Determining consumer expectations, attitudes and buying behaviour towards “low input” and organic foods

This paper reviews the first results and achievements of the QLIF SP1 “Determining consumer expectations and attitudes towards organic/low input food quality and safety”. The paper aims to illustrate the array of methodologies used and to discuss the ongoing research in light of the first results

Organic supply chain collaboration: a case study in eight EU Countries

This study aims at contributing to a better understanding of the linkage between supply chain performance and possible performance improvement with respect to food quality and safety. Therefore, the paper addresses the question whether the level of collaborative planning and close supply chain relationships could help improve quality and safety of organic supply chains. The study was conducted as a part of the multi-disciplinary EU-wide survey of organic supply chains, carried out in 8 European countries. In this paper we report the results of the study regarding the structures and performance of six different organic supply chains in these eight European countries: milk (CH, UK), apples (DE, CH), pork (UK, NL), eggs (DE, UK), wheat (HU, IT, FR) and tomatoes (IT, NL). In depth interviews with key-informants were carried out in 2006 to investigate the structures, performance and relationships within the supply chains. Results show a low level of collaboration among various actors especially on cost and benefits sharing. Highly integrated supply chains show higher collaboration especially in the domain of Decision Synchronization. Trust and collaboration appear to be related with increased performance, while, the higher the perceived risk for quality and safety is, the higher the probability of supply chain collaboration.Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Organic Action Plans. Development, implementation and evaluation. A resource manual for the organic food and farming sector

In 2004, the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming was launched. Many European countries have also developed national Organic Action Plans to promote and support organic agriculture. As part of the EU funded ORGAP project (“European Action Plan of Organic Food and Farming - Development of criteria and procedures for the evaluation of the EU Action Plan for Organic Agriculture”) a toolbox to evaluate and monitor the implementation of national and European Action Plans has been developed. In order to communicate the results of this project as widely as possible, a practical manual for initiating and evaluating Organic Action Plans has been produced. This manual has been created to inspire the people, organisations and institutions involved, or with an interest, in the organic food and farming sector to engage in the initiation, review, revision and renewal of regional, national and European Organic Action Plans. The objectives of the manual are to provide: • a tool for stakeholder involvement in future Action Plan development and implementation processes at EU, national and regional level • a guide to the use of the Organic Action Plan Evaluation Toolbox (ORGAPET) developed through the project The manual summarises the key lessons learnt from more than 10 years experience of development, implementation and evaluation of Organic Action Plans throughout Europe. The Organic Action Plan Evaluation Toolbox (ORGAPET), which includes comprehensive information to support the Organic Action Plan development and evaluation process is included with the manual as a CD-ROM, and is also accessible on-line at www.orgap.org/orgapet. The ORGAP website www.orgap.org provides a further information on the project and the European and national organic action plans. Published by: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland; IFOAM EU Group, Brussels Table of contents Foreword 1 1 Introduction 3 1.1 About this manual 3 1.2 Organic farming – origins, definition & principles 6 1.3 Development of organic food & farming in Europe 8 1.3.1 Organic food and farming regulation in Europe 10 1.3.2 Policy support for organic food and farming in Europe 11 2 Organic Action Plans – what are they about? 16 2.1 Why Organic Action Plans? 16 2.2 European Organic Action Plan 21 2.3 Overview of national and regional Organic Action Plans 23 3 Planning and implementing Organic Action Plans 28 3.1 Policy development 28 3.2 Defining organic sector development needs and potential 31 3.3 Defining policy goals and objectives 34 3.4 Involving stakeholders 40 3.4.1 The case for stakeholder involvement 40 3.4.2 Identifying relevant stakeholders 42 3.4.3 Participatory approaches for stakeholders involvement 44 3.5 Decision making: selecting, integrating and prioritising relevant measures 46 3.5.1 Deciding on policy instruments and action points 47 3.5.2 Priorities for action – allocating resources 50 3.6 Implementing Organic Action Plans 52 3.7 Including monitoring and evaluation of Organic Action Plans from outset 56 3.8 Managing communication 58 3.9 Development of Action Plans in countries that joined the EU in 2004 and later 59 4 Evaluating Organic Action Plans 61 4.1 Principles of evaluation 61 4.2 Conducting an evaluation 64 4.3 Evaluating Action Plan design and implementation 70 4.3.1 Evaluating programme design and implementation processes 70 4.3.2 Evaluating programme coherence 72 4.3.3 Evaluating stakeholder involvement 74 4.4 Evaluating Action Plan effects 78 4.4.1 Developing and using indicators for evaluation 78 4.5 Overall evaluation of Organic Action Plans – judging success 85 4.6 Evaluating Action Plans in countries that joined the EU in 2004 and later 89 5 Organic Action Plans – the Golden Rules 91 5.1 Key elements of Organic Action Plan development 91 5.2 The Golden rules for Organic Action Plan 93 References 96 Annex Detailed synopsis of ORGAPET 10

Opposite effect of acute and subchronic treatments with Ferula hermonis on copulatory behavior of male rats

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Arterial Stiffness in the Heart Disease of CKD

CKD frequently leads to chronic cardiac dysfunction. This complex relationship has been termed as cardiorenal syndrome type 4 or cardio-renal link. Despite numerous studies and reviews focused on the pathophysiology and therapy of this syndrome, the role of arterial stiffness has been frequently overlooked. In this regard, several pathogenic factors, including uremic toxins (, uric acid, phosphates, endothelin-1, advanced glycation end-products, and asymmetric dimethylarginine), can be involved. Their effect on the arterial wall, direct or mediated by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, results in arterial stiffening and decreased vascular compliance. The increase in aortic stiffness results in increased cardiac workload and reduced coronary artery perfusion pressure that, in turn, may lead to microvascular cardiac ischemia. Conversely, reduced arterial stiffness has been associated with increased survival. Several approaches can be considered to reduce vascular stiffness and improve vascular function in patients with CKD. This review primarily discusses current understanding of the mechanisms concerning uremic toxins, arterial stiffening, and impaired cardiac function, and the therapeutic options to reduce arterial stiffness in patients with CKD

Pulse wave velocity differs between ulcerative colitis and chronic kidney disease

Background: We hypothesized that a reversal of the physiological stiffness gradient, previously reported in end-stage renal disease, begins in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and that chronic inflammation produces a different arterial phenotype in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Objectives: To assess the extent of arterial stiffening in the central (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, cf.-PWV) and peripheral arteries (carotid-radial pulse wave velocity, cr-PWV) and to explore the determinants of the stiffness gradient in UC and in CKD. Methods: We enrolled 45 patients with UC, 45 patients with stage 3-4 CKD and 45 matched controls. Results: Despite the comparable cf.-PWV, the cr-PWV was higher in patients with UC than in those with CKD (median: 8.7 vs. 7.5. m/s; p <. 0.001) and, consequently, the PWV ratio was lower (median: 0.97 vs. 1.12; p <. 0.001). In patients with CKD a stiffness mismatch was reported starting from stage 3B. The PWV ratio was associated with age and C-reactive protein (beta: 0.08 z-score, 95%CI 0.02-0.14; p = 0.01) or active disease (beta: 0.43 z-score, 95%CI 0.003-0.857; p = 0.048) in patients with UC and with age and glomerular filtration rate (beta: -0.56 z-score, 95%CI -1.05 to -0.07; p = 0.02) in patients with CKD. Conclusions: The arterial phenotype differed between UC and CKD. The reversal of the arterial stiffness gradient is evident in CKD patients starting from stage 3B but not in patients with UC and comparable cf.-PWV. In patients with UC, the stiffness of both elastic and muscular arteries is increased as a consequence of inflammation

Levers and Obstacles of Effective Research and Innovation for Organic Food and Farming in Italy

The objectives of this paper are to present the dynamic of organic food and farming (OFF) research and innovation, to outline challenges in deploying programs and accessing funding, and to define key actions to foster the development of tailored quality research on organic farming in Italy. The baseline starts from the main outcomes that emerged during the World Caf\ue9 held in the frame of the Salone Internazionale del biologico e del naturale (SANA Expo) in 2018, where the Italian OFF research community met to build a convergence on scope and modus operandi in the research endeavor. These outcomes were examined in the light of the key features of the research and innovation projects funded in Italy in the last 10 years, respectively by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the regional administrations through the innovation support instruments in the Rural Development Plan programming periods. In the period 2009\u20132018, 70 research projects for a total funding of 21.081 million \ubf (<0.1% of the value of the sector) were launched, addressing nine dierent topic areas. Over a similar period (2007\u20132019), 53 regional innovation projects addressing organic farming were activated for a total budget of 14.299 million \ubf (<10% of the entire available funding). The implementation of interventions in the research and the innovation areas were often scattered in terms of the topics, disciplines, and types of supply chain/network addressed. The relatively high share of multi/interdisciplinary research and innovation projects aswell as the acknowledgement of the multi-actor approach as a fundamental step toward co-research and co-innovation were upshots that emerged from our analysis. The outcomes of this study can be used by competent national and the regional authorities to design their future research and innovation policies and interventions

Sex differences in clinical presentation, severity and outcome of stroke: Results from a hospital-based registry

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Sodium-Glucose Linked Transporter-2 Inhibitors in Chronic Kidney Disease

SGLT2 inhibitors are new antihyperglycaemic agents whose ability to lower glucose is directly proportional to GFR. Therefore, in chronic kidney disease (CKD) the blood glucose lowering effect is reduced. Unlike many current therapies, the mechanism of action of SGLT2 inhibitors is independent of insulin action or beta-cell function. In addition, the mechanism of action of SGLT2 inhibitors is complementary and not alternative to other antidiabetic agents. SGLT2 inhibitors could be potentially effective in attenuating renal hyperfiltration and, consequently, the progression of CKD. Moreover, the reductions in intraglomerular pressure, systemic blood pressure, and uric acid levels induced by SGLT inhibition may potentially be of benefit in CKD subjects without diabetes. However, at present, only few clinical studies were designed to evaluate the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in CKD. Consequently, safety and potential efficacy beyond blood glucose lowering should be better clarified in CKD. In this paper we provide an updated review of the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in clinical practice, with particular attention on subjects with CKD

Plans d’action pour l’agriculture biologique. Développement, mise en œuvre et évaluation. Un manuel de ressources pour le secteur de l’alimentation et de l’agriculture biologiques

Avant-propos La Commission européenne a publié en juin 2004 le Plan d’action européen pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture biologiques. Avec ce plan, la Commission visait à évaluer la situation de l’agriculture biologique et à fonder les bases de développement de sa politique future. Au niveau national, de nombreux gouvernements ont également développé des plans d’action pour promouvoir l’agriculture biologique. Il est donc apparu nécessaire de considérer comment de tels plans d’action pouvaient être évalués avec succès. Le plan d’action européen a été la motivation principale pour la DG Recherche de la Commission européenne de financer un projet de soutien spécifique, l’ORGAP, Projet No. CT-2005-006591 au sein du 6ème programme-cadre de recherche. Ce projet, intitulé “Plan d’action européen pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture biologiques – développement de critères et de procédures d’évaluation du Plan d’action UE pour l’agriculture biologique”, a débuté en mai 2005 et s’est terminé en avril 2008. Des outils ont été développés au sein du projet pour évaluer et surveiller la mise en œuvre du Plan d’action européen dans les domaines suivants : information, formation et pédagogie, recherche, production, traitement, développement du marché, certification et dépenses publiques. Ces outils ont été testés sur un échantillon de Plans d’action nationaux existants, et pour partie aussi sur le Plan d’action européen, en plaçant principalement l’accent sur les processus de mise en œuvre. En outre, des recommandations politiques de la Commission européenne, des autorités nationales et autres acteurs ont été émises. Afin de communiquer les recommandations relatives à ce projet aussi largement que possible, ce manuel pratique d’initiation et d’évaluation des plans d’action a été créé. La fonction de ce manuel est double : a) Outil de participation des acteurs dans le développement de futurs plans et mise en œuvre au niveau UE, national et régional ; b) Guide d’utilisation d’ORGAPET, des outils d’évaluation du projet ORGAP (fourni sur CD-ROM avec le manuel et disponible en ligne sur le site www.orgap.org). Le manuel, créé dans le cadre du projet ORGAP, est largement basé sur les documents inclus dans l’Organic Action Plan Évaluation Toolbox (Outils d’évaluation du plan d’action biologique) (ORGAPET). Les institutions suivantes ont contribué au développement d’ORGAPET et du manuel : - Université de Hohenheim (UHO), Stuttgart (Prof. Stephan Dabbert, Christian Eichert) ; - Aberystwyth University (UWA), Pays de Galles, Grande-Bretagne (Dr. Nic Lampkin, Ian Jeffreys) ; - Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona (UNIVPM), Italie (Prof. Raffaele Zanoli, Dr. Daniela Vairo) ; - University of Southern Denmark (USD), Danemark (Dr. Johannes Michelsen)