Poorer European Countries are Less Concerned about Biotechnology than Richer Countries

The author examines the relationship between GNP, media coverage, and public perceptions of the utility, risk, and acceptability of medical and food-related applications of biotechnology

Has the armed conflict in Afghanistan affected the rules on the conduct of hostilities?

The armed conflict in Afghanistan since 2001 has raised manifold questions pertaining to the humanitarian rules relative to the conduct of hostilities. In Afghanistan, as is often the case in so-called asymmetric conflicts, the geographical and temporal boundaries of the battlefield, and the distinction between civilians and fighters, are increasingly blurred. As a result, the risks for both civilians and soldiers operating in Afghanistan are high. The objective of this article is to assess whether - and if so how much - the armed conflict in Afghanistan has affected the application and interpretation of the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution - principles that form the core of legal rules pertaining to the conduct of hostilitie

Ready-meal consumption: associations with weight status and cooking skills

Objective:The ready-meal market has grown considerably in recent years. Atthe same time, a degradation of traditional cooking skills has been observed.Ready meals are often rich in energy, fat and sugar and lack vegetables; however,studies investigating associations between ready-meal consumption, overweightand cooking skills are lacking. The present study examines whether demographicfactors, overweight, beliefs about the nutritional value and taste of ready mealsand cooking skills are associated with ready-meal consumption.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Setting:Ready-meal consumption, weight status, cooking skills, beliefs aboutthe taste and nutritional value of ready meals and demographic variables wereassessed with self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed with one-wayANOVA and multiple regression analysis.Subjects:A total of 1017 adults from the German-speaking part of Switzerland.Results:Men reported being more positive about ready meals and havingfewer cooking skills compared with women. Overweight adults (BMI.25 kg/m2)were more positive about nutrients and vitamins in ready meals compared withnormal-weight adults. Ready-meal consumption was associated with cooking skills(b520?192), age (b520?228), overweight (b50?129), nutritional value (b520?131), taste (b520?126), working status (b50?096) and gender (b50?084).Conclusions:Cooking skills were identified as a strong predictor of ready-mealconsumption. The importance of cooking skills as a barrier to healthy eatingshould be explored, as it is plausible that cooking skills will further decrease in thefuture. Next, the study provided evidence for an association between ready-mealconsumption and overweight. Further research should examine the importance ofready meals for the overweight epidemic

Consumers' knowledge about climate change

Several studies have unveiled various misconceptions about climate change that the public holds, for instance, confusion about climate change and ozone depletion. However, so far, there has been no uniform and standardized way to measure climate-related knowledge, which complicates comparisons between different countries or samples. To develop an extensive knowledge scale, we therefore examined the Swiss public's understanding of climate change in a mail survey and related this scale to attitudes toward climate change. We thereby aimed to consider a broad range of climate-related knowledge, namely physical knowledge about CO2 and the greenhouse effect, knowledge about climate change and its causes, knowledge about the expected consequences of climate change, and action-related knowledge. The questionnaire included items of different degrees of difficulty, ranging from knowledge that is covered by newspapers to experts' knowledge. Our findings indicate that people still hold several misconceptions, although people's knowledge related to CO2 seems to have increased compared to previous studies. Of all knowledge subscales, knowledge about climate change and causes was most strongly related to attitudes toward climate chang

The role of health-related, motivational and sociodemographic aspects in predicting food label use: a comprehensive study

Abstract Objective Previous studies focused on a limited number of determinants of food label use. We therefore tested a comprehensive model of food label use consisting of sociodemographic, health-related and motivating variables. These three predictor groups were chosen based on the previous literature and completed with new predictors not yet examined in a comprehensive study of frequency of label use. Design We sent questionnaires to a random sample of households in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Setting The respondents filled in the questionnaire at home and returned it by mail. Subjects We analysed the data of 1162 filled-in questionnaires (response rate = 38 %). Of the respondents, 637 were women (55 %), and their mean age was 53·54 (sd 15·68) years. Results Health-related variables were the most important group of predictors of label use, followed by motivating factors and sociodemographic variables. Placing importance on health, healthy eating and nutritional value of food, perceived vulnerability for diet-related diseases, nutrition knowledge, numeracy and gender were positively associated with frequency of food label use whereas shopping habits and seeing eating as something positive were negative predictors of frequency of label use. Conclusions People's health consciousness should be raised in order to increase the frequency of food label use. Furthermore, it should be stressed that reading labels and keeping a healthy diet do not contradict ‘good eating', and that both of these aspects can be combined with the help of food label

Health motivation and product design determine consumers' visual attention to nutrition information on food products

Abstract Objective In the present study we investigated consumers' visual attention to nutrition information on food products using an indirect instrument, an eye tracker. In addition, we looked at whether people with a health motivation focus on nutrition information on food products more than people with a taste motivation. Design Respondents were instructed to choose one of five cereals for either the kindergarten (health motivation) or the student cafeteria (taste motivation). The eye tracker measured their visual attention during this task. Then respondents completed a short questionnaire. Setting Laboratory of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Subjects Videos and questionnaires from thirty-two students (seventeen males; mean age 24·91 years) were analysed. Results Respondents with a health motivation viewed the nutrition information on the food products for longer and more often than respondents with a taste motivation. Health motivation also seemed to stimulate deeper processing of the nutrition information. The student cafeteria group focused primarily on the other information and did this for longer and more often than the health motivation group. Additionally, the package design affected participants' nutrition information search. Conclusions Two factors appear to influence whether people pay attention to nutrition information on food products: their motivation and the product's design. If the package design does not sufficiently facilitate the localization of nutrition information, health motivation can stimulate consumers to look for nutrition information so that they may make a more deliberate food choic

Consumers' knowledge about climate change

ISSN:0165-0009ISSN:1573-148

Improvement of meal composition by vegetable variety

Abstract Objective Our physical environment influences our daily food choices unconsciously. Strategic changes in the food environment might therefore be potential measures to influence consumers' food selection towards better nutrition, without affecting the consumers' freedom of choice. The present study aimed to examine whether increased vegetable variety enhances healthy food choices and improves meal composition. Design A randomised experiment. Setting Participants were instructed to serve themselves a lunch from a buffet of food replicas. Individuals were randomly assigned to one of three food combinations: condition A - cooked carrots, pasta and chicken; condition B - cooked green garden beans, pasta and chicken; condition AB - carrot sticks, green garden beans, pasta and chicken. Two one-vegetable conditions were compared with one two-vegetable condition. Data from Zurich, Switzerland, were analysed using one-way ANOVA. Subjects Ninety-eight students (fifty-three men; mean age 22·8 (sd 2·2) years, minimum = 19 years, maximum = 29 years). Results Participants who could choose from two vegetables derived significantly more energy (141 kJ) from vegetables compared with participants in the one-vegetable condition (104 and 84 kJ, respectively). Furthermore, in the two-vegetable condition, the relative energy of the meal derived from vegetables (10·9 %) increased significantly compared with the one-vegetable condition (8 % and 6·1 %, respectively). The total energy content of the meal (mean 1472 (sd 468) kJ) was not affected by the experimental manipulation. Conclusions Having a choice of vegetables increases a person's tendency to choose vegetables and leads to the selection of a more balanced meal. Serving an assortment of vegetables as side dishes might be a simple and effective strategy to improve food selectio

Snack frequency: associations with healthy and unhealthy food choices

Abstract Objective We examined associations between snack frequency, sociodemographic characteristics, BMI, dietary and eating behaviour. In order to identify whether various subgroups of high-frequency snack consumers exist, we investigated underlying food patterns and lifestyle factors. Design The data were based on the Swiss Food Panel Questionnaire of 2010, which included an FFQ, questions relating to sociodemographics and lifestyle factors. Data were examined using ANOVA, regression analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Gender differences were also investigated in the analysis of the data. Setting A sample of 6189 adults participating in the Swiss Food Panel filled in a questionnaire (response rate 30 %). Subjects The sample consisted of both men and women, with a mean age of 54·4 (sd 13·5) years. Results There was no association between snack frequency and BMI. Consumption frequency of sweets and savouries as well as fruit intake increased with increasing snack frequency. Additionally, three different subgroups of high-frequency snack consumers could be revealed: healthy, moderate and unhealthy dietary-pattern groups. The latter included respondents who were less health-conscious and was characterized by high alcohol consumption frequency, daily breakfast skipping and watching television during the main meal. Conclusions High snack frequency occurred in the context of healthy as well as unhealthy dietary behaviour and lifestyle patterns. Women made healthier dietary food choices and were more likely to consume fruits as snacks, while men chose unhealthy foods, such as sweets and savouries, more ofte

A multi-national comparison of meat eaters' attitudes and expectations for burgers containing beef, pea or algae protein

Within recent years, demand as well as supply of products to replace meat, so called meat alternatives, have increased. For future products, new plant-based protein sources are of high interest. Protein from pea and especially from algae provide huge potential for human nutrition as well as for the environment. To provide insight on consumers' opinions on the development of new meat alternatives, this study investigated consumers' opinions of pea and algae burgers compared to the traditional beef burger in terms of taste, health, and environmental friendliness. It has also explored the influence of factors such as meat commitment, food neophobia, and the attitude towards vegetarians and vegans; it has then compared the findings between three European countries with different culinary backgrounds. The online survey was conducted with meat-eating participants from Germany (N=567), France (N=605), and the United Kingdom (N=562). Participants in all three countries expected pea and algae burgers to be less tasty, but healthier and more environmentally friendly compared to the beef burger. Expectations of taste, health, and environmental friendliness of pea and algae burgers were negatively influenced by higher levels of meat commitment, more negative attitudes towards vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, and higher food neophobia. Although the attitudes towards vegetarian lifestyles were generally negative, pea and algae emerged as promising protein sources because of their favorable health and environmental friendliness expectations. Nevertheless, negative taste expectations and attitudes towards meat-free diets remain a challenge for the adoption of more plant-based diets.Peer reviewe