de la ville de la Londres, la première municipalité européenne à développer une expérience de gouvernance axée spécifiquement sur la nourriture. Par le biais d’une analyse de discours, nous discutons plus particulièrement le positionnement de la stratégie alimentaire londonienne (SAL) à l’intérieur des stratégies de développement urbain alternatives, et du modèle dominant, néolibéral et entrepreneurial. Cet article questionne la nature de la SAL en lien avec l’introduction du dogme du développement durable dans la gouvernance urbaine de Londres, du début des années 2000 jusqu’aux Jeux Olympiques de 2012 qualifiés de « Jeux les plus verts jamais organisés ». En guise de conclusion, nous soutenons que les projets alternatifs ne sont pas étanches aux influences néolibérales et, même s’ils l’étaient, ils feraient certainement l’objet d’une manipulation stratégique pour contrebalancer d’autres projets institutionnels ouvertement entrepreneuriaux

One Year of Irish Seafood: Traditional, Historical, Sustainable

The book takes us on a one-year journey through some of the most traditional, historical and sustainable Irish seafood by tapping into local marine resources and rediscovering forgotten seafood recipes from Ireland’s East Coast culinary heritage. The authors unearthed historical recipes and selected them based on suitability, sustainability and seasonality before visionary chefs transformed them into the appetizing modern dishes promoted in this book. Following seafood seasonality through the year, the book also provides an insight into the history and ecology of each marine creature native to the Irish coasts and featured in the recipes. Moreover, the book offers the reader an opportunity to gain an understanding of seafood sustainability by presenting information about the diverse fishing methods and specific place of the species in the marine food web. At the same time, it presents delicious ideas on how to best exploit the taste of Irish seafood, practised throughout the centuries. With a preface by Darina Allen

The researcher as political mediator: co-creation processes in transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral research

Transdisciplinarity should be the starting point for researchers aiming to make sustainability research truly impactful. We argue that trans-sectoral, transcultural and transgenerational dimensions are as equally important in cocreation processes. When these dimensions are ignored, research projects can easily shift from co-creation to ‘creation’ with a top-down attitude. In fact, researchers working in sustainability research are often challenged when navigating different perspectives on the same issue, having to wear different hats in order to listen to and incorporate these perspectives in co-creation processes. In this roundtable discussion, we want to share our experience of our own journey with the Food Smart Dublin project while having others share theirs. We used a trans-sectoral approach between academia, industry and the public to co-create knowledge flow with the aim to encourage a behavioural shift from eating high trophic level seafood (tuna, salmon, cod - the tigers and lions of the sea) to lower trophic and more sustainable local seafood (molluscs, non-target species) by unearthing historical recipes and reconnecting Dublin’s society to their tangible and intangible coastal cultural heritage. The academic team consisted of STEM and AHSS researchers acting as knowledge providers in the sense of doing the groundwork, research into archival and environmental humanities as well as food and culinary history, while also developing and carrying out surveys on people’s behaviour toward seafood. The industry partner acted as the innovator being a trained chef and fishmonger; they had the ‘hands-on’ knowledge and reimagined the recipes to suit the modern pallet. The NGO partner was the agent of change being a youth and environmental education centre. They recruited young people and facilitated interactive workshops on sustainable seafood developed in close collaboration with the knowledge providers and the innovator. Now, at the end of the project, we want to reflect on obstacles and connecting nodes of our co-creation process and invite other researchers, educationalists and knowledge providers to share their experience of transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral work. We want to hear from those who may have had to become political mediators, but also advocates, lobbyists and educators in their ‘trans’ approach research. We also want to reflect on why policymakers seem uncomfortable with co-creation approaches and often do not support projects with concrete institutional change - or with funding. Furthermore, we encourage others to share their thoughts on what will have to change to make research projects more fluid and attractive for policymakers to achieve truly impactful sustainability change

Food Smart Dublin report on sustainable Irish seafood workshop series

The Food Smart Dublin Workshops took place between the 24th September and 30th October 2020. The focus was to promote sustainable seafood consumption among young students by building on the intangible coastal cultural heritage of Dublin Bay’s biosphere. Five online workshops were co-hosted by the Food Smart Dublin (FSD) research team and ECO-UNESCO. The workshop series brought together a total of 13 students aged 15-18, most of them local to the Dublin area. The document is a report of the workshops, the outcome of which will inform an academic publication by the FSD tea