The Risks of Everyday Life: Fat content of chips, quality of frying fat and deep-frying practices in New Zealand fast food outlets

Purpose The paper aims to study the role of local institutions in the establishment of fast-food outlets in urban districts of Peru. In most urban districts, there are no fast-food outlets. The authors, therefore, study the effect of institutional quality on the presence or absence of these outlets and the number of outlets if these are present. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework in which this paper is based on is the theory of agglomeration, which establishes that firms benefit from being close to each other. In particular, the paper builds on a model of market entry and competition in geographically independent local markets. An explicit expression was found for the equilibrium number of outlets (including zero) as a function of exogenous determinants of the demand for fast-food in each market, available infrastructure and institutional quality of the district’s government. Principal component analysis was used to construct measures of institutional quality based on administrative and organizational characteristics of district’s municipalities. These measures were incorporated as explanatory variables in a zero-inflated Poisson model, which is appropriate to handle count data and to accommodate excess zeros and which also allows the specification of different models for the zero part and the positive part. Findings Institutional quality mainly affects the presence of fast-food outlets in a district. The quality of urban development management and use of information systems are relevant. An institutional variable particularly relevant in explaining the number of outlets is the presence of an investment programming office in the municipality. The authors confirm the general hypothesis of the paper: institutions have a role in explaining both the presence and number of fast-food outlets in a district. Overall, the results of this paper suggest that institutional quality of a municipal district is related to better infrastructure, which lowers the costs of establishing outlets. Research limitations/implications Limitations in the availability of data at the regional and urban district level did not allow the authors to analyze other factors that affect entry decisions in the fast-food industry in Peru, such as controls to prevent corruption, legal uncertainty or crime. Another limitation was the lack of data on entry costs for each franchisee in each urban district. This forced the authors to use public infrastructure characteristics of the district as (imperfect) proxies of the entry costs. Practical implications The instruments of urban development management and information systems can be effective at attracting investment to a district. These tools operate partly through an indirect effect, namely, the improvement of district infrastructure, which is necessary to reduce the costs of establishing companies. There is also synergy between national government’s programs to attract investment and the good institutional quality in local governments. On the contrary, poor local institutions can be an obstacle to the successful implementation of those national programs. Social implications Foreign direct investment has a positive impact on the economic development of a country through knowledge spillovers. Therefore, any administrative reform to make local government practices more efficient can have an indirect impact on development. Originality/value Principal component analysis is a statistical tool that can be important in building good measures of institutional quality by allowing the combination of different observable characteristics into one component that can be interpreted as an operational restriction. The count model allows the use of the primary, easily observable, dependent variable, namely, the number of outlets. Finally, the two-part model makes it possible to discern the effect of institutional quality on the presence or absence of outlets and the number of outlets if these are present.

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Characteristics of fast-food/takeaway-food and restaurant/café-food consumers among New Zealand adults

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980013002681 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 2368-2377 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Claire Smith ◽

Andrew Robert Gray ◽

Elizabeth Ann Fleming ◽

Winsome Ruth Parnell

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

New Zealand ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Fast Food ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Nutrition Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Fast Food Consumption

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate: (i) the percentage of the New Zealand (NZ) population reporting fast food/takeaway food and restaurant/café food per day; (ii) examine demographic factors associated with their use; (iii) quantify their contribution to energy intake; and (iv) describe the specific types of foods reported from both sources.DesignTwenty-four hour diet recalls from the cross-sectional 2008/09 NZ Adult Nutrition Survey were used to identify fast-food and restaurant-food consumers.SettingNZ households.SubjectsAdults aged 15 years and older (n 4721).ResultsOverall 28 % reported consuming at least one fast food and 14 % a restaurant food within the 24 h diet recall. Fast-food consumption was not associated with level of education or an area-based measure of socio-economic status, but a higher education was positively associated with restaurant-food consumption. Individual factors such as ethnicity, household size, age, sex and marital status were found to be important influences on the use of fast food and restaurant food. Fast-food consumption was more prevalent among participants living in urban areas, young adults (19–30 years) and Māori compared with NZ European and Others. The most frequently reported fast foods were bread-based dishes, potatoes (including fries) and non-alcoholic beverages.ConclusionsGiven the high reported consumption of fast food by young adults, health promotion initiatives both to improve the nutritional quality of fast-food menus and to encourage healthier food choices would likely make a large impact on the overall diet quality of this group.

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Junk Food on Demand: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Popular Online Food Delivery Outlets in Australia and New Zealand

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12103107 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 3107

Author(s):

Stephanie R. Partridge ◽

Alice A. Gibson ◽

Rajshri Roy ◽

Jessica A. Malloy ◽

Rebecca Raeside ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young People ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Population Level ◽

Food Delivery ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Outlets

The demand for convenience and the increasing role of digital technology in everyday life has fueled the use of online food delivery services (OFD’s), of which young people are the largest users globally. OFD’s are disrupting traditional food environments, yet research evaluating the public health implications of such services is lacking. We evaluated the characteristics and nutritional quality of popular food outlets on a market-leading platform (UberEATS®) in a cross-sectional observational study conducted in two international cities: Sydney (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand). A systematic search using publicly available population-level data was used to identify geographical areas with above-average concentrations (>30%) of young people (15–34-years). A standardized data extraction protocol was used to identify the ten most popular food outlets within each area. The nutritional quality of food outlets was assessed using the Food Environment Score (FES) (range: −10 ‘unhealthiest’ to 10 ‘healthiest’). Additionally, the most popular menu items from each food outlet were classified as discretionary or core foods/beverages according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The majority of popular food outlets were classified as ‘unhealthy’ (FES range −10 to −5; 73.5%, 789/1074) and were predominately takeaway franchise stores (59.6%, 470/789, e.g., McDonald’s®). 85.9% of all popular menu items were discretionary (n = 4958/5769). This study highlights the pervasion and accessibility of discretionary foods on OFD’s. This study demonstrated that the most popular food outlets on the market-leading online food delivery service are unhealthy and popular menu items are mostly discretionary foods; facilitating the purchase of foods of poor nutritional quality. Consideration of OFD’s in public health nutrition strategies and policies in critical.

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Change of fat during friting and final qualities of soft cakes

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis ◽

10.11118/actaun200957010147 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 147-152

Author(s):

Viera Šottníková ◽

Klára Borutová

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Deep Frying ◽

Chemical Changes ◽

Hydrogenated Fat ◽

Before And After ◽

Frying Fat ◽

Chemical Analyse

The purpose of this attemt was to evaluate the influence of deep-frying fat on the quality of frying pastry and observe chemical changes of frying fat during frying.The samples of frying pastry were provided by factory Penam s. r. o., Rosice. Four sorts of soft-centered friedcakes and not soft-centered friedcakes were evaluated. The samples of hydrogenated fat were taken twice always at the beginning and at the end of the frying. This lasted 7 days. Chemical analyse and qunatification fatty acid by using gass chromatography were took by these samples. The sensor evaluation was made by ten expert evaluators. Evaluators focused on following deskriptors: form, appearance, crumb, aroma, flavour of soft centred and flavour of product. We have found significant statistical differences between the products fried in the fat which was changed before and after the frying. The most differences were registered by porosity, plumpness, flavour of crumb and placement fill.Acidity number of fat increased linearly. Peroxid number decreased at the beginning and than increased again.

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Are Customers Satisfied With Healthier Food Options At South African Fast-Food Outlets?

International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER) ◽

10.19030/iber.v13i6.8915 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1199

Author(s):

Michael C. Cant ◽

Ricardo Machado ◽

Melanie Gopaul

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Customer Satisfaction ◽

South African ◽

Food Quality ◽

Fast Food ◽

Food Outlets ◽

Global Trend ◽

Fast Food Consumption ◽

Nutritional Benefits

Fast-food consumption has been a staple for many people; however, due to rising health concerns, there has been an increasing interest in the consumption of healthier food both in South Africa and elsewhere. Many consumers are demanding better quality foods that offer nutritional benefits. This global trend has led to fast-food outlets adding healthier food options to their menus. Limited literature exists on customer satisfaction with regards to the food quality of these healthier food options. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to determine the level of customer satisfaction with the food quality of healthier food options available at fast-food outlets in South Africa. The study followed a mixed method approach, whereby a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to students at a residential South African University. The results indicate that South African consumers are highly satisfied with the food quality of the healthier food options at fast-food outlets.

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Consumer Eating Behavior and Opinions about the Food Safety of Street Food in Poland

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020594 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 594

Author(s):

Michał Wiatrowski ◽

Ewa Czarniecka-Skubina ◽

Joanna Trafiałek

Keyword(s):

Consumer Behavior ◽

Food Safety ◽

Fast Food ◽

Consumer Preference ◽

Quality Of Services ◽

Street Food ◽

Food Outlets ◽

Hygiene Practices ◽

Eating Out

Street food plays an increasingly important role in the nutrition of the inhabitants of European cities. Our study aimed to analyze Polish consumers’ attitudes toward food offered in street food outlets, consumers’ eating out behavior, and the factors that determine their choice of meals from street food vendors. A survey was conducted of 1300 adult respondents who eat street food in Poland. The research enabled a detailed and comprehensive assessment of consumer behavior toward the use of street food outlets, as well as consumer opinions on vendors’ functioning, including hygiene and meals offered. Factors determining the frequency of street food consumption, preferred food types, and factors influencing the use of such outlets were identified. The most important factors were the quality of services and meals, personal preferences and price. Using cluster analysis, consumer profiles based on the types of street food outlets and food preferred were identified. Four main street food consumer preference profiles were identified: ‘burger-enthusiasts’, ‘kebab-enthusiasts’ and ‘ice-cream enthusiasts’, and ‘no specific-oriented consumers’. The Internet and social media were identified as information and promotion channels for this form of gastronomy. Results also revealed Polish consumer behavior and opinions about the food safety of street food in Poland. In summary, in Poland the habits of eating typical Polish homemade dishes is being replaced by eating meals in street food outlets, which can be classified as fast food. Increasing consumer knowledge and awareness of the quality and safety of street food may counteract improper hygiene practices of sellers.

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Trends in energy and nutrient content of menu items served by large UK chain restaurants from 2018 to 2020: an observational study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. e054804

Author(s):

Yuru Huang ◽

Dolly R Z Theis ◽

Thomas Burgoine ◽

Jean Adams

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Fast Food ◽

Sugar Content ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Nutrient Content ◽

Fat Content ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Nutritional Information ◽

Sugar Reduction

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the change in energy and nutrient content of menu items sold in large UK chain restaurants (eg, fast food, full service) from 2018 to 2020.DesignObservational study.SettingEnergy and nutritional information of menu items served by 29 large UK chain restaurants that consistently provided this information online in all three years. Data were collected in 2018 (March–April), 2019 (April) and 2020 (October–November) from restaurant websites.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe per-item energy and nutrient (saturated fat, sugar and salt) changes in all items available on menus (‘all menu items’) and recurring items that were consistently available on menus in all three years (‘core menu items’), overall and in 12 different food categories.ResultsOur study included 7770, 9213 and 6928 menu items served by 29 large UK chain restaurants in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our results showed that sugar content declined from 2018 to 2020 among all menu items (per-item: −0.43 g/year, 95% CI −0.66 to –0.21). This reduction in sugar was evident in beverages, sandwiches and desserts. Among core menu items (N=1855), sugar content reduced significantly from 2018 to 2020 (per-item: −0.31 g/year, 95% CI −0.45 to –0.17), especially in beverages. Energy, salt and saturated fat content in menu items remained constant overall, in both all menu items and core menu items. Fewer food categories had significant changes in energy, sugar, salt and saturated fat content among core menu items than among all menu items.ConclusionsFrom 2018 to 2020, sugar content declined in restaurant menu items, which may reflect a response to the sugar reduction strategy and the effects of the soft drinks industry levy. In contrast, there was little change in other nutrients. Future policies addressing the overall nutritional quality of restaurant foods, rather than single nutrients, may help the restaurant sector move towards offering healthier foods.

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A temporal analysis of the spatial clustering of food outlets around schools in Christchurch, New Zealand, 1966 to 2006

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980013002863 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 135-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Peter L Day ◽

Jamie R Pearce ◽

Amber L Pearson

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Fast Food ◽

Spatial Clustering ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

School Level ◽

Walking Distance ◽

Grocery Stores ◽

Food Environments ◽

Food Outlet ◽

Food Outlets

AbstractObjectiveTo explore changes in urban food environments near schools, as potential contributors to the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity among children.DesignAddresses of food premises and schools in 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2006 were geo-coded. For each year, the number and proportion of outlets by category (supermarket/grocery; convenience; fast-food outlet) within 800 m of schools were calculated. The degree of spatial clustering of outlets was assessed using a bivariate K-function analysis. Food outlet categories, school level and school social deprivation quintiles were compared.SettingChristchurch, New Zealand.SubjectsAll schools and food outlets at 10-year snapshots from 1966 to 2006.ResultsBetween 1966 and 2006, the median number of supermarkets/grocery stores within 800 m of schools decreased from 5 to 1, convenience stores decreased from 2 to 1, and fast-food outlets increased from 1 to 4. The ratio of fast-food outlets to total outlets increased from 0·10 to 0·67. The clustering of fast-food outlets was greatest within 800 m of schools and around the most socially deprived schools. Over the 40-year study period, school food environments in Christchurch can be characterized by increased densities of fast-food outlets within walking distance of schools, especially around the most deprived schools.ConclusionsSince the 1960s, there have been substantial changes to the food environments around schools which may increasingly facilitate away-from-home food consumption for children and provide easily accessible, cheap energy-dense foods, a recognized contributor to the rise in prevalence of overweight and obesity among young people.

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Co-Design and Open Trial of Starship Rescue, a Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Biofeedback, and Game-Based eHealth Intervention to Treat Anxiety in Children and Young People with Long-Term Physical Conditions (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26084 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hiran Thabrew ◽

Karolina Stasiak ◽

Harshali Kumar ◽

Tarique Naseem ◽

Christopher Frampton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

New Zealand ◽

Young People ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Physical Conditions ◽

System Usability Scale ◽

Ehealth Intervention

BACKGROUND Approximately 10% to 12% of New Zealand children and young people have long-term physical conditions (also known as chronic illnesses) and are more likely to develop psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression. Delayed treatment leads to worse physical and mental healthcare, school absence, and poorer long-term outcomes. Recently, electronic health (eHealth) interventions, especially those based on the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), have been shown to be as good as face-to-face therapy. Biofeedback techniques have also been shown to enhance relaxation during the treatment of anxiety. However, these modalities have rarely been combined. Young people with long-term physical conditions have expressed a preference for well-designed and technologically-based support to deal with psychological issues, especially anxiety. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the (i) acceptability and (ii) usability of a CBT and biofeedback-based, 5-module eHealth game called ‘Starship Rescue’ and (iii) to provide preliminary evidence regarding its effectiveness in addressing anxiety and quality of life in young people with long-term physical conditions. METHODS Starship Rescue was co-designed with children and young people from a tertiary hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Following this, 24 young people aged 10 to 17 years were enrolled in an open trial, during which they were asked to use the game for an 8-week period. Acceptability of the game to all participants was assessed using a brief, open-ended questionnaire, and more detailed feedback was obtained from a subset of 10 participants via semi-structured interviews. Usability was evaluated via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and device-recorded frequency and duration of access on completion of the game. Anxiety levels were measured prior to commencement, on completion of the game, and 3 months later using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) and Spence Child Anxiety Scales (SCAS), and at the start of each module and at the end of the game using an embedded Likert/visual analog scale. Quality of life was measured prior to commencement and on completion of the game using the Pediatric Quality of Life Scale (PEDS-QL). RESULTS Users gave Starship Rescue an overall rating of 5.9 out of 10 (range 3-10 and a mean score of 71 out of 100 (SD 11.7; min 47.5; max 90) on the System Usability Scale (SUS). The mean time period for use of the game was just over 11-weeks (78.8 days, 13.5 hours, 40 minutes). Significant reductions in anxiety were noted between the start and end of the game on the GAD-7 (-4.6 (p=0.000)), SCAS (-9.6 (p=0.005)), and the Likert/visual analogue scales (-2.4 (p=0.001)). Quality of life also improved on the PedsQL scale (+4.3 (p=0.042)). All changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence for Starship Rescue being an acceptable, usable and effective eHealth intervention for addressing anxiety in young people with long-term physical conditions. Further evaluation is planned via a more formal randomized controlled trial. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Network Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12616001253493p;https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371443 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sYB716lf)

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Musical shape and feeling

10.1093/oso/9780199351411.003.0028 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Leech-Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Everyday Life ◽

Recent Work ◽

Sensory Perception ◽

Dynamic Processes ◽

Sensorimotor System ◽

Musical Sound ◽

Sensory Mode ◽

Daniel Stern

The concept of shape is widely used by musicians in talking and thinking about performance, yet the mechanisms that afford links between music and shape are little understood. Work on the psychodynamics of everyday life by Daniel Stern and on embodiment by Mark Johnson suggests relationships between the multiple dynamics of musical sound and the dynamics of feeling and motion. Recent work on multisensory and precognitive sensory perception and on the role of bimodal neurons in the sensorimotor system helps to explain how shape, as a percept representing changing quantity in any sensory mode, may be invoked by dynamic processes at many stages of perception and cognition. These processes enable ‘shape’ to do flexible and useful work for musicians needing to describe the quality of musical phenomena that are fundamental to everyday musical practice and yet too complex to calculate during performance.

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