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To summarize thepractice and experience of targeted food hygiene security measures in a major field activity of the army in order to provide references for diverse tasks. Considering the characteristics of heavy activity, field operations and the influence of COVID-19, a series of support measures related to food hygiene surveillance were strengthened. The first measure was review of recipes, health management and training of employees, procurement and storage of raw materials, warehouse management, processing and manufacturing management, disinfection of tableware, as well as food sample retention. Secondly, the control points that probably cause spread of COVID-19 in the phase of food service industry were analyzed, then relevant supervision and guidance were carried out from the aspects of employees and diners, foods of cold chain logistics, environment and emergency response plan. Finally, in order to assure the safety of food processing and crowd-gathered diet in the field, the following measures were guided to adopted including selecting the site of cooking and dining properly, cleaning the environment, making dishes using pure water and semi-manufactured foodstuff, keeping food sanitation in the course of transport and dinning, as well as supervising the robot machines for cooking automatically. The main experiences were listed as follows: promoting food safety awareness of the principal and the employees of the canteen, enhancing legal enforcement capacity and technical capacity of health supervisors, focusing on new risks related to food safety as well as reinforcing the management of health supervisors and employees in the field.
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This article describes experiences of improving complementary feeding practices using a systems approach with particular focus on health systems strengthening. Achievements included: the development of national guidelines for optimum complementary feeding for children 6-23 months of age, inclusion of a specific indicator for complementary feeding in the new National Food and Nutrition Strategy, updated training packages to improve health worker counselling skills and strengthened social behaviour change communication activities. A systems approach requires strong coordination between all partners across sectors to ensure communities benefit from the synergistic effects of complementary interventions, while system strengthening was noted to improve the resilience of the Ministry of Health and Population to withstand the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Ukraine crisis.
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The main food consumption of farming families is an important concern during the pandemic. Farmers in West Nusa Tenggara (WNT) survive with the availability of rice to support household health and food security during the pandemic. In addition to its nutritional content, rice also contains phenolic compounds and has antioxidant activity. This study aims are to measure the frequency of rice consumption, food variety, varieties of rice consumed daily during the pandemic in WNT, as well as the antioxidant properties of several rice varieties grown in WNT. This study was conducted from September 2020 to June 2021 in East Lombok, Sumbawa and Bima Regencies, WNT Province, Indonesia using a survey approach. The data collection techniques were observation, Focus Group Discussion, recording, interviews with 74 respondents with a semi-structured questionnaire and study literature related to the nutritional content and bioactive compound of the rice. Quantitative data was tabulated to determine the frequency and average then descriptively analyzed, while qualitative data was thematically analysed. The most consumed rice varieties are seen from the production data of seed breeders in the WNT region, the phenolic content was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu, antioxidant activity was examined using DPPH assay. The result showed that the highest portion of food consumed by farmer households in WNT is rice. The most variety of rice produced by breeders is the Inpari 32 variety. There are about 97% of farmers consume rice for 3 times a day, while 3% of the remaining consume 2 times a day of rice. Food variety includes 7.9% vegetable-rice and 92.1% rice-vegetables-meat protein. The results of the analysis of antioxidant properties and phenolic content in rice is depending on the variety. The antioxidant properties of the Jeliteng, Baroma, Pamelen, Nutrizinc and Inpari 32 rice varieties were 44.85+or-0.51%, 9.87+or-1.55%, 9.96+or-1.22%, 9.75+or-1.09%, and 14.305+or-1.24%, respectively, while the phenolic contents were 9.76+or-0.09, 4.23+or-0.03, 4.48+or-0.02, 4.64+or- 0.07, 4.58+or-0.42 mg GAE/g dryrice extract, respectively. The results of this study indicate that rice has been used as one of antioxidants source for farming families during the pandemic.
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Background and Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder which is mostly caused by deficits in social interactions. Lack of physical activity and poor nutritional habits are common problems in these patients which may be exaggerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The study aims to assess the effect of functional training along with online nutrition education on inflammatory biomarkers in children with ASD. Subjects and Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 80 children with ASD (age=9.73+or-1.29 years, weight=49.94+or-2.08 kg, height=146.08+or-40 cm, body mass index=24.71 +or-1.48 kg/m2) were randomly divided into four groups of training, education, training+ education, and control. The interventions lasted for 8 weeks. The inflammatory biomarkers including white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, neutrophil count, eosinophil count, and basophil count were assessed (using blood samples collected from antecubital vein) before and after the interventions. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups before the interventions (P>0.05). After the intervention, the results showed a significant decrease in WBC (P<0.001), CRP (P=0.001), neutrophils (sig.=0.009), and eosinophil (P=0.003) in all groups. Basophil count decreased in all groups (P=0.01) except in the education group. Conclusion: Functional training and online nutrition education are beneficial interventions for management of inflammatory biomarkers in children with ASD which can be used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The epidemic disease called COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected the whole world. With the spread of the epidemic, various measures such as distance education, home-office, and especially movement restrictions, have been tried to be taken. These measures have increased people's demand for healthy food. The formation of food safety awareness among in consumers has revealed the necessity of control of the controlling food chain (production, storage, transportation of products, etc.). In this process, animal products gained importance, especially as people paid more attention to their nutrition compared to previous years. Especially in this process, animal production should be systematically sustainable in order to meet the increasing animal protein needs of people. In this review, it aims to compile sensitive livestock systems in order to ensure the sustainability of animal production, the production of healthier animals and the production of the obtained products within the framework of food safety rules, with the cessation of mobility due to the measures taken under quarantine and social distance in the COVID-19 epidemic. Thus, in addition to reducing the human workforce during the epidemic process, the data collected with modern animal husbandry will prevent diseases, and facilitate the diagnosis and treatment processes in the event of a disease. With the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), which have an important place in this system, the data obtained through the modern livestock system can be easily processed, managed, and shared, thus reducing the possibility of disease transmission during the pandemic process.
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Increasing body immunity is very necessary after the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the efforts that can be made to increase the body's immunity is to consume functional foods with immunostimulant activity, such as processed snakehead fish products in the form of nuggets, and "parkusel" juice made from a mixture of bitter melon, dates and celery. The purpose of community service is to provide knowledge and skills to housewives and the community at the Veteran ABRI Housing Complex in Medan Estate, Deli Serdang Regency, in making functional food products in the form of snakehead fish nuggets and Perkusel juice. The community service method used is the counseling method with leafet aids and training in making snakehead fish nuggets and perkusel juice. The results of the activity showed that there was an increase in the knowledge of the community participants in community service activities about nutritious snack products that can increase body immunity by 71% in the good value category.
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Social restriction policies increase the risk of obesity in society because it is influenced by increasingly narrow space for movement so that physical activity is reduced and consumption increases due to feeling bored at home. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused people's lifestyles to change from those previously operating offline to online, including how to get food. Large-scale social restriction policies make food service providers cooperate with the Online Food Delivery (OFD) platform to make it easier to reach consumers. This study aimed to analyze the effect of using an online food delivery application on improving the nutritional status of office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is an analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design. The study involved 408 workers in Jakarta who experienced the impact of COVID-19. The data analysis technique used SPSS 20, which adjusted test results to the variable data scale. It is known that there was an increase in body weight and nutritional status (p< 0.05) during the large-scale social restriction policy implementation. There is a correlation between physical activity and nutritional status (p< 0.05). There is no significant correlation between the frequency of ordering food online with nutritional status. There is an increase in body weight and an increased risk of obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Food waste is a worldwide phenomenon that needs to be reduced. The causes of this problem vary widely. The study used the Computer-Assisted Web Interview method. There were 500 respondents from all over the country and among them 60% women and 40% men. The sample selection was purposeful. Before the pandemic began, the highest percentage of consumers shopped two to three times a week. As of March 2020, the frequency of this activity has decreased for every fourth respondent. Also during this period, an increase in the frequency of shopping alone was observed, as well as an increase in the number of people who outsource their shopping list to others. Nowadays, the vast majority of respondents usually create a shopping list before doing it and follow it. Before the pandemic, this was the case for only 46% of respondents, while during the pandemic it was the case for 81%. Exceeding the expiration date was the most common reason for throwing products in the trash before as well as during the pandemic. Over-shopping as a cause of food waste increased almost fourfold during the pandemic. A positive aspect is noticeable for the 'I don't throw food away' response. The percentage of respondents increased from 16% to 21%. During both survey periods, respondents most often indicated that they throw away fruits, vegetables, bread, and dairy products. During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers' shopping behaviour changed. They attended grocery stores far less frequently, mostly on their own, and purchased larger quantities of products. Nonetheless, consumers planned their purchases and checked expiration dates before putting food in their shopping carts. Households were thus forced to respond quickly, adjusting their shopping behaviour. These behaviours have implications for the subsequent activities of retail merchants.
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As the world was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic earlier this year, it was thrown off course by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Geopolitical instability and conflicts now remain a top concern as the greatest risk to global growth over the next 12 months. Production costs are rising. We are in a totally new world, and companies are going to have to reconfigure how they think about their operations. Against this backdrop, the global sugar industry, invariably sucked in the vortex of the storm will have to manage. Sugar prices are holding up, moderated as much by climate volatility dictating uncertainty and macroeconomic indicators, in particular the value of US$. Global sugar production in 2022/23 (Oct/Sep) is forecast at 191.1 million tonnes raw value (mtrv) while the consumption is expected to rise by 0.9% to 186.8 million tonnes suggesting a global surplus following the deficit of 2.2 mtrv in the previous year. Sugar production in the top-producing countries Brazil, India and Thailand will sway the market as will the top consumers Indonesia and China.
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The article discusses the possibilities of increasing the effectiveness of advertising means in modern electronic trade. The demand for modern advertising means has increased in Georgia, and the increase in the effectiveness of their use will help the development of electronic commerce in Georgia. The purpose of the study is to determine the prospects for the development of e-commerce in Georgia in the post-covid period, to study the possibilities of modern advertising means in this field, and to determine the ways of their implementation. Methods of collecting, grouping, and analyzing materials about electronic commerce were used in the development of the paper. The method of data collection is mainly used in the electronic trade system of Georgia, on the basis of which the possibilities of using modern advertising means in this field were identified and recommendations for their implementation were developed. In order to increase the competitiveness of the food and nutrition products produced in Georgia, it is necessary to improve the connections between the separate links of their production, to synchronize the production processes. In order to increase the level of food self-sufficiency of Georgia, it is necessary to protect the production of import-substituting, domestic, agrarian products with non-tariff barriers, and to properly manage their production and logistics. Significant and rapid changes in the global supply chain of food and nutrition products provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic have become an opportunity to increase the level of food self-sufficiency of Georgia, which needs to be properly used.
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The article discusses the problems of food security in the open economy of modern Georgia against the background of the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. After the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the attention of almost all countries of the world, including Georgia, was focused on self-sufficiency of the demand of their population with local agricultural and food products. In such conditions, Georgia has a chance to expand domestic production of agricultural and food products. In order to increase the competitiveness of the food and nutrition products produced in Georgia, it is necessary to improve the connections between the separate links of their production, to synchronize the production processes. In order to increase the level of food self-sufficiency of Georgia, it is necessary to protect the production of import-substituting, domestic, agrarian products with non-tariff barriers, and to properly manage their production and logistics. Significant and rapid changes in the global supply chain of food and nutrition products provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic have become an opportunity to increase the level of food self-sufficiency of Georgia, which needs to be properly used.
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Introduction: The High Mountain Region (RHM) is the most productive and socioeconomic region for the coffee cultivation in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and one of the most representative of the sector at the national level. Background: To determine the quality of life (QL) from the objective and subjective point of view of the small coffee producers (SP) in RHM, Mexico. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty semi-structured interviews were applied to producers in eleven municipalities located in: Comapa, Coscomatepec, Huatusco, Ixhuatl..n del caf.., Sochiapa, Tenampa, Tomatl..n, Totutla, Tlaltetela, Tlacotepec, and Zentla, during 2020. Descriptive statistics and trend measurements were obtained. Results: At objective level the QL was found to be low, but at the farmers' subjective level, it was determined to be acceptable. In the objective assessment, it was identified that the SP have minimal education (primary), the income is not adequate (they require activities outside the farm with an average net annual income of US $ 416 to US $ 1115), the cost of health has increased (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and proper nutrition is lacking (19 to 25 meals per month). In the subjective assessment there is insecurity and distrust with the government authorities, however, the producers have adapted to living in adverse socioeconomic contexts, since they value community life, intra-family relationships and their environment (coffee growing), which could be influenced by their own worldview. Conclusion: With or without knowledge of the concept of quality, producers have developed a learned or acquired capacity, both individually and collectively to adapt to the environment. Objectively, the quality of life is considered low, however, the interviewees had a perception of satisfaction both individually and collectively.
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The first epidemic of the modern world that has changed the course of the current civilization & turned out to be a pandemic (i.e. COVID-19) has tremendously affected several industries including that of tourism & hospitality. Due to the multilevel impact, the whole world struggled to overcome this situation but with almost two years of its co-existence, people have now managed to change their style of living & social habits including that of the food habits. One of such food habits i.e. 'Eating out/ Dining out' was bound to change in the post-pandemic period due to the health advisories & closure of several hotels, restaurants and food outlets. The present research tries to find out the changes in the Eating out behaviour of the residents of Dharamshala (H.P.) in the pre & post-pandemic period. Further, it tries to identify the factors which affect the eating out behaviour of the residents & measure their importance in different periods (pre &post pandemic). The data were collected from 286 residents of Dharamshala region, through a structured questionnaire & analysed through reliability checks (Cronbach's Alpha-a), KMO & Bartlett's test, factor analysis, paired sample t-test and analysis of frequency & mean values. The results showed a significant decrease in the frequency of visits, purchasing/ordering, percentage of outside meals consumed, average spending etc, whereas the level of priority given by the residents to hygiene, food safety, quality, service & distribution etc has increased in the post-pandemic period. Hence various strategies were suggested for the restaurants/local eateries like, (1) Use of technology (automatic doors, sensor & timer enabled soap & sanitiser dispenser, online payments), (2) cost reduction tactics (controlling of food wastage, reduction in menu items), (3) training of employees (sanitisation rules, HACCP rules) etc which were if adopted will certainly help them revive from the crisis slowly & steadily over the period.
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An online questionnaire, consisting of 24 questions was applied to determine individuals' food purchasing, food hygiene, and nutritional behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 658 re-spondents, 67% were female, 33% were male, 60% were 18-24 years old, and 25% were 25-31 years old. Supermarket shopping (73.9%) was the most preferred way to supply food, while the primary stocked up food was dried legumes (59.1%). The nutritional values and contents of foods were more paid attention to than before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the packaged foods (79.3%) were primarily preferred. The most preferred methods for cleaning fresh fruits and vegetables were washing under running water (59.7%) and soaking in water with vinegar (43.2%). The participants intended to eat healthy foods during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the daily meal counts increased slightly. Food supplements, mainly vitamin C (73%) and vitamin D (40.5%) were consumed to strengthen the immune system. Additionally, social media (31.9%) and TV programs (20.3%) were very effective after medical doctor recommendations (32%) for orienting the nutritional behaviors of participants.
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This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on food insecurity in the United States, using data from the Household Pulse Survey. Our primary research design exploits variation in vaccine eligibility across states over time as an instrumental variable to address the endogeneity of vaccination decision. We find that vaccination had a substantial impact on food hardship by reducing the likelihood of food insecurity by 24%, with even stronger effects among minority and financially disadvantaged populations. Our results are robust to alternative specifications and the use of regression discontinuity as an alternative identification strategy. We also show that vaccine eligibility had a positive spillover impact on food assistance programs, specifically by reducing participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which suggests that vaccination policy can be effective in alleviating the fiscal burden of the pandemic on the government. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that vaccinated individuals exhibit increased financial optimism, as measured by expectations about future loss of employment and income as well as ability to make mortgage and debt payments. Based on the point estimates, the implied elasticity of food insecurity with respect to financial optimism is between -0.57 and -0.86. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 vaccination program has implications that extend beyond the direct health benefits. Taken together, our results underscore the critical role of medical innovations and health interventions in improving economic optimism and food security, especially among vulnerable populations, during public health crises.
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This paper proposed an analysis of aspects of violation of the Human Right to Adequate Food in experiences of food app delivery men in the city of Sao Paulo, as portrayed in journalistic materials published until September 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This work was a case study in an undergraduate course in Nutrition, through a project focused on situations of inequality and vulnerability. Journalistic materials were selected if food practices and/or demands associated with labor activities were present. Contents were approached through the definition of the Human Right to Adequate Food in the Brazilian National Food Policy of the Ministry of Health, considering recommendations from the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines and discussions of the sociology of work. Violations of the Human Right to Adequate Food were noted regarding: difficulties in access to food in proper quantity and quality, with a high consumption of ultra-processed foods;inadequate food practices regarding the act of eating and commensality, with a preponderance of an attitude toward "satisfying the hunger";and the insertion of delivery men in a food system characterized by unfair labor relationships, and unsustainable environmental and health aspects. Through the recognition of the circumstances of hunger and the demands presented by food app delivery men, this analysis highlighted the humanizing potential of food in stimulating such claims, especially in a pandemic context aggravated by the absence of labor rights. Better work conditions along with public policies that mitigate hunger and injustice are needed to promote healthier food environments and systems.
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This article, authored by Dulclair Sternadt, Juan Pablo Mellado, Gabriela Rivas-Mari..o, and Daniela Moyano, explored the inclusion of gastronomy in School Feeding Programmes (PAE) in Latin America and the Caribbean as a means of enhancing programme efficiency. The article presented case studies from Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala to guide other countries in the region on how to incorporate gastronomy into their own PAE. These inputs, and their outstanding results - increased acceptance of school menus in the three countries and a decrease in food waste of around 20% in Chile and Colombia - are clear evidence for other countries to include gastronomy in their SFP as a powerful strategy capable of contributing to the optimisation of public resources invested in these programmes. Furthermore, in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the article also included a food safety guide that outlined practices to ensure the safe delivery of food to students during the reopening of schools. The guide was divided into 3 sections, which covered planning for reopening, implementation of food safety principles to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and monitoring and follow-up during reopening. This article provide valuable insights and evidence-based recommendations to support the continued provision of food to students in the face of the pandemic.
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These proceedings contain over 100 articles discussing the latest developments and challenges facing the vine and wine industry, focusing on 4 major themes such as viticulture, oenology, economy and law, and safety and health. Specific topics discussed include the adaptation and optimization of viticultural resources, the characterization of different microclimate to improve grape quality, the validation of new oenological techniques, and the resilience of the wine sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics included the impact of climate change on viticulture, the market competitiveness of the wine sector, and public health aspects wine consumption.
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Parliamentarians are agents of change, and their role is critical to ensure a world where all people are eating healthy diets from sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agri-food systems. Members of the Parliament hold a strategic position as they can shape policies and actions for improving food availability, accessibility, and affordability for all people, especially the most vulnerable, to ensure their food security and good nutrition for health and wellbeing. Objectives that are more important than ever in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This handbook is addressed to Parliamentarians to support them in adopting domestic legislation, approving budget allocations, and overseeing public-sector policies towards transforming food systems that deliver healthy diets for all. This handbook was prepared by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in collaboration with the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the African Union Development Agency's New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD).
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The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in school closures and required school nutrition directors to shift their methods of executing the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The procurement of items, the composition of meals, and meal delivery were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to these changes, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released several waivers allowing for flexibility in meal patterns and meal delivery, while maintaining federal reimbursements to schools. Although school meals have yet to reach pre-pandemic participation numbers, school districts nationwide have experienced the effects of supply chain disruptions, therein impacting their ability to meet the nutritional standards of the NSLP and SBP. To mitigate supply chain issues and provide consistent, quality meals, School Food Authorities needed to leverage USDA's additional funding and waivers by continuing to innovate, establish, and communicate best practices for effective meal delivery.