Climate impact of ultra-processed foods in the Swedish diet

The climate impact associated with food consumption is large. The size of the impact depend on the type of food and how it is produced. Food systems are currently changing and urbanization and increased affluence of consumers have led to an overall increase in food consumption and a rise in consumption of processed foods globally. In this thesis, the climate impact of the Swedish diet was analysed, based on type of food and degree of processing. The NOVA framework was used to classify food groups into unprocessed or minimally processed foods, culinary ingredients, processed foods or ultra-processed foods (UPF). National statistics on food consumption was combined with a dataset with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with foods, based on life-cycle assessment of foods on the Swedish market. For a comparison of Swedish data to other settings, a literature search was done to capture studies on UPF and environmental impacts. Our analysis show that the largest contribution of GHG emissions from the Swedish diet comes from foods categorised as unprocessed or minimally processed. The food groups that contributed most to climate impact were ‘Meat&Eggs’ and ‘Dairy’ in unprocessed or minimally processed foods and ‘Meat&Eggs’ and ‘Discretionary foods ’ in UPF. A literature search rendered six papers relating climate impact to the degree of food processing based on the NOVA classification. In one paper, there was a higher climate impact of a diet higher in UPF than a diet higher in less processed foods, while two other papers found no association of degree of processing and climate impact of the diet. Also in the food-based analyses, results were inconsistent on the role of UPF on climate impact. The study results reflect the climate impact associated with the dietary pattern of the studied populations. Some of the differences between studies may also be due to methodology, as the authors used different ways to control for energy intake. Our conclusion is that the least processed foods contribute more to the climate impact of the Swedish diet than the foods categorised as UPF. The NOVA classification is not well aligned with a food science view of what food processing is and not suitable for analysis of climate impact of diets. More information on the energy use in different food processing steps is crucial for investigating and reducing the climate impact of food processing

Reproductive hormone patterns in the female guinea-pig serum during the estrous cycle

A study on hormone levels in daily consecutive serum samples during the guinea-pig estrous cycle was performed. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) of immunoreactive LH, FSH and prolactin (IR—LH IR-FSH and lR-prolaetin) developed for determination of rat pituitary hormone was used as well as RIA systems for estradiol-17β and progesterone. In oophorectomized animals estradiol, progesterone and IR-prolactin were undetectable while mean IR- LH and IR-FSH levels were 1.23 ug/l and 1.47 ug/l respectively as expressed in terms of rat hormone references. Prolactin could not be detected in serum during the reproductive cycle. During estrous cycles progesterone showed a biphasic pattern with undetectable levels (< 0.6 nmol/l) around ovulation. Increased levels were observed at the time of implantation. Estradiol-17β concentrations at non-surge time ranged between 0 and 116 pmol/l and a preovulatory peak (mean peak value 142.2 pmol) was noted. Serum IR-LH levels were between 0.2 and 0.8 pg/l and a prcovulatory peak was noted. Furthermore, a preovulatory lR—FSH peak was found (mean peak value 72.7 pg/l). The results indicate a close resemblance to the human reproductive cycle and the guinea-pig is suggested to be the laboratory animal ofchoice for studies on reproduction

Environmental effects of coffee, tea and cocoa- data collection for a consumer guide for plant-based foods

In 2020, WWF launched a consumer guide on plant-based products targeting Swedish consumers. The development of the guide is described in a journal paper (Karlsson Potter & Röös, 2021) and the environmental impact of different plant based foods was published in a report (Karlsson Potter, Lundmark, & Röös, 2020). This report was prepared for WWF Sweden to provide scientific background information for complementing the consumer guide with information on coffee, tea and cocoa. This report includes quantitative estimations for several environmental categories (climate, land use, biodiversity and water use) of coffee (per L), tea (per L) and cocoa powder (per kg), building on the previously established methodology for the consumer guide. In addition, scenarios of consumption of coffee, tea and cocoa drink with milk/plant-based drinks and waste at household level, are presented. Tea, coffee and cacao beans have a lot in common. They are tropical perennial crops traditionally grown in the shade among other species, i.e. in agroforestry systems. Today, the production in intensive monocultures has negative impact on biodiversity. Re-introducing agroforestry practices may be part of the solution to improve biodiversity in these landscapes. Climate change will likely, due to changes in temperature, extreme weather events and increases in pests and disease, alter the areas where these crops can be grown in the future. A relatively high ratio of the global land used for coffee, tea and cocoa is certified according to sustainability standards, compared to other crops. Although research on the implications of voluntary standards on different outcomes is inconclusive, the literature supports that certifications have a role in incentivizing more sustainable farming. Coffee, tea and cocoa all contain caffeine and have a high content of bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, and they have all been associated with positive health outcomes. While there is a strong coffee culture in Sweden and coffee contributes substantially to the environmental impact of our diet, tea is a less consumed beverage. Cocoa powder is consumed as a beverage, but substantial amounts of our cocoa consumption is in the form of chocolate. Roasted ground coffee on the Swedish market had a climate impact of 4.0 kg CO2e per kg powder, while the climate impact of instant coffee powder was 11.5 kg CO2e per kg. Per litre, including the energy use for making the coffee, the total climate impact was estimated to 0.25 kg CO2e per L brewed coffee and 0.16 kg CO2e per L for instant coffee. Less green coffee beans are needed to produce the same amount of ready to drink coffee from instant coffee than from brewed coffee. Tea had a climate impact of approximately 6.3 kg CO2 e per kg dry leaves corresponding to an impact of 0.064 CO2e per L ready to drink tea. In the assessment of climate impact per cup, tea had the lowest impact with 0.013 kg CO2e, followed by black instant coffee (0.024 kg CO2e), black coffee (0.038 kg CO2e), and cocoa drink made with milk (0.33 kg CO2e). The climate impact of 1kg cocoa powder on the Swedish market was estimated to 2.8 kg CO2e. Adding milk to coffee or tea increases the climate impact substantially. The literature describes a high proportion of the total climate impact of coffee from the consumer stage due to the electricity used by the coffee machine. However, with the Nordic low-carbon energy mix, the brewing and heating of water and milk contributes to only a minor part of the climate impact of coffee. As in previous research, coffee also had a higher land use, water use and biodiversity impact than tea per L beverage. Another factor of interest at the consumer stage is the waste of prepared coffee. Waste of prepared coffee contributes to climate impact through the additional production costs and electricity for preparation, even though the latter was small in our calculations. The waste of coffee and tea at Summary household level is extensive and measures to reduce the amount of wasted coffee and tea could reduce the environmental impact of Swedish hot drink consumption. For the final evaluation of coffee and tea for the consumer guide, the boundary for the fruit and vegetable group was used. The functional unit for coffee and tea was 1 L prepared beverage without any added milk or sweetener. In the guide, the final evaluation of conventionally grown coffee is that it is ‘yellow’ (‘Consume sometimes’), and for organic produce, ‘light green’ (‘Please consume). The evaluation of conventionally grown tea is that it is ‘light green’, and for organic produce, ‘dark green’ (‘Preferably consume this’). For cocoa, the functional unit is 1 kg of cocoa powder and the boundary was taken from the protein group. The final evaluation of conventionally grown cocoa is that it is ‘orange’ (‘Be careful’), and for organically produced cocoa, ‘light green’

The Swedish version of OMAS is a reliable and valid outcome measure for patients with ankle fractures

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability and the validity of the self-reported questionnaire Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS) in subjects after an ankle fracture. METHODS: When evaluating the test-retest reliability of the OMAS, 42 subjects surgically treated due to an ankle fracture participated 12 months after injury. OMAS was completed by the patients on two occasions at one to two weeks’ interval. Concurrent criterion validity was evaluated using the five subscales of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and global self-rating function (GSRF), which is a five-grade Likert scale with the alternatives: “very good”, “good”, “fair”, “poor”, “very poor”. Forty-six patients participated in the validation against FAOS, and for GSRF 105 patients participated at 6 months and 99 at 12 months. Uni-, bi- and trimalleolar fractures were all included and both non-rigid and rigid surgical techniques were used. All fractures healed without complications. Before analysis of the results the five groups according to GSRF were reduced to three: “good”, “fair” and “poor”. Test-retest reliability was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard error of measurement (SEM and SEM%) and the smallest real difference (SRD and SRD%). The Cronbach’s alpha score and validity versus FAOS was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation and validity versus GSRF using the Kruskal-Wallis Test and the Mann–Whitney U-Test as ad hoc analyses. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability correlation coefficient obtained was rho = 0.95 and ICC = 0.94. The SEM was 4.4 points and SEM% 5.8% and should be interpreted as the smallest change that indicates a real change of clinical interest for a group of subjects. The SRD was 12 points and SRD% 15.8% and should be interpreted as the smallest change that indicates a real change of clinical interest for a single subject. The correlation coefficients versus the five subscales of FAOS ranged from rho = 0.80 to 0.86. There were significant differences between GSRF groups “good”, “fair” and “poor” (p < 0.001) at both the six-month and the 12-month follow-up. The internal consistency for the OMAS was 0.76. The effect size between results from 6-month and 12-month follow-up turned out be 0.44 and should be considered as medium. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the test-retest reliability of the Swedish version of OMAS was very high in subjects after an ankle fracture and the standard error of measurement was low. Furthermore the OMAS was found to be valid using both the five subscales of FAOS and the GSRF. The OMAS can thus be used as an outcome measure after an ankle fracture

Dålig svenska - Inställningar och attityder kring språklig mångfald i Sverige

This paper investigates debates regarding mother tongue education. It is a review of the discussions conducted in Swedish media during 2006 compared with similar discuss- ions 2017. The purpose is to expose attitudes regarding linguistic diversity in Sweden and to reflect on how these attitudes relate to human rights and power. The work exa- mines debates regarding mother tongue education in Sweden and focuses on how the concept of language skills is handled in the discussion, which arguments that are pres- ented and how. Quentin Skinner's speech-based theoretical perspective helps methodize the debate articles. In addition, Ruth Rubio-Marine's perspective on language rights is used to illustrate how the views are expressed in the debate and how it can be under- stood in terms of human rights. Using concepts from Pierre Bourdieu's theory, the ana- lysis shows that there is a correlation between the approach to language skills and the understanding of power relations in society.I detta arbete undersöks debatter gällande modersmålsundervisning. Ett nedslag i diskussionen som fördes i svensk media under 2006 jämförs med en liknande dis- kussion 2017. Syftet är att blottlägga inställningar och attityder gällande språklig mångfald i Sverige och resonera kring hur dessa attityder anknyter till mänskliga rättigheter och makt. I arbetet undersöks debatter gällande modersmålsundervis- ning i Sverige och fokus ligger på hur begreppet språkkompetens hanteras i dis- kussionen, vilka poänger som framförs och hur. Genom Quentin Skinners talhand- lingsteoretiska perspektiv görs en tematisering av språket i debattartiklarna. Där- till används Ruth Rubio-Maríns perspektiv på språkrättigheter för att belysa hur de åsikter som utrycks i debatten kan förstås i termer av mänskliga rättigheter. Med hjälp av begrepp ur Pierre Bourdieus teori visar analysen att det finns ett samspel mellan förhållningssättet till språkkompetens och förståelsen för maktre- lationer i samhället

Svandammen

Jag har valt att göra ett gestaltningsförslag för stadsrummet Svandammen i Uppsala. Grunden i detta arbete har varit att genom analys av platsen skapa en förståelse för behov, brister och potential. Utefter detta har jag skapat ett visionärt gestaltningsförslag. Resultatet av arbetet syftar till att ge nya idéer och inspirera till den framtida utvecklingen av platsen.Can Svandammen be both a functional and attractive place? What is required to establish a fully functioning forecourt? Th ese are some of the questions that inspired me to choose Svandammen as the subject to handle in my essay for a master in landscape architecture at SLU in Uppsala