scholarly journals Caffeine Health Claims on Sports Supplement Labeling. Analytical Assessment According to EFSA Scientific Opinion and International Evidence and Criteria

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 2095
Author(s):  
Pedro Estevan Navarro ◽  
Isabel Sospedra ◽  
Alejandro Perales ◽  
Cristina González-Díaz ◽  
Rubén Jiménez-Alfageme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Endurance Performance ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
European Food Safety Authority ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Strength Performance ◽  
Scientific Opinion ◽  
Term Performance

Caffeine is a food supplement widely consumed by athletes, but it has not been established. So far, the veracity of their labeling in terms of the dosage and cause/effect relationship aimed at the consumer. The aim is to analyze the health claims and the dosage presented on the labeling of caffeine supplements and to evaluate if they follow the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and international criteria. A descriptive cross-sectional study of a sample of caffeine supplements was carried out. The search was done through the Amazon and Google Shopping web portals. In order to assess the adequacy of the health claims, the guidelines of reference established by European Food Safety Authority were compared to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, International Olympic Committee, and Australian Institute of Sport guidelines; in addition, recent systematic reviews were addressed. A review of labels of 42 caffeine supplements showed that, in less than 3% of the products were the health claims supported by the recommendations and by the labeled quantity of caffeine. The claims that fully complied the recommendations were, “improves or increases endurance performance”, “improves strength performance”, or “improves short-term performance”. In most cases, the recommended dosage was 200 mg/day for these products, which is the minimum for the caffeine effects to be declared. The rest of the health claims were not adequate or need to be modified. Most of the health claims identified indicated an unproven cause and effect, which constitutes consumer fraud, and so must be modified or eliminated.

Should Weights and Risk Categories Be Used for Inspection Scores To Evaluate Food Safety in Restaurants?

2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIOGO THIMOTEO da CUNHA ◽  
VERIDIANA VERA de ROSSO ◽  
ELKE STEDEFELDT
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Risk Category ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Evaluation Bias ◽  
Risk Categories ◽  
Food Safety Evaluation

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to verify the characteristics of food safety inspections, considering risk categories and binary scores. A cross-sectional study was performed with 439 restaurants in 43 Brazilian cities. A food safety checklist with 177 items was applied to the food service establishments. These items were classified into four groups (R1 to R4) according to the main factors that can cause outbreaks involving food: R1, time and temperature aspects; R2, direct contamination; R3, water conditions and raw material; and R4, indirect contamination (i.e., structures and buildings). A score adjusted for 100 was calculated for the overall violation score and the violation score for each risk category. The average violation score (standard deviation) was 18.9% (16.0), with an amplitude of 0.0 to 76.7%. Restaurants with a low overall violation score (approximately 20%) presented a high number of violations from the R1 and R2 groups, representing the most risky violations. Practical solutions to minimize this evaluation bias were discussed. Food safety evaluation should use weighted scores and be risk-based. However, some precautions must be taken by researchers, health inspectors, and health surveillance departments to develop an adequate and reliable instrument.

What Is the Impact of Prior Authorization on the Incidence of Pediatric Tonsillectomy?

2020 ◽  
pp. 019459982096963
Author(s):  
Vanessa F. Torrecillas ◽  
Kaden Neuberger ◽  
Alexander Ramirez ◽  
Paul Krakovitz ◽  
Jeremy D. Meier
Keyword(s):  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Lag Time ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Prior Authorization ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Objective Third-party payers advocate for prior authorization (PA) to reduce overutilization of health care resources. The impact of PA in elective surgery is understudied, especially in cases where evidence-based clinical practice guidelines define operative candidacy. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of PA on the incidence of pediatric tonsillectomy. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Health claims database from a third-party payer. Methods Any pediatric patient who had evaluation for tonsillectomy from 2016 to 2019 was eligible for inclusion. A time series analysis was used to evaluate the change in incidence of tonsillectomy before and after PA. Lag time from consultation to surgery before and after PA was compared with segmented regression. Results A total of 10,047 tonsillectomy claims met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Female patients made up 51% of claims, and the mean age was 7.9 years. Just 1.5% of claims were denied after PA implementation. There was no change in the incidence of tonsillectomy for all plan types ( P = .1). Increased lag time from consultation to surgery was noted immediately after PA implementation by 2.38 days (95% CI, 0.23-4.54; P = .030); otherwise, there was no significant change over time ( P = .98). Conclusion A modest number of tonsillectomy claims were denied approval after implementation of PA. The value of PA for pediatric tonsillectomy is questionable, as it did not result in decreased incidence of tonsillectomy in this cohort.

Peer effects in the valuation and practices of food safety: findings from the study of dairy consumers in India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Chandra ◽  
Abdul Munasib ◽  
Devesh Roy ◽  
Vinay K. Sonkar
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Peer Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Social Multiplier ◽  
Multiplier Effects ◽  
The Right

Purpose Information is often available to consumers through their social networks. Focusing on dairy consumers in India, this paper aims to present evidence of peer effects in consumers’ attitudes towards various food safety attributes and food safety practices. Design/methodology/approach Unobserved individual heterogeneities are crucial confounders in the identification of social (endogenous) effects. The identification is based on exploiting within-consumer variation across different aspects of attitude (or practices) related to food safety. Findings This paper uses a novel identification strategy that allows for average effects across attributes and practices to be estimated. Using the strategy, though this paper cannot estimate endogenous effects in each attribute or practice, this paper is able to identify such effects averaged over attributes or practices. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional study, caste affiliation is not defined at the right level of granularity. Practical implications The results suggest that information campaigns aimed at creating awareness about food safety can have social multiplier effects, and this also translates into changes in the practices followed to mitigate food safety risks. Social implications In health-related awareness and practices, there are well-established cases of multiplier effects. The most significant example of this is the Pulse Polio campaign in India, where an awareness drives through social multiplier effects had such a significant impact that in 2012 India was declared polio-free. Perhaps, a similar campaign in matters related to food safety could be very fruitful. Originality/value The methodology and the issue are unique. Little exists in assessing social networks in the context of food safety.

Knowledge and awareness about food safety, foodborne disease, and microbial hazards: A cross-sectional study among Bangladeshi consumers of street-vended foods

Food Control ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 108718
Author(s):  
Md Hasan Al Banna ◽  
Satyajit Kundu ◽  
Keith Brazendale ◽  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Tasnim Rahman Disu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Foodborne Disease ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

scholarly journals Factors associated with food safety compliance among street food vendors in Can Tho city, Vietnam: implications for intervention activity design and implementation

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ba Huynh-Van ◽  
Vy Vuong-Thao ◽  
Tuyen Huynh-Thi-Thanh ◽  
Sinh Dang-Xuan ◽  
Tung Huynh-Van ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Intervention Activity ◽  
The Status ◽  
Hygiene Compliance ◽  
Basic Infrastructure ◽  
Can Tho City

Abstract Background Street food plays a valuable role in several Asian countries including Vietnam. Improving the safety of street food is an important responsibility for many local food authorities. This study aims to characterize the business profile of fixed and mobile street food vendors, and to compare their compliance with the food safety criteria. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire and observational checklist to assess the ten Vietnamese food safety criteria prescribed under Decision No. 3199/2000/QD-BYT for street food vendors in Can Tho city. A total of 400 street food vendors, composed of fixed and mobile vendors, in urban areas of the city were randomly selected for the survey. Results The study showed significant differences between the two types of street food vendors in educational level (p = 0.017); business profile, including types of foods vended, area in use, number of employees, training in food safety, and business registration paperwork; and the status of compliance with the ten-food hygiene and safety criteria (p < 0.01). Poisson regression analysis found that education attainment (IRR = 1.228, p = 0.015), food safety training (IRR = 4.855, p < 0.01), total business capital (IRR = 1.004, p = 0.031) and total area in use (IRR = 1.007, p = 0.001) appeared to be significantly positively associated with food safety and hygiene compliance. In contrast, mobile vending type was negatively associated with the likelihood of adhering to the ten criteria (IRR = 0.547, p = 0.005). Conclusions These findings emphasize the need for training and education programs to improve food safety knowledge and practice among street food vendors. Basic infrastructure and services, especially clean water, proper sanitation, and waste disposal facilities, should be provided to help street food vendors better practice food safety and hygiene regulations.

scholarly journals Relationship between awareness and attitude with health and foodsafety among students of Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  
Arezou Khezerlou ◽  
Nasim Zolfaghari Firouzsalari ◽  
Hajar Zolfaghari ◽  
Mahmood Alizadeh sani ◽  
Maryam Azizi-lalabadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Freshmen Students ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Healthy Life Style

Introduction: Healthy life style and food safety are among the most crucial elements inpromoting community health. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the awarenessand attitudes of the students of Urmia University, Urmai, Iran, regarding health and food safety. Methods: The questionnaire used was designed in three parts (demographic, attitude, andawareness) and it was completed by 384 students. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: Results showed that over 80% of the students had positive attitude towards health and foodsafety. In addition, almost 50% of the subjects had low awareness on the most appropriate plasticcontainers to keep food healthy. Findings indicated that there was a significant difference between thestudents' attitudes and their academic level (P = 0.008). No significant differences were found amongstudents' awareness and attitude considering gender and passing the food safety course. Cocnclusion: As the study findings revealed, training programs and workshops related to healthand food safety could be effective, specially for freshmen students.

scholarly journals Food safety knowledge levels of gastronomy/culinary arts students and food workers in Southern Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-215
Author(s):  
Mevhibe Terkuran
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Culinary Arts ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Education Status ◽  
Knowledge Levels ◽  
Hygiene Education ◽  
Safety Knowledge ◽  
Food Workers

This research was aimed to analyze the food safety knowledge levels between gastronomy and culinary arts students and food work-ers in the Çukurova Region of Turkey. A total of 155 participants (80 students, 75 food workers) have partici-pated in this cross-sectional study. The overall knowledge scores of food workers and the students were 89.33% and 78.89% respectively, and food workers have more scores in all sections (p<0.001). Hy-giene certification, occupa-tion, and working estab-lishments had a significant association with total food safety scores; however, gender, marital status, age, education level, frequency of hygiene education, work-ing experience, monthly in-come had no significant as-sociation with their scores (p>0.05). A positive correla-tion was found between gender, education status, hygiene certification, and frequency of receiving hy-giene education; but no cor-relation was found between working in any food busi-ness, graduated high schools, and age of the stu-dents (p>0.05). More knowledge gaps of both groups have been found about time-temperature con-trol, holding/storage tem-perature, and cross-contamination. Finally, it is important to measure the reflection of the hygiene training on practices and to make it regular in ensuring food safety.

scholarly journals Should We Use Unilateral or Bilateral Tasks to Assess Maximal and Explosive Knee Extensor Strength in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis? A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 4353
Author(s):  
Jonas Pfeifle ◽  
David Hasler ◽  
Nicola Maffiuletti
Keyword(s):  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Knee Extensor ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Strength Performance ◽  
Explosive Strength ◽  
Knee Extensor Strength ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Voluntary Contractions

Deficits in maximal and explosive knee extensor strength, which are usually assessed with unilateral tasks, are substantial in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of unilateral vs. bilateral tasks for assessing knee extensor strength in patients with KOA. This was achieved primarily by comparing unilateral and bilateral inter-limb strength asymmetries and secondarily by examining the relationship between unilaterally and bilaterally measured strength, and performance-based and self-reported function. Twenty-four patients with unilateral KOA (mean age: 65 ± 7 years) performed isometric gradual and explosive maximal voluntary contractions to assess, respectively their maximal and explosive strength. Performance-based and self-reported function were also evaluated with standard functional tests and questionnaires, respectively. Inter-limb asymmetries of maximal and explosive strength did not differ significantly between unilateral (mean asymmetry: 26 ± 15%) and bilateral tasks (22 ± 21%). In the same way, the relationships between knee extensor strength—measured either unilaterally or bilaterally—and performance-based or self-reported function were not influenced by the type of task. In conclusion, it does not seem to make a difference in terms of clinical relevance whether maximal and explosive knee extensor strength are evaluated with unilateral or bilateral tasks in KOA patients.

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