119 research outputs found
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY APPLIED IN THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR: SOCIETAL PRIORITIES AND PITFALLS
Synthetic biology offers potential for innovation in the agrifood sector, although concerns have been raised consumer rejection of applications will occur similar to that associated with the introduction of genetically modified foods. Risk-benefit assessment should address socio-economic, as well as health and environmental impacts. Ethical issues may be of particular relevance to the application synthetic biology, and may also resonate with societal concerns. A case-by-case analysis of relevant issues may be needed, and innovation must be driven by societal and consumer preferences as well as technological possibilities. Research into consumer and societal priorities is required early in the innovation trajector
Behind the kitchen door:A novel mixed method approach for exploring the food provisioning practices of the older consumer
Willingness to pay for personalised nutrition across Europe
yesPersonalised nutrition (PN) may promote public health. PN involves dietary advice based on
individual characteristics of end users and can for example be based on lifestyle, blood and/or DNA profiling.
Currently, PN is not refunded by most health insurance or health care plans. Improved public health is contingent
on individual consumers being willing to pay for the service. Methods: A survey with a representative sample from
the general population was conducted in eight European countries (N = 8233). Participants reported their will-
25 ingness to pay (WTP) for PN based on lifestyle information, lifestyle and blood information, and lifestyle and DNA
information. WTP was elicited by contingent valuation with the price of a standard, non-PN advice used as
reference. Results: About 30% of participants reported being willing to pay more for PN than for non-PN
advice. They were on average prepared to pay about 150% of the reference price of a standard, non-personalised
advice, with some differences related to socio-demographic factors. Conclusion: There is a potential market for PN
30 compared to non-PN advice, particularly among men on higher incomes. These findings raise questions to what
extent personalized nutrition can be left to the market or should be incorporated into public health programsEC (FW7) funded Food4me projectThe full text will be available 12 months after publicatio
Perceived barriers to the uptake of personalised nutrition: A comparison between European countries
[resumo][abstract
Self-efficacy, habit strength, health locus of control and response to the personalised nutrition Food4Me intervention study
YesPurpose – Randomised controlled trials identify causal links between variables but not why an outcome has
occurred. This analysis sought to determine how psychological factors assessed at baseline influenced
response to personalised nutrition.
Design/methodology/approach – Web-based, randomised, controlled trial (RCT) was conducted across
seven European countries. Volunteers, both male and female, aged over 18 years were randomised to either a
non-personalised (control) or a personalised (treatment) dietary advice condition. Linear mixed model analysis
with fixed effects was used to compare associations between internal and external health locus of control
(HLoC), nutrition self-efficacy (NS-E) and self-report habit index (S-RHI) at baseline (N 5 1444), with healthy
eating index (HEI) and Mediterranean diet index (MDI) scores between conditions post-intervention (N 5 763).
Findings – An increase in MDI scores was observed between baseline and six months in the treatment group
which was associated with higher NS-E (pEU FP7 Project “Personalised nutrition: an integrated analysis of opportunities and challenges” (Contract No. KBBE. 2010.2.3–02, Project No. 265494
Food fraud and the perceived integrity of European food imports into China
Background/AimsPersistent incidents of food fraud in China have resulted in low levels of consumer trust in the authenticity and safety of food that is domestically produced. We examined the relationship between the concerns of Chinese consumers regarding food fraud, and the role that demonstrating authenticity may play in relieving those concerns.MethodsA two-stage mixed method design research design was adopted. First, qualitative research (focus groups n = 7) was conducted in three Chinese cities, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu to explore concerns held by Chinese consumers in relation to food fraud. A subsequent quantitative survey (n = 850) tested hypotheses derived from the qualitative research and theoretical literature regarding the relationship between attitudinal measures (including risk perceptions, social trust, and perceptions of benefit associated with demonstrating authenticity), and behavioral intention to purchase “authentic” European products using structural equation modelling.ResultsChinese consumers perceive food fraud to be a hazard that represents a food safety risk. Food hazard concern was identified to be geographically influenced. Consumers in Chengdu (tier 2 city) possessed higher levels of hazard concern compared to consumers in Beijing and Guangzhou (tier 1). Structural trust (i.e. trust in actors and the governance of the food supply chain) was not a significant predictor of attitude and intention to purchase authenticated food products. Consumers were shown to have developed ‘risk-relieving’ strategies to compensate for the lack of trust in Chinese food and the dissonance experienced as a consequence of food fraud. Indexical and iconic authenticity cues provided by food manufacturers and regulators were important elements of product evaluations, although geographical differences in their perceived importance were observed.ConclusionsTargeted communication of authenticity assurance measures, including; regulations; enforcement; product testing; and actions taken by industry may improve Chinese consumer trust in the domestic food supply chain and reduce consumer concerns regarding the food safety risks associated with food fraud. To support product differentiation and retain prestige, European food manufactures operating within the Chinese market should recognise regional disparities in consumer risk perceptions regarding food fraud and the importance of personal risk mitigation strategies adopted by Chinese consumers to support the identification of authentic products
Making personalised nutrition the easy choice: creating policies to break down the barriers and reap the benefits
YesPersonalised diets based on people’s existing food choices, and/or phenotypic, and/or genetic information
hold potential to improve public dietary-related health. The aim of this analysis, therefore, has been to
examine the degree to which factors which determine uptake of personalised nutrition vary between
EU countries to better target policies to encourage uptake, and optimise the health benefits of personalised
nutrition technology. A questionnaire developed from previous qualitative research was used to
survey nationally representative samples from 9 EU countries (N = 9381). Perceived barriers to the uptake
of personalised nutrition comprised three factors (data protection; the eating context; and, societal
acceptance). Trust in sources of information comprised four factors (commerce and media; practitioners;
government; family and, friends). Benefits comprised a single factor. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was
employed to compare differences in responses between the United Kingdom; Ireland; Portugal; Poland;
Norway; the Netherlands; Germany; and, Spain. The results indicated that respondents in Greece, Poland,
Ireland, Portugal and Spain, rated the benefits of personalised nutrition highest, suggesting a particular
readiness in these countries to adopt personalised nutrition interventions. Greek participants were more
likely to perceive the social context of eating as a barrier to adoption of personalised nutrition, implying a
need for support in negotiating social situations while on a prescribed diet. Those in Spain, Germany,
Portugal and Poland scored highest on perceived barriers related to data protection. Government was
more trusted than commerce to deliver and provide information on personalised nutrition overall. This
was particularly the case in Ireland, Portugal and Greece, indicating an imperative to build trust, particularly
in the ability of commercial service providers to deliver personalised dietary regimes effectively in
these countries. These findings, obtained from a nationally representative sample of EU citizens, imply
that a parallel, integrated, public-private delivery system would capture the needs of most potential
consumers.Food4me is the acronym of the EU FP7 Project ‘‘Personalised nutrition: an integrated analysis of opportunities and challenges” (Contract No. KBBE.2010.2.3-02, ProjectNo.265494), http:// www.food4me.org/
Nudging children towards whole wheat bread: a field experiment on the influence of fun bread roll shape on breakfast consumption
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