Consumer's preferences and willingness to pay for immune enhanced dairy products in Canada.

This study examined consumer preferences for, willingness to pay for, and the most preferred mode of delivery for immune enhanced dairy products across Canada. Two sets of choice experiments were designed to evaluate preferences for functional foods and nutraceuticals as the modes of delivery for immune enhanced dairy products. Data (N = 1001) was collected through an online stated preference survey and analyzed using conditional logit model. Results revealed that there is a general consumer interest in immune enhanced dairy products, and consumers place a premium on them. Also, the presence of children below the age of fifteen in a household was a major factor that increased consumer receptivity towards the products. Further results revealed that individuals who usually consume functional foods are less likely to be interested in nutraceuticals, and vice versa, implying that the preferred mode of delivery depended on consumer preferences for either functional foods or nutraceuticals.

Jog with your dog: Dog owner exercise routines predict dog exercise routines and perception of ideal body weight.

Canine obesity is becoming an increasingly prevalent concern among companion animal veterinarians and professionals alike. A number of sociodemographic, dietary, and exercise related variables have been shown to be predictive of a dog's bodyweight, however, all previous surveys designed to address these variables have been focussed on only one area of the world at a time. The objective of this survey was to investigate how an owner's exercise routine influences their dog's exercise routine and which of the owner's dietary and exercise habits influence their perception of their dog's body weight. The survey included respondents across France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. The survey was distributed online via Qualtrics (Qualtrics XM, Utah, USA) and a total of 3,298 responses were collected, equally distributed across country and between sexes. Comparison of column proportions and multinomial logistic regression were performed in SPSS Statistics (Version 26, IBM Corp, North Castle, New York, USA). Respondents from Germany were more likely to exercise their dog for a longer amount of time, rank the importance of exercise as extremely important, report that their dog is an ideal body weight, and were less likely to report that someone (including a veterinarian) had told them their dog was overweight. Results from linear regression revealed that those who had been told their dog was overweight, those who restrict their dog's food intake to control weight, those who select a weight control diet and those who give their dog more other foods (treats, table scraps, fruits/vegetables) on a daily basis were all less likely to believe that their dog is an ideal body weight. In contrast, only those who reported doing more vigorous exercise themselves or those who reported that their dog performs vigorous exercise were more likely to believe that their dog is an ideal body weight. The results highlight owner's perceptions of healthy weight and the role of nutrition and exercise. Owner's intentions and attitudes towards the value of exercise and promoting an ideal body weight in their dog should be explored, but may require a One Health approach to ensure successful weight management among both dogs and their owners.

Grains on the brain: A survey of dog owner purchasing habits related to grain-free dry dog foods.

Grain-free pet food options abound in the pet food market today, representing more than 40% of available dry dog foods in the United States. There is currently a dearth of information about the factors that contribute to a dog owner's choice of a grain-free dry dog food and if those factors are similar among countries. Therefore, the primary objective of the current survey was to identify the variables that are predictive of a dog owner's choice of a grain-free dry food across North America (Canada and the United States) and Europe (France, the United Kingdom and Germany). The survey consisted of 69 questions, took less than 15 minutes to complete and was distributed virtually via Qualtrics (Qualtrics XM, Utah, USA). A total of 3,298 responses were collected, equally distributed between countries. Multinomial logistic regression was performed in SPSS Statistics (Version 26, IBM Corp, North Castle, New York, USA). Male respondents, people from France, people who ranked the importance of ingredients in a pet food in the lower quartiles and people who do not rotate their dog's diet to provide variety were less likely to select 'no grain' when choosing a pet food. In contrast, people who believe that their dog has a food allergy, follow more than 5 specific dietary routines in their own diet, do not try to include grains in their own diet, get their information about pet food from online resources or pet store staff and look for specific claims on pet food (such as 'no fillers'), were all more likely to select 'no grain' when choosing a pet food. This survey provides insight into the similarities and differences in decision making among dog owners in North America and Europe and should be considered when exploring the effects of grain-free dog foods on canine health and well-being.

Food Skills: Associations With Diet Quality and Food Waste Among Canadian Parents.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between self-reported food skills and diet quality along with measured food waste among a sample of Canadian parents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data from surveys to assess food skills, 3-day food records to assess the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and food waste measured by household waste audits. SETTING: Guelph-Wellington, Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Parents (n = 130) with children aged 2-8 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HEI-2015 scores, daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste (grams). ANALYSIS: Linear regression using generalized estimating equations to determine unstandardized ß estimates of associations between food skills and dependent variables. Models were adjusted for multiple testing, gender, and level of education. RESULTS: Food safety knowledge for cooking hot foods (ß = 4.3, P = 0.05), planning (ß = 4.5, P = 0.001), and conceptualizing food (ß = 4.0, P = 0.03) were positively associated with HEI-2015 scores. Knowledge related to best before dates (ß = 25.3, P = 0.05; ß = 12.1, P = 0.04), conceptualizing food (ß = 34.1, P = 0.01; ß = 13.8, P = 0.02), and mechanical techniques (ß = 39.2, P = 0.01; ß = 20.5, P = 0.004) were associated with more avoidable and unavoidable food waste, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Addressing higher-level food skills with a focus on efficient food preparation practices that make use of all edible portions of foods could play an important role in minimizing food waste and improving diet quality. Additional research in other countries and in a larger, more socioeconomically diverse sample is needed to confirm these findings.

Association between diet quality and food waste in Canadian families: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Higher diet quality has been associated with greater amounts of food waste among adults in the United States. This study aims to build on previous work by examining the association between diet quality and food waste, as assessed using detailed waste audits, among a sample of Canadian families. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from 85 Canadian families with young children. Parent and children diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), calculated from 3-day food records. Household food waste was measured using detailed waste audits conducted over multiple weeks and these data were used to calculate daily per capita food waste. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parent and child HEI-2015 scores and daily per capita total avoidable and unavoidable food waste, as well as daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste in the following categories: 1) fruits and vegetables, 2) milk, cheese and eggs, 3) meat and fish, 4) breads and cereals, 5) fats and sugars. RESULTS: Parent HEI-2015 scores ranged from 37 to 92 (out of 100) and 81% of parents' diets scored in the "Needs Improvement (51-80)" category. Parent and child diet quality scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.61; P < 0.0001) and 82% of children's diets scored in the "Needs Improvement" category. On average, households produced 107 g of avoidable food waste and 52 g of unavoidable food waste per person per day. Fruits and vegetables were the highest contributor for both avoidable and unavoidable food waste. Both parent and child HEI-2015 scores were not significantly associated with total daily per capita avoidable or unavoidable food waste. However, parent HEI-2015 scores were positively associated with daily per capita avoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized ß = 1.05; 95%CI: 0.11, 1.99; P = 0.03) and daily per capita unavoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized ß = 0.60; 95%CI: 0.03, 1.17; P = 0.04), after adjusting for household income. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to explore the association between diet quality and food waste using detailed waste audits. Future research should explore effective strategies towards improving diet quality while simultaneously reducing food waste, especially of fruits and vegetables.

Dairy and Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives Purchasing Habits of Guelph-Based Families with Preschool-Aged Children.

Purpose: To investigate dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives (DPBDA) purchasing habits, including comparisons among locations of purchase and among subtypes of DPBDA, of families with preschool-aged children.Methods: Expenditures on food and DPBDA were calculated using grocery and food receipts collected for 3 weeks from 51 households in and around Guelph, Ontario, Canada. DPBDA were coded by subtypes (alternatives, cheese/yogurt, cow's milk, cream, and ice cream/other) and by locations of purchase, which were coded as big-box, discount, high-end, local/other, and midrange stores. Logistic regression using generalized estimating equations was used to investigate odds of purchasing DPBDA by location of purchase. All models included family income and number of children as potential confounders.Results: Ninety-eight percent of families purchased cheese/yogurt, 92% purchased cow's milk, and 35% of families purchased plant-based dairy alternatives. Families were more likely to purchase DPBDA from big-box stores than discount, midrange, or local/other stores (P < 0.01) and were more likely to purchase cheese/yogurt than dairy alternatives, cream, or ice cream/other subtypes (P < 0.01). Odds of purchasing were not different between cheese/yogurt and cow's milk.Conclusion: Families' DPBDA purchasing habits differ by purchase location and subtype. Further research is warranted to understand the factors affecting these purchasing habits.

Assessing the Value of Antibiotics on Farms: Modeling the Impact of Antibiotics and Vaccines for Managing Lawsonia intracellularis in Hog Production.

Increasing awareness of antibiotic resistance has correspondingly increased efforts to identify and reduce the causal behaviors that led to this severe public health threat. The consequences of these efforts are regulatory and market pressures limiting antibiotic use by livestock farmers which may lead to significant financial and welfare challenges on the farm, even if antibiotics can be substituted by vaccines. The purpose of this study is to measure the relative cost-effectiveness of antibiotics vs. vaccines for controlling L. intracellularis on a Canadian farrow-to-finish pig farm. This is done by modeling the production and economic impact of different antibiotics and vaccines available for managing this disease, listed in the Canadian Compendium of Veterinary Products. The economic impacts (in Canadian dollars) of the disease are estimated and the net benefits of alternative prevention and treatment options are compared to determine the relative cost-effectiveness of each strategy. Of the 12 options analyzed, four were preventative (antibiotic and vaccine) and eight were antibiotic treatments. Prophylactic chlortetracycline (an antibiotic) is the most cost-effective option for managing L. intracellularis, while Porcilis Ileitis (a vaccine) is the least cost-effective strategy. This result remains robust considering sensitivity analysis of the production parameters, which indicates that preventative antibiotics are more cost-effective than vaccines. This implies that banning preventative antibiotic treatments harms the bottom line of farmers under current market conditions.

Valuing the Multiple Impacts of Household Food Waste.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has estimated that Canadian households waste 85 kg of food per person annually. Food waste has become an increasingly common focus for policy, regulation, interventions, and awareness-raising efforts in Canada. However, there is still a relative dearth of data to inform such decision-making processes or to provide narratives to contextualize behavior change efforts. In this paper, we describe the results of an uncommonly detailed observational study of household food waste. A total of 94 families with young children living in Guelph, Ontario chose to participate in this study. Over the course of multiple weeks, we collected data on their food purchases, food consumption, and waste generation. All three streams of waste (garbage, recycling, and organic waste) were audited and the food type, degree of avoidability, and weight of each individual component of the organic waste stream was recorded. Using this highly granular data set, we found that the average household in our study generated approximately 2.98 kg of avoidable food waste per week. This estimate was then contextualized in terms of economic losses (dollar value), nutritional losses (calories, vitamins, and minerals) and environmental impacts (global warming potential, land, and water usage). In short, weekly avoidable food waste per household was calculated to be equivalent to $18.01, 3,366 calories, and 23.3 kg of CO2. These multiple valuation frameworks, which are based in detailed observations of family food behaviors rather than estimations derived from system-wide data, will enable more informed and urgent conversations about policy, programming, and interventions in order to reduce the volume of wasted food at the consumer level.

The cost of a case of subclinical ketosis in Canadian dairy herds.

The objective of this study was to develop a model to estimate the cost of a case of subclinical ketosis (SCK) in Canadian dairy herds. Costs were derived from the default inputs, and included increased clinical disease incidence attributable to SCK, $76; longer time to pregnancy, $57; culling and death in early lactation attributable to SCK, $26; milk production loss, $44. Given these figures, the cost of 1 case of SCK was estimated to be $203. Sensitivity analysis showed that the estimated cost of a case of SCK was most sensitive to the herd-level incidence of SCK and the cost of 1 day open. In conclusion, SCK negatively impacts dairy herds and losses are dependent on the herd-level incidence and factors included in the calculation.

Coût d'un cas d'acétonémie subclinique dans les troupeaux laitiers canadiens. L'objectif de cette étude consistait à développer un modèle pour estimer le coût d'un cas d'acétonémie subclinique (ASC) dans les troupeaux laitiers canadiens. Les coûts ont été dérivés des valeurs par défaut et comprenaient l'incidence accrue de maladie clinique attribuable à l'ASC, 76 $; un délai plus long avant la gestation, 57 $; la réforme et la mort au début de la lactation attribuable à l'ASC, 26 $; la perte de production laitière, 44 $. Compte tenu de ces chiffres, le coût de 1 cas d'ASC a été estimé à 203 $. Une analyse de sensibilité a montré que le coût estimé d'un cas d'ASC était le plus sensible à l'incidence de l'ASC au niveau du troupeau et au coût d'une journée ouvrable. En conclusion, l'ASC a un impact négatif sur les troupeaux laitiers et les pertes dépendent de l'incidence au niveau du troupeau et des facteurs inclus dans le calcul.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Economic value of ionophores and propylene glycol to prevent disease and treat ketosis in Canada.

A partial budget model was developed to evaluate the economic value of Rumensin Controlled Release Capsule (CRC) boluses when administered before calving to reduce disease and increase milk production. After accounting for disease incidences in a herd and the percentage by which Rumensin CRC can reduce them, and the increase in milk production attributable to administration of Rumensin CRC, the return on investment (ROI) per lactation was 4:1. Another partial budget model was developed to estimate the economic value of propylene glycol (PG) to treat ketosis when diagnosed by 3 different cow-side tests or when administered to all cows without using any cow-side testing. After accounting for the sensitivity and specificity of each test, ROI per lactation ranged from 2:1 to 4:1. The ROI was 2:1 when no cow-side testing was used. In conclusion, prevention of diseases that occur in the postpartum period and treatment of ketosis after calving yielded a positive ROI that varies based on disease incidence and method of diagnosis.

Valeur économique des ionophores et du propylèneglycol pour prévenir la maladie et traiter l'acétonémie au Canada. Un modèle de budget partiel a été développé pour évaluer la valeur économique des bolus de capsules à libération contrôlée (CLC) de Rumensin lors de l'administration avant le vêlage afin de réduire les maladies et d'accroître la production de lait. Après avoir tenu compte de l'incidence des maladies dans un troupeau et du pourcentage par lequel la CLC de Rumensin peut les réduire et de l'augmentation de la production de lait attribuable à l'administration de la CLC de Rumensin, le rendement du capital investi (RCI) par lactation était de 4:1. Un autre modèle de budget partiel a été développé pour estimer la valeur économique du propylèneglycol (PG) afin de traiter l'acétonémie lors du diagnostic par 3 tests différents pour les vaches ou lors de l'administration à toutes les vaches sans le recours à des tests auprès des vaches. Après avoir tenu compte de la sensibilité et de la spécificité de chaque test, le RCI par lactation s'échelonnait de 2:1 à 4:1. Le RCI était de 2:1 lorsqu'aucun test auprès des vaches n'était utilisé. En conclusion, la prévention des maladies qui se produit dans la période postpartum et le traitement de l'acétonémie après le vêlage a donné un RCI positif qui varie selon l'incidence de maladies et la méthode de diagnostic.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).