Consumer behaviour concerning food safety in Brazil and New Zealand : modelling food safety risk in the home : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Food Technology (Food Safety) at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

Foodborne illnesses are among the most widespread public health issues, killing about 2.2 million people annually worldwide, and costing hundreds of billions of US dollars for governments, companies, families and consumers. In Brazil, foodborne illness in the home accounts for 44% of identified disease outbreaks and in New Zealand it represents 27% of notifiable disease outbreaks. Several studies have investigated aspects of consumer behaviour concerning food safety, but it remains a challenge to obtain a full picture of critical control points (CCPs) and key factors contributing to food contamination, pathogen growth or survival, when the food is under the consumer’s responsibility. This study aimed to assess threats to food safety in the home in Brazil and New Zealand. From August 2011 to March 2012, survey questionnaires from 2,775 consumers most responsible for cooking in the home in Brazil were collected. From September 2012 to November 2012, 658 households in New Zealand responded to the same survey. Both surveys found similar CCPs with the potential to threaten food safety in the domestic environment – food preparation, cooking and handling leftovers. Information from New Zealand suggests that choosing and purchasing food, and for Brazil food transportation, are also steps of concern. The age, marital status, gender, ethnicity, first-aid in response to illness and the way a person learned to cook had a significant influence in the risky practices of consumers in both countries, suggesting that similar consumer behaviour concerning food safety can be found in countries of substantially different degrees of economic development and culture. The young, the men, socioeconomic minorities, people most susceptible to illness and ethnic groups were people of most concern, often ranked at-risk, demanding special attention of public health authorities in both countries. The CCPs of most concern and contributing factors identified in this study were officially reported in New Zealand, helping to validate the methodology used in this study and its possible use in other countries. Furthermore, food safety educational campaigns built on the steps of most concern and groups ranked at moderate or high risk, have the potential to be most effective in reducing food poisoning in the home

Past and current policy issues concerning tropical deforestation in Brazil

This paper discusses past and current policies concerning tropical deforestation in Brazil. In the last few years, the Brazilian government has reviewed and changed many aspects of past policies that encouraged deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon forest. Although the new set of policies is not fully implemented and, therefore, its effectiveness in controlling deforestation cannot yet be measured, a qualitative analysis of these policies suggests that they should enhance forest preservation in Brazil.

Visible seeds of socialism and metamorphoses of capitalism: socialism after Rosdolsky

Roman Rosdolsky suggests a method to deal with the transition towards socialism that integrates three issues: 1) the identification of dynamic features of capitalism; 2) the systematization of metamorphoses of capitalism; 3) the evaluation of how these metamorphoses reshape the elaboration of alternatives to capitalism. This evaluation is a precondition for the visualization, within the complex dynamics of capitalism, of seeds of a new society Ð institutions born out of political struggles and of emancipatory features of key social processes. These institutions reshape the nature of the metamorphoses of capitalism Ð and the possibility of establishing socialism and democracy.metamorphoses of capitalism; technology and finance; socialism and democracy.

Inadequacy of technology and innovation systems at the periphery: notes on Celso Furtado's contributions for a dialogue between evolutionists and structuralists

This paper focuses on "inadequacy of technology" as formulated by Celso Furtado. The concept of "inadequacy of technology" may be, on the one hand, an enlightening assessment of the technological condition of underdevelopment and, on the other hand, a helpful "focusing device" for an agenda on innovation systems at the periphery. Furtado's approach on inappropriate technology may uncover the social roots of the well know "low-growth trap" of less-developed economies. Celso Furtado explains how inadequacy of technology is related to the polarization "modernization-marginalization" that characterizes economies with immature systems of innovation, as the Brazilian economy. This concept also highlights how difficult it is to overcome the complex interplay among unequal income distribution, localized and blocked technical progress and unsustainable economic growth. To overcome the inadequacy of technology a dual institutional building seems to be necessary: the innovation systems might co-evolve with welfare systems.Celso Furtado, evolutionary theory, innovation systems, welfare systems, catching up process

Less-developed countries and innovation in health: notes and data about the Brazilian case

This communication discusses the specificity of health innovation in a lessdeveloped country, investigating the Brazilian case. To evaluate the specificity of the Brazilian system, this communication presents data about employment, expenditures, industrial firms in health-related industrial sectors, scientific resources, and diffusion of medical equipment. This communication concludes summarising the main characteristics of the Health Innovation System in Brazil.health; innovation; Brazil

Cross-over, thresholds, and interactions between science and technology: a tentative simplified model and initial notes about statistics from 120 countries

The hypothesis of this paper is the existence of thresholds of scientific production that must be overcome to trigger new channels of interactions between the scientific and technological infrastructure. As the development process evolves, new interactions are initiated. The interactions between science and technology become stronger and more pervasive, reaching at last the mutual feedbacks and the virtuous circles typical of developed economies. Using statistics of patents (USPTO) and scientific papers (ISI) for 120 countries (for 1974, 192, 1990 and 1998), this paper investigates the relationship between the scientific infrastructure and the technological production.science and technology; economic developmentR&D; Brazil

Blood transfusion and Jehovah’s Witnesses: Brazilian jurisprudence in the State and Federal Courts of Justice

Brazilian physicians and judges frequently have to decide whether to save the life of a Jehovah Witness patient that refuses blood transfusion or let the patient die when treatment refusal reflects their religious belief. The Penal Code condemns the physician who fails to use all the available means to save the patient. The Civil Code, contrarily, requires the professional to respect the patient’s autonomy regarding their decision over an intervention with potential risk of death. The Brazilian Constitution guarantees religious freedom and the inviolability of the right to life. This article reviews the Brazilian jurisprudence on the matter through recovery of all available decisions in the Federal and State Courts’ online database up to 2013. The results show that these superior courts consider that people are not allowed to let go of their own lives for religious reasons when in a state of “imminent death”. However, when the patient’s clinical state is qualified as “at risk of dying”, physicians are requested to respect their dissent.Médicos e magistrados brasileiros frequentemente têm que decidir se salvam a vida de um paciente Testemunha de Jeová que rejeita transfusão de sangue ou se permitem que o paciente morra quando da recusa do tratamento por sua crença religiosa. O Código Penal condena o médico que não usa de todos os meios disponíveis para salvar seu paciente, contrário ao Código Civil, que exige o respeito do profissional quanto à autonomia do paciente frente à sua decisão sobre uma intervenção com risco de morte. A Constituição Brasileira garante a liberdade religiosa e a inviolabilidade do direito à vida. Este trabalho analisa a jurisprudência brasileira sobre o assunto disponível nos bancos de dados online dos Tribunais Regionais Federais e Estaduais até o ano de 2013 e revela que esses tribunais superiores consideram que as pessoas não estão autorizadas a dispor de suas próprias vidas por motivos religiosos, quando em um estado de “morte iminente”. No entanto, quando o estado do paciente é qualificado como “em risco de morte”, os médicos devem respeitar sua discordância quanto ao tratamento

Trade Liberalization in Brazil: When and How?

Brazil's economy is among those most closed to foreign trade. Debate on trade policy has returned to the political agenda, but domestic and international circumstances do not currently favor reform. This brief discusses the outlook for trade policy reform in Brazil during President Michel Temer's term and the challenges that will be faced by any succeeding government