Guiding healthier food choice: systematic comparison of four front-of-pack labelling systems and their effect on judgements of product healthiness

Different front-of-pack (FOP) labelling systems have been developed in Europe by industry and organisations concerned with health promotion. A study (n 2068) was performed to establish the extent to which inclusion of the most prevalent FOP systems – guideline daily amounts (GDA), traffic lights (TL), GDA+TL hybrid (HYB) and health logos (HL) – impact consumer perceptions of healthiness over and above the provision of a FOP basic label (BL) containing numerical nutritional information alone. The design included within- and between-subjects factors. The within-subjects factors were: food (pizzas, yogurts and biscuits), healthiness of the food (high health, medium health and low health) and the repeated measurements under BL and test FOP label conditions. The between-subjects factors were: the system (GDA, TL, GDA+TL hybrid, HL), portion size (typical portion size and a 50 % reduction of a typical portion) and country (the UK, Germany, Poland and Turkey). Although the FOP systems tested did result in small improvements for objective understanding under some conditions, there was little difference between the provision of an FOP label containing basic numerical nutritional information alone or between the various systems. Thus, any structured and legible presentation of key nutrient and energy information on the FOP label is sufficient to enable consumers to detect a healthier alternative within a food category when provided with foods that have distinctly different levels of healthiness. Future research should focus on developing greater understanding of the psychological and contextual factors that impact motivation and the opportunity to use the various FOP systems in real-world shopping settings.

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Nutritional composition of takeaway food in the UK

Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.1108/nfs-08-2013-0093 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 414-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Agnieszka Jaworowska ◽

Toni M. Blackham ◽

Rachel Long ◽

Catherine Taylor ◽

Matthew Ashton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fast Food ◽

Energy Content ◽

Portion Size ◽

Future Research ◽

Total Sugars ◽

Content Type ◽

Nutritional Profile ◽

Total Fat ◽

The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to determine the nutritional profile of popular takeaway meals in the UK. Fast food has a poor nutritional profile; research has focused on the major catering chains, with limited data on takeaway food from independent establishments. Design/methodology/approach – Random samples of takeaway meals were purchased from small, independent takeaway establishments. Multiple samples of 27 different takeaway meals, from Indian, Chinese, kebab, pizza and English-style establishments (n = 489), were analysed for portion size, energy, protein, carbohydrate, total fat, salt and total sugars. Findings – Takeaway meals were inconsistent with UK dietary recommendations; pizzas revealed the highest energy content, and Chinese meals were lowest in total fat. However, there was a high degree of variability between and within categories, but the majority of meals were excessive for portion size, energy, macronutrients and salt. Research limitations/implications – The present study focused on energy, macronutrients, salt and total sugars. Future research should analyse the quality of fat and carbohydrates and micronutrients to provide a more detailed nutritional profile of takeaway food. Practical implications – The nutritional variability between establishments suggests that recipe reformulation should be explored in an attempt to improve the nutritional quality of takeaway foods. In addition, portion size reduction could favour both the consumer and the industry. Social implications – Takeaway outlets do not provide nutritional information; due to the excessive nutritional profiles, regular intake may increase the risk of non-communicable disease. Therefore, there is a pressing need for this provision to help consumers make conscious food choices. Originality/value – This is the first study to analyse energy and macronutrient content of independent takeaway meals in the UK.

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Impact of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels on Portion Size Selection: An Experimental Study in a French Cohort

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10091268 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1268 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Manon Egnell ◽

Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot ◽

Pilar Galan ◽

Mathilde Touvier ◽

Mike Rayner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Group ◽

Portion Size ◽

The European Union ◽

Food Category ◽

Web Based ◽

Nutrition Labels ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Traffic Lights ◽

Size Selection ◽

The Impact

In the European Union (EU) three coloured graded Front-of-Pack labels (FoPLs), two endorsed by governments (Nutri-Score and Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL)) and one designed by industry (Evolved Nutrition Label (ENL)) are currently being discussed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these FoPLs on portion size selection, specifically for less healthy products. In 2018, participants from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort study (N = 25,772) were exposed through a web-based self-administered questionnaire to products from three food categories (sweet biscuits, cheeses, and sweet spreads), with or without FoPLs, and were invited to select the portion they would consume (in size and number). Kruskall-Wallis tests, and mixed ordinal logistic regression models, were used to investigate the effects of FoPLs on portion size selection. Compared to no label, Nutri-Score consistently lowered portion sizes (OR = 0.76 (0.74–0.76)), followed by MTL (OR = 0.83 (0.82–0.84)). For ENL, the effects differed depending on the food group: It lowered portion size selection for cheeses (OR = 0.84 (0.83–0.87)), and increased it for spreads (OR = 1.19 (1.15–1.22)). Nutri-Score followed by MTL appear efficient tools to encourage consumers to decrease their portion size for less healthy products, while ENL appears to have inconsistent effects depending on the food category.

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How to fight food waste in university restaurants?

Gestão & Produção ◽

10.1590/1806-9649-2020v28e5415 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Lucas Rodrigues Deliberador ◽

Aldara da Silva César ◽

Mário Otávio Batalha

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Food Supply ◽

Food Production ◽

Literature Search ◽

Portion Size ◽

Future Research ◽

Holistic View ◽

Nutritional Information ◽

Food Supply Chains ◽

Storage Service

Abstract: About one-third of the world's food production is lost or wasted annually at different stages of food supply chains (FSCs). Food loss usually occurs in the early stages of FSCs, while waste is more prevalent in their final stages. Thus, the main objectives of the present study were to investigate the causes of loss and waste, as well as strategies that can minimize them. Decreasing food waste in collective catering organizations, including university restaurants, is situated in the context of these concerns. In order to contribute to this discussion, the authors investigated the causes of wastage in university restaurants and possible interventions recommended in the literature to reduce it. A search considering the “food waste” and “university restaurant” constructs in five different databases found 352 publications related to the theme, of which 21 supported to answer the two questions that guided this search: Q1: “What are the causes that contribute to food waste in university restaurants?” and Q2: “What are the interventions that can be or are used in university restaurants to reduce food waste?” The literature search identified 13 causes (portion size; quality; price; emotion; palatability; preparation/cooking; menu; time; satiety; storage; service; overbuying; security) and 14 possible interventions (campaigns; trayless systems; waste management; portion size; quality; changing menus; planning; preordering; charity/donations; nutritional information; coercion; changing the dishes; preparation/cooking; storage). From this perspective, the present article provides a holistic view of food waste in university restaurants, in order to guide mitigation interventions and future research on this theme.

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The Limits of Ego Depletion

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000365 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (5-6) ◽

pp. 292-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mario Wenzel ◽

Marina Lind ◽

Zarah Rowland ◽

Daniela Zahn ◽

Thomas Kubiak

Keyword(s):

Research Agenda ◽

Statistical Power ◽

Interindividual Variability ◽

Ego Depletion ◽

Crossover Design ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Future Research ◽

Future Research Agenda ◽

Depletion Effect ◽

Within Subjects

Abstract. Evidence on the existence of the ego depletion phenomena as well as the size of the effects and potential moderators and mediators are ambiguous. Building on a crossover design that enables superior statistical power within a single study, we investigated the robustness of the ego depletion effect between and within subjects and moderating and mediating influences of the ego depletion manipulation checks. Our results, based on a sample of 187 participants, demonstrated that (a) the between- and within-subject ego depletion effects only had negligible effect sizes and that there was (b) large interindividual variability that (c) could not be explained by differences in ego depletion manipulation checks. We discuss the implications of these results and outline a future research agenda.

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Using the Change4Life Disney Branded 10-minute Shake Ups During the COVID-19 ‘Lockdown’

10.31219/osf.io/q8jz4 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Emily Budzynski-Seymour ◽

James Steele ◽

Michelle Jones

Keyword(s):

Perceived Exertion ◽

Affective Responses ◽

Online Resources ◽

Future Research ◽

Affective States ◽

Perceived Effort ◽

Qualitative Feedback ◽

Bidirectional Relationship ◽

The Uk

Physical activity (PA) is considered essential to overall health yet it is consistently reported that children are failing to meet the recommended levels. Due to the bidirectional relationship between affective states and PA, affective responses are a potential predictor to long term engagement. Since late March 2020 the UK government enforced ‘lockdown’ measures to help control the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19); however, this has impacted children’s PA. Using online resources at home to support PA is now common. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the use of the Change4Life 10-minute Shake Ups to support PA by examining the effects of Disney branding upon children’s (n=32) post activity affective responses and perceived exertion. The secondary was to investigate the effect of the lockdown on PA habits. Children had similar positive affective responses and perceived effort to activities; however, branding was considered to be a key contributing factor based upon qualitative feedback from parents. Children’s PA levels dropped slightly since ‘lockdown’ was imposed; though online resources have been utilised to support PA. The use of immersive elements such as characters and narrative in PA sessions, as well as utilising online resources during ‘lockdown’ appear potentially promising for future research.

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Identity in transition: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of international humanitarian workers’ experiences of returning home

Journal of International Humanitarian Action ◽

10.1186/s41018-021-00091-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emilia Marie Wersig ◽

Kevin Wilson-Smith

Keyword(s):

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Moral Values ◽

Future Research ◽

Aid Workers ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Work Settings ◽

Returning Home ◽

The Uk ◽

Humanitarian Work

AbstractThis interpretative phenomenological analysis explores aid workers’ understanding of identity and belonging through the transition from working in humanitarian aid to returning home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who had returned to the UK after working in recently founded non-governmental organisations in Northern France between 2016 and 2019. Analysis of interview data identified four superordinate themes: (1) shared humanitarian identity, (2) limits and borders, (3) holding on to humanitarian identity and (4) redefining belonging and identity. Aid workers’ belonging in humanitarian work settings is rooted in shared moral values and being able to fulfil a clearly defined role. Upon returning, aid workers struggled to reintegrate, manifesting as denial of having left humanitarian work, re-creation of the social setting and moral demarcation. Participants formed a new sense of belonging through redefining their social in-group. The study sheds light on a previously unexplored area of research, specifically characterised through the closeness of the international humanitarian setting and participants’ homes. Findings suggest organisations can assist aid workers’ re-entry by supporting professional distance in the field, and through opportunities that allow to sustain moral values post-mission. Future research should focus on the role of peer support in the re-entry process and the re-entry experiences of aid workers returning from comparable settings further afield (e.g. Greece).

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Exploring International and Inter-Sector Differences of Social Enterprises in the UK and India

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13115870 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 5870

Author(s):

Philipp Kruse

Keyword(s):

Social Entrepreneurship ◽

Social Enterprise ◽

Social Enterprises ◽

Future Research ◽

Shape Features ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Clear Cut ◽

The One ◽

Definition Of ◽

The Uk

Social Entrepreneurship (SE) describes a new entrepreneurial form combining the generation of financial and social value. In recent years, research interest in SE increased in various disciplines with a particular focus on the characteristics of social enterprises. Whereas a clear-cut definition of SE is yet to be found, there is evidence that culture and economy affect and shape features of SE activity. In addition, sector-dependent differences are supposed. Building on Institutional Theory and employing a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, this study sheds light on the existence of international and inter-sector differences by examining 161 UK and Indian social enterprises. A content analysis and analyses of variance were employed and yielded similarities as well as several significant differences on an international and inter-sector level, e.g., regarding innovativeness and the generation of revenue. The current study contributes to a more nuanced picture of the SE landscape by comparing social enterprise characteristics in a developed and a developing country on the one hand and different sectors on the other hand. Furthermore, I highlight the benefits of jointly applying qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Future research should pay more attention to the innate heterogeneity among social enterprises and further consolidate and extend these findings.

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OESDs in an on-road study of semi-automated vehicle to human driver handovers

Cognition Technology & Work ◽

10.1007/s10111-021-00682-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Neville A. Stanton ◽

James W. Brown ◽

Kirsten M. A. Revell ◽

Jisun Kim ◽

Joy Richardson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vehicle Control ◽

Future Research ◽

Strong Correlations ◽

Sequence Diagrams ◽

Driving Simulators ◽

Human Driver ◽

Handover Process ◽

Vehicle Automation ◽

The Uk ◽

Road Study

AbstractDesign of appropriate interaction and human–machine interfaces for the handover of control between vehicle automation and human driver is critical to the success of automated vehicles. Problems in this interfacing between the vehicle and driver have led, in some cases, to collisions and fatalities. In this project, Operator Event Sequence Diagrams (OESDs) were used to design the handover activities to and from vehicle automation. Previous work undertaken in driving simulators has shown that the OESDs can be used to anticipate the likely activities of drivers during the handover of vehicle control. Three such studies showed that there was a strong correlation between the activities drivers represented in OESDs and those observed from videos of drivers in the handover process, in driving simulators. For the current study, OESDs were constructed during the design of the interaction and interfaces for the handover of control to and from vehicle automation. Videos of drivers during the handover were taken on motorways in the UK and compared with the predictions from the OESDs. As before, there were strong correlations between those activities anticipated in the OESDs and those observed during the handover of vehicle control from automation to the human driver. This means that OESDs can be used with some confidence as part of the vehicle automation design process, although validity generalisation remains an important goal for future research.

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Reliability, Validity, and Gender Invariance of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale: An Emerging Evidence for a More Concise Research Tool

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073516 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3516

Author(s):

Stefan Koehn ◽

Farzad Amirabdollahian

Keyword(s):

Factor Structure ◽

Adult Population ◽

Research Tool ◽

Future Research ◽

Gender Invariance ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

And Gender ◽

The Uk ◽

Fit Index ◽

Northwest Region

The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) research instrument has been extensively used to investigate the perceived benefits and barriers of exercise in a range of settings. In order to examine theoretical contentions and translate the findings, it is imperative to implement measurement tools that operationalize the constructs in an accurate and reliable way. The original validation of the EBBS proposed a nine-factor structure for the research tool, examined the EBBS factor structure, and suggested that various factors are important for the testing of the perception of exercise benefits and barriers, whereas a few items and factors may not be vital. The current study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using hierarchical testing in 565 participants from the northwest region of the United Kingdom, the results of which provided evidence for a four-factor structure of the benefits measure, with the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.943, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.933, and root means square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.051, namely life enhancement, physical performance, psychological outlook, and social interaction, as well as a two-factor structure of the barrier measures, with the CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.931, and RMSEA = 0.063, including exercise milieu and time expenditure. Our findings showed that for a six-factor correlated model, the CFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.919, and RMSEA = 0.046. The multi-group CFA provided support for gender invariance. The results indicated that after three decades of the original validation of the EBBS, many of the core factors and items are still relevant for the assessment of higher-order factors; however, the 26-item concise tool proposed in the current study displays a better parsimony in comparison with the original 43-item questionnaire. Overall, the current study provides support for a reliable, cross-culturally valid EBBS within the UK adult population, however, it proposes a shorter and more concise version compared with the original tool, and gives direction for future research to focus on the content validity for assessing the perception of the barriers to physical activity.

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The Quiet Project – UK Acoustic Community’s response to COVID19 during the easing of lockdown

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2021-0003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 32-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephen Dance ◽

Lindsay McIntyre

Keyword(s):

Future Research ◽

Publicly Funded ◽

Private Companies ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Baseline Noise ◽

Acoustic Community ◽

Noise Data ◽

Public Organisations ◽

The Uk ◽

Time Critical

Abstract The COVID-19 lockdown created a new kind of environment both in the UK and globally, never experienced before or likely to occur again. A vital and time-critical working group was formed with the aim of gathering crowd-source high quality baseline noise levels and other supporting information across the UK during the lock-down and subsequent periods. The acoustic community were mobilised through existing networks engaging private companies, public organisations and academics to gather data in accessible places. In addition, pre-existing on-going measurements from major infrastructure projects, airport, and planning applications were gathered to create the largest possible databank. A website was designed and developed to advertise the project, provide instructions and to formalise the uploading of noise data, observations and soundscape feedback. Two case studies gathered in the latter stage of full lockdown are presented in the paper to illustrate the changes in the environmental noise conditions relative to transport activity. Ultimately the databank will be used to establish the relation to other impacts such as air quality, air traffic, economic, and health and wellbeing. As publicly funded research the databank will be made publicly available to assist future research.

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