Community Empowerment to Improve the Village Economy through the Utilization of Tea Leaves in Bahbutong Village, Simalungun Regency

The community empowerment program is an activity that aims to increase the understanding and knowledge of the community in utilizing the existing potential. The level of understanding and knowledge of the community in Bahbutong Village is still limited in carrying out activities to utilize the potential of the village, this is related to the not optimal community empowerment efforts carried out. One of the potentials that can be pursued and reprocessed so as to get direct benefits that can be felt by the village community is tea leaves. So far, people only know that tea leaves are only for food and drink, so they have not been able to make a big contribution to the village economy. Utilization of tea leaves in Bahbutong Village can be an effort to improve the village economy through community empowerment activities carried out by the village government. The tea leaves in question are unused leaves or leftovers from tea plantations in Bahbutong Village. The method used in this research is the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method. The results obtained in this study are new innovations in the use of tea leaves, namely the manufacture of tea aromatherapy candles that can provide relaxation for breathing and can also optimize community empowerment programs so that the village economy can increase

Improving Water Efficiency in the Beverage Industry With the Internet of Things

The food and beverage industry is one of the most water-intensive industries, with water required for various processes (e.g., washing, cooking, cleaning) at almost every stage of the production, as well as being a key constituent in many food and drink products. Therefore, a real-time efficient water management strategy is imperative, and the novel internet of things (IoT)-based technologies can be of significant help in developing it. This chapter presents the architecture of an IoT-based water-monitoring system followed by the demonstration of a case study of a beverage factory wherein the monitoring system helped understand the detailed water usage as well as finding solutions and addressing overconsumption of water during the manufacturing processes. The successful deployment of IoT helped reduce the annual water consumption by 6.7%, monitor water usage in real-time, and improve it.

Performative Eating as Edutainment on YouTube

On the Social Web, on the leading social video sharing site YouTube, some of the most popular videos (with millions of views each) show “performative eating,” described here as “consuming food as a form of entertainment.” The performances occur in various locales and in various ways: Mukbang eating shows and their derivatives show individuals, pairs, groups, and families in feats of food and drink consumption. ASMR (autonomous [auto] sensory meridian response) eating videos show individuals and small groups eating copious amounts of food with an emphasis on listening pleasures. In restaurants, individuals and small groups take on (un)timed eating challenges. Outdoors, persons harvest food and prepare it, or they hunt wildlife and butcher the kill and prepare the animal proteins. Travel eating occurs in various locations around the world, with a focus on local specialties. The common denominator in these are spectacle. Viewed another way, performative eating videos are a form of edutainment, with positive and negative lessons.

Food Culture and Traditional Performing Arts in Japan

Food and cuisine in Japan as well as in Italy – and certainly not only in France – are culture. The importance of food is naturally vital and is therefore the foundation of the rites, in which offerings to the deities also take place. In Japan, gods are presented offerings of rice, foods from the seas and the mountains, drinks (sake), as well as flowers, in rituals. At the same time the performing arts (poetry, music and dance) are also important in the rituals, dedicated to the divinities and to the audience on the occasion of rites and festivals. The paper will discuss food and drink, which are the basis of civilisation and nutrition in Japan, in connection with traditional theatres: from nō, to kyōgen.

The Diet of Children Attending a Holiday Programme in the UK: Adherence to UK Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and School Food Standards

Child poverty rates are rising, particularly in London, putting more children at risk of experiencing food insecurity. Holiday programmes in the UK provide children who receive free schools meals during term time with access to free/low-cost holiday clubs offering nutritious food and enriching activities during the school holidays. This study aimed to investigate whether children’s dietary intake was more adherent to the UK Eatwell Guide throughout the day and meets School Food Standards (SFS) for the lunchtime meal on a club attendance versus a non-attendance day. A repeated measures design was used to assess data on the food and drink intake of children (n = 57) aged 7–16 years old using a 24 h recall method on two separate occasions: once based on an attending club day and once based on a non-attending club day. The results showed children’s diet quality improved (p = 0.007) on an attending club day (mean: 58.0 ± SD 12.6) versus a non-attending club day (51.8 ± 15.0). Children also more closely adhered to the SFS (p = 0.001) on an attending club day (median = 9, interquartile range = 8–9) versus a non-attending club day (median = 7, interquartile range = 6–8). This suggests that holiday programmes targeting children who receive free school meals during term time have the potential to improve children’s dietary behaviours during the school holidays, underlining the importance of holiday programmes to support food security.

Does the prevalence of promotions on foods and beverages vary by product healthiness? A population-based study of household food and drink purchases in New Zealand

Objective: To assess the prevalence of promotions on foods and non-alcoholic drinks purchased by New Zealand households and to determine if they vary according to healthiness of products. Design: We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of Nielsen New Zealand Homescan® 2018/19 panel data. We conducted multivariate analyses to examine the variability in quantities of healthy vs. unhealthy food and beverage products purchased on promotion. Promotion was self-reported by the panelist. Healthiness of products was measured by the Health Star Rating system (HSR). We also carried out a subgroup analysis for beverages according to the threshold of < 5 g vs. ≥ 5 g sugar per 100 ml content of products. Setting: The Nielsen New Zealand Homescan® data were linked with two New Zealand food composition databases (Nutritrack and the FOODfiles). Participants: Food and beverage purchases data by 1,800 panel households were used. Results: Overall, 46% (1,803,601/3,940,458) of all purchases made were on promotion. Compared with purchases of food and beverage products with HSR < 3.5 (unhealthy), food and beverage products with HSR ≥ 3.5 (healthy) were significantly less likely to be on promotion (OR=0.78, 95% CI 0.77 - 0.79). The subgroup analysis for beverages shows that products with < 5 g per 100ml were significantly less likely to be on promotion than those with > 5 g sugar per 100ml (OR=0.76, 95% CI 0.75 - 0.78). Conclusions: Policies to improve healthy food retailing should focus on increasing the promotion of healthier food and drink options in stores and supermarkets.