[Access to grocery stores and nutrition/food intake observed in the National Health and Nutrition Survey: Focusing on the substitution-complementary relation].

Objective　This study aimed to identify the characteristics of nutrition and food intake among people who have limited access to grocery stores (hereinafter, "people with limited access").Method　Data from the 2011 National Health and Nutrition Survey and 2011 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions were compiled using a data-linkage method. These are the only surveys that contain data regarding people's access to grocery stores. Nutrition and food intake among people with limited access were examined using an econometric method targeting 1,051 women aged 65 years and older. The objective variables for the analysis were caloric intake (kcal) from energy-providing nutrients, namely, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and 17 items in different food groups (g/1,000 kcal). The analysis used the seemingly unrelated regressions model, a simultaneous equations model designed to address endogeneity through simultaneous determinations of objective variables. This model indicated, by way of coefficients, the influence of the factors (variables) that define caloric intake from each nutrient and food group. The substitution-complementary relation among the nutrients and among the food groups was expressed as a correlation matrix between error terms.Results　The characteristics of people with limited access were examined targeting women aged 65 years and older with respect to their access to grocery stores and intake of energy-providing nutrients. The results indicated that their caloric intake (kcal) of carbohydrates was significantly high, whereas their caloric intake (kcal) of fats was significantly low. Their caloric intake by food group (g/1,000 kcal) also confirmed similar results: their intake of grains was high, but that of fats was low. Thus, the results indicated a strong likelihood that people with limited access, even after accounting for the substitution-complementary relation, had a diet that was too high in carbohydrates.Conclusion　People with limited access tended to have a diet that was too high in carbohydrates. This tendency had a strong likelihood to be because of not simply the prices or their preferences but their food environment-that is, their limited access to grocery stores. The food environment prescribes people's diet, even when individuals' financial situations are taken into account. Therefore, the study indicated the necessity for chain store operators to cooperate with one another and with the government to create an environment that facilitates shopping-support services.

Hong Kong consumer preferences for Japanese beef: Label knowledge and reference point effects.

The excellent flavor of Wagyu is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. However, the popularity of Wagyu has encouraged competition for authentic Japanese Wagyu, resulting in the appearance of inauthentic Wagyu beef. To ward off this export competition, Japanese Wagyu producers need to improve and differentiate their value-added beef. As hardly any past studies focus on the consumption of Japanese Wagyu in Hong Kong, this paper uses a choice experiment to examine the valuation of beef by Hong Kong consumers in terms of country of origin. Data from 250 Hong Kong consumers obtained through a web questionnaire were used to analyze the beef preferences. In addition to the beef's country of origin, its marbling level, the Japanese Wagyu label and reference point effects were considered. The results indicate that Hong Kong consumers place a significant premium on Japanese Wagyu over Australian or American Wagyu. That premium is greater among consumers who have seen the Japanese Wagyu label. Reference price effects were also statistically confirmed. To promote Japanese Wagyu beef consumption, therefore, it is important to make the consumer aware of the advantages of Japanese Wagyu.

The Association between Self-Reported Difficulty of Food Access and Nutrient Intake among Middle-Aged and Older Residents in a Rural Area of Japan.

We investigated the association of self-reported difficulty of food access, accounting for the perception of food-store accessibility, with nutrient intake among 474 inhabitants (145 men and 329 women) aged ≥40 y in a rural area of Japan. Information on self-reported difficulty of food access and dietary intake was obtained via a self-administrated questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was performed to evaluate the adjusted associations between difficulty of food access and percentages of total energy (i.e., protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Among men, the adjusted means of percent energy from fat in the "difficulty of food access" group (19.2% energy) were significantly lower (by 2.4%) and the percent energy from carbohydrates for this group (57.3% energy) was significantly higher (by 3.3%) than for the "non-difficulty" group. In conclusion, this study found nutritional balance among residents experiencing difficulty of food access results in lower fat and higher carbohydrate intake than for those with non-difficulty of food access among middle-aged and older Japanese men in a rural area.