Analysis of factors that influence eating habits in different countries

Individual eating habits are influenced by a number of factors, including both internal variables such as physiology and emotion, as well as environmental factors such as food availability and cultural norms. Given the public health impact of dietary habits (choice, quality, amount, frequency) on health outcomes, it is important to understand what factors influence eating habits on a societal level. The aim of this research was to determine factors that influence eating habits and compare these factors between four different countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and the USA. An eating motivation questionnaire was used to measure eating habits in 3,348 respondents from different regions and countries. There were ten parts - demographical information, anthropometric data and behavioral and health related elements, sources of information about healthy eating, factors related to food choices according to motivations (health, emotional, economic, availability, social, cultural, environmental, political, marketing and commercials). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and self-reported motivation was compared across countries. Health was the primary motivator of food selection in this sample (71% of respondents), whereas 34% reported that emotional factors impact their dietary habits and 35% reported that economic factors determine their food selection. A large number of respondents (44%) disagreed or strongly disagree or disagreed with the idea that marketing impacts their dietary habits. Portugal had the highest number of participants (86%), reporting that they agreed or strongly agreed with having health-related motivations for food selection, with Latvia (65%) and Lithuania (76%) showing more moderate levels of endorsement of healthy eating motivations, and the USA having the fewest respondents (52%) endorsing health-related motivations. Respondents from Portugal were more likely than respondents from the other countries to deny having emotional, economic and marketing motivations in food selection. From results can conclude that consumers are motivated by healthiness factors when making food choices (71% of respondents), but marketing, economic and emotional factors positively impact only 30% of consumers, other respondents completely disagreed or was indifferent to these types of motivations. Baltic countries (Latvia and Lithuania) were similar to each other, but Portugal and USA were completely different. Portugal strongly agreed with healthy motivations and disagreed with all other motivations, whereas USA and also Baltic countries had more equal division of opinions regarding impact of different motivations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The impact of food choices on human and animal rights protection and environmental sustainability

Introduction: People’s food choices are of the utmost importance to regulate markets and the food chain towards the global goal of sustainability. Objectives: The objective of this work was to evaluate to what extent some aspects linked to sustainability in the food chain influence people’s food choices, specifically in the domains of packaging, food surplus, transportation and human or animal welfare. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 3183 people from Portugal, Italy, Lithuania and Romania, who participated in this questionnaire survey between January and June 2018. Results: People tend to condition their food choices in view of contributing for a more sustainable food chain with respect for environment, humans and animals. The areas in which this behaviour is stronger include avoiding food waste at home (80% of participants), preference for local foods (60%), sustainable food growing, preparation or packaging (66%). The respect for animal rights is very important for 62% of the participants, but the respect for Human rights is a concern for just 32%. The results of statistical tests indicated that age, education, country, professional area and type of diet all significantly influenced people’s choices regarding the sustainability of the food chain. Conclusions: Although the results are indicative that people start to condition their eating behaviours also according to sustainability issues, it is a fact that there is still work to be done, since the adoption of these sustainable choices is still in a limited extent.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of Growth Stages and Lactic Acid Fermentation on Anti-Nutrients and Nutritional Attributes of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a winter-season green, leafy vegetable grown all over the world, belonging to the family Amaranthus, sub-family Chenopodiaceae. Spinach is a low-caloric food and an enormous source of micronutrients, e.g., calcium, folates, zinc, retinol, iron, ascorbic acid and magnesium. Contrarily, it also contains a variety of anti-nutritional factors, e.g., alkaloids, phytates, saponins, oxalates, tannins and many other natural toxicants which may hinder nutrient-absorption. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of fermentation on improving the nutrient-delivering potential of spinach and mitigating its burden of antinutrients and toxicants at three growth stages: the 1st growth stage as baby leaves, the 2nd growth stage at the coarse stage, and the 3rd growth stage at maturation. The results revealed the significant (p < 0.05) effect of fermentation on increasing the protein and fiber content of spinach powder from 2.53 to 3.53% and 19.33 to 22.03%, respectively, and on reducing total carbohydrate content from 52.92 to 40.52%; the effect was consistent in all three growth stages. A significant decline in alkaloids (6.45 to 2.20 mg/100 g), oxalates (0.07 mg/100 g to 0.02 mg/100 g), phytates (1.97 to 0.43 mg/100 g) and glucosinolates (201 to 10.50 µmol/g) was observed as a result of fermentation using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Fermentation had no impact on total phenolic content and the antioxidant potential of spinach, as evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. This study proposes fermentation as a safer bioprocess for improving the nutrient-delivering potential of spinach, and suggests processed powders made from spinach as a cost-effective complement to existing plant proteins

Food choices as influenced by environmental concerns: study involving participants from 16 countries

The activities related to food production, processing, handling, transportation, storage and disposal of food products have an important impact on sustainability. Hence, people's food choices also contribute for the definition of the extension of this impact and therefore this work aimed at studying some motivations that influence people's eating habits. This was an observational, cross-sectional study, undertaken on a non-probabilistic sample of 11960 participants form 16 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, United States of America). The survey was undertaken by means of a questionnaire of self-response, applied only to adult citizens. The results obtained indicated that a great number of participants admit to shape their food choices according to some environmental concerns, like, for example, they prefer foods from the season or those that comply with sustainable processing and packaging. Regarding the food surplus, this seems a priority to avoid at home, but not so much when it comes to restaurants. Factor analysis indicated two types of concerns: Purely Environmental Concerns (PEC) and Sustainability allied to Quality Concerns (SQC), and cluster analysis showed that 54% of the participants tend to make their food choices considering both types of concerns, which is very expressive and positive towards sustainability of the food chain

Marketing motivations influencing food choice in 16 countries: segmentation and cluster analysis.

Food behaviour is governed by different kinds of motivations, some of individual nature and others related with the external food environment. This study investigated the eating motivations in sixteen countries with respect to commercial and marketing influences on food choices. The questionnaire survey was developed between September 2017 and June 2018, via online tools, targeting a convenience sample of residents in sixteen countries (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and the United States of America). The number of valid responses received was 11,919 participants. The data were treated using SPSS software, and the main statistical techniques used included exploratory factor analysis, evaluation of internal reliability through Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis (hierarchical and k-means) and logistic regression. The results obtained showed two groups of people: low motivated and notably motivated consumers. The results showed high asymmetries between countries, with highest percentage of highly motivated consumers in Egypt and the lowest percentage of highly motivated in Portugal. It was further observed that consumers more influenced by commercial and marketing aspects (the notably motivated) tend to be women, young, single, less educated, less likely to be professionally active, and those who live mostly in rural or suburban areas. Less exercise and overweight are also factors associated with greater propensity for commercial and marketing motivations. Furthermore, health problems such as shellfish or gluten intolerance, hypertension and high cholesterol confer less propensity to be in the segment of the notably motivated consumers. In conclusion, this work highlighted the role of geographic, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors as food choice determinants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consumers’ Perceptions about Edible Insects’ Nutritional Value and Health Effects: Study Involving 14 Countries

Download PDFsettingsOrder Article Reprints This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon. Open AccessFeature PaperArticle Consumers’ Perceptions about Edible Insects’ Nutritional Value and Health Effects: Study Involving 14 Countries by Raquel P. F. Guiné 1,*ORCID,Sofia G. Florença 1ORCID,Cristina A. Costa 1ORCID,Paula M. R. Correia 1ORCID,Nada M. Boustani 2ORCID,Irina Matran 3ORCID,Krešimir Jakšić 4ORCID,Cristina Chuck-Hernández 5ORCID,Elena Bartkiene 6ORCID,Ilija Djekic 7ORCID,Maria Papageorgiou 8ORCID,Leticia G. Arias 9ORCID,Malgorzata Korzeniowska 10ORCID,Maša Černelič-Bizjak 11ORCID,Dace Klava 12ORCID,Vanessa Ferreira 13ORCID,Emel Damarli 14ORCID andManuela Ferreira 15ORCID 1 CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal 2 Faculty of Business and Administration, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1104 2020, Lebanon 3 Department of Community Nutrition and Food Safety, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania 4 Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, Croatia 5 Tecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Monterrey 64849, Mexico 6 Department of Food Safety and Quality, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania 7 Department of Food Safety and Quality Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 8 Department of Food Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece 9 BALAT Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of León, 24071 León, Spain 10 Faculty of Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland add Show full affiliation list * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Animals 2024, 14(11), 1631; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111631 Submission received: 6 May 2024 / Revised: 25 May 2024 / Accepted: 29 May 2024 / Published: 30 May 2024 Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Versions Notes Simple Summary Climate change is one of the drivers of change towards sustainable food systems food security. Therefore, food security is a priority all around the world and across different sectors of society. Edible insects are recommended as a sustainable source of food of animal origin, but their acceptance is very diverse across cultures and countries. Therefore, our work investigated the perceptions of consumers about edible insects in 14 countries. We concluded that depending on origin, the level of knowledge is different, which is a starting point to design more focused campaigns to promote EIs, not only in non-insect-eating countries, but also in insect-eating countries. Better knowledge about the health effects of EIs and their nutritive value is a driver of change. Abstract Insects have been consumed for time immemorial in many regions of the globe. However, in other parts, they are not traditionally eaten. Because they are a more sustainable source of animal protein and provide valuable nutrients as well as bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on the human body, their consumption is encouraged. Knowledge can serve as a tool for better acceptance of insects as food. In this context, the present work investigated the knowledge about the nutritional value and health effects of edible insects in different countries. Data were collected by employing a questionnaire survey translated into the different languages of all participating countries and were treated using statistical tools. A total of 7222 responses were obtained. The results indicated that for many issues, the participants manifested a neutral opinion (neither agree nor disagree), but the participants who manifested agreement/disagreement were generally well informed. They were also able to identify untrue facts and answer accordingly by disagreeing. Factor analysis showed four groups of questions: nutritive value, negative perception and risks, safety and benefits of insects and contamination and harmful components. Finally, significant differences were observed according to the sociodemographic variables studies (sex, age, education, living environment and country), with age and country being the most influential of the sociodemographic factors on knowledge. Therefore, increasing knowledge is envisaged as an essential factor in augmenting the recognition of edible insects as a nutritional food, presenting health benefits apart from being a more sustainable source of animal protein when compared with beef or pork meats.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Are Consumers Aware of Sustainability Aspects Related to Edible Insects? Results from a Study Involving 14 Countries

In recent years, edible insects have been suggested as an alternative food that is more sustainable compared with other sources of animal protein. However, knowledge about the sustainability aspects associated with this source of food may play a role in convincing consumers to adopt insects as part of their diet. In this context, the present study investigated the level of knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects in a group of people originating from 14 countries, with some naturally entomophagous and others not. To measure the knowledge, 11 items were selected and the scores obtained were tested with statistical tools (t-test for independent samples, analysis of variance—ANOVA) to search for differences according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, geographical origin, and consumption habits of edible insects. The obtained results showed that, in general, knowledge is moderate, with the values of the average scores for the 11 items investigated ranging from 0.23 ± 0.99 to 0.66 ± 1.02, on a scale ranging from –2 (=very low knowledge) to 2 (=very high knowledge). The highest scores were found for items relating to the lower use of animal feed and lower emission of greenhouse gases required for the production of insects compared with beef. When investigating the differences between groups of participants, significant differences were generally found, revealing a trend for higher knowledge among males and young adults, for participants residing in urban areas and in countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Poland, and for participants with higher education levels and higher incomes. When testing the influence of consumption variables on the level of knowledge, the results showed a higher knowledge for participants who had already consumed insects or are willing to consume them. Finally, it was observed that higher knowledge was found for participants whose motivation to consume insects related to curiosity, a wish to preserve the planet, the gastronomic characteristics of insects, and their nutritional value. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate a very marked influence of a number of variables on the knowledge about the sustainability of edible insects, and this may be helpful to delineate strategies to effectively raise knowledge and eventually increase the willingness to consider insects as a more sustainable alternative to partially replace other protein foods, even in countries where this is a not a traditional practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Edible Insects: Perceptions of Marketing, Economic, and Social Aspects among Citizens of Different Countries

Because edible insects (EI) have been, in recent years, recommended as a nutritious animal protein food with enormous environmental advantages over other sources of animal protein for human consumption, studies aimed at investigating the consumer perspective have become more prominent. Hence, this study intended to examine the perceptions of participants from different countries about the commercialization and economic and social impacts of edible insects. The study was made using a questionnaire survey, and data were collected in Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The final number of received answers was 7222 participants. For the treatment of the results, different statistical techniques were used: factor analysis, internal reliability by Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis, ANOVA to test differences between groups, and Chi-square tests. The results obtained confirmed the validity of the scale, constituted by 12 out of the 14 items initially considered, distributed by 4 factors: the first related to the economic impact of EIs, the second related to the motivation for consumption of EIs, the third related to the places of purchase of EIs, and the fourth corresponding to a question presented to the participants as a false statement. A cluster analysis allowed identifying three clusters, with significant differences between them according to all the sociodemographic variables tested. Also, it was found that the participants expressed an exceptionally high level of agreement with aspects such as the difficulty in finding EIs on sale, knowledge acting as a strong motivator for EI consumption, and the role of personalities and influencers in increasing the will to consume EIs. Finally, practically all sociodemographic variables were found to be significantly associated with perceptions (country, sex, education, living environment, and income), but not age. In conclusion, the perceptions about EI commercialization were investigated and revealed differences among samples originating from different countries. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were found to be strongly associated with their perceptions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Apple Fermented Products: An Overview of Technology, Properties and Health Effects

As an easily adapted culture, with overloaded production in some parts of the globe, ap- ples and their by-products are being redirected to pharmaceutical, canning and beverages indus- tries, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Fermentation is generally considered to increase the bioa- vailability of bioactive compounds found in apple, by impacting, through a high degree of changes, the product’s properties, including composition and health-promoting attributes, as well as their sensory profile. Probiotic apple beverages and apple vinegar are generally considered as safe and healthy products by the consumers. Recently, contributions to human health, both in vivo and in vitro studies, of non-alcoholic fermented apple-based products have been described. This review highlighted the advances in the process optimization of apple-based products considering vinegar, cider, pomace, probiotic beverages and spirits’ technologies. The different processing impacts on physical-chemical, nutritional and sensory profiles of these products are also presented. Addition- ally, the harmful effects of toxic compounds and strategies to limit their content in cider and apple spirits are illustrated. New trends of fermented apple-based products applicability in tangential in- dustries are summarized.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio