Search Results (55)

The application of biochar as a soil amendment has garnered significant interest due to its potential to enhance soil fertility, promote plant growth, and contribute to sustainable agriculture. This study investigated how the structural and morphological characteristics of artisanal biochars from four different brands (AB1, AB2, AB3, and AB4), purchased in supermarkets, influence the development of rice plants in sandy soil. Spectroscopic analyses demonstrated that AB4 exhibited the highest aromaticity (77%), ensuring structural stability, whereas AB2 displayed greater aliphaticity (47%). Morphological characterization revealed that AB4 preserved the cellular structure of the original biomass. The biochar studied and the doses influenced the parameters evaluated in the development of rice plants in sandy soil differently. The biochar with the highest aromatic structure (AB4) promoted an increase in root area, length, and number of bifurcations, as well as in dry and fresh biomass. The nutrient accumulation in the aerial part of the rice plants was greater with the application of AB1 and AB2 at the dose of 10 t ha⁻¹. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis indicated improved photosynthetic performance in the AB4 treatment, mitigating initial plant stress and optimizing energy use. This study underscores the potential of artisanal biochar to enhance crop productivity and foster sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

Cow’s milk is an important part of the human diet, primarily due to its high nutritional content, particularly proteins and fats. The processing of milk enhances its safety while modifying its composition and structure, influencing bioactive peptide release, which impacts protein quality, digestion, and allergenicity. Recently, filtered milk, which undergoes pasteurisation and microfiltration, has become available in UK supermarkets, offering a longer shelf life than pasteurised milk. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of microfiltration on the protein structure of cow’s milk, compared with pasteurisation, including analysis of the peptide profile released after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of commercially available semi-skimmed filtered and pasteurised cow’s milk. Dynamic light scattering analysis revealed that the Z-average particle size of filtered milk was significantly (p < 0.05) larger than that of pasteurised milk across all brands. Additionally, filtered milk exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) lower free thiol concentration compared with pasteurised milk, indicating structural modifications in proteins. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) further highlighted heterogeneities in the distribution of fat and protein, with filtered milk samples showing increased interaction between fat globules and proteins. After gastrointestinal digestion, the numbers of peptides released from filtered milk exceeded those of peptides released from pasteurised milk by an average of 5%. These results provide new insights into the potential impact of microfiltration on the microstructure of milk. Further investigations using advanced analytical techniques are needed to assess the implications of these changes on protein bioavailability and human health. Full article

In the changing field of sustainable packaging, companies are confronted with the challenge of balancing sustainability with brand differentiation. The move toward standardized, reusable packaging is beneficial for the environment but restricts the use of custom designs. This study explores how standardized, reusable packaging affects consumer perception in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It focuses on the evolving role of brands to maintain brand differentiation. This research is centered around two case studies. The first examines 219 tomato products to understand the factors driving packaging diversity. Data was collected from three Dutch supermarket websites to analyze packaging types, materials, and size. The second case study investigates consumer responses to single-use versus standardized reusable packaging across eight brands in both food and non-food categories. An online survey was used to assess perceived quality (PQ), willingness to buy (WTB), and brand perception. The results indicate that standardization has a limited effect on perceived quality (the impression of excellence that a consumer experiences), suggesting that it may encourage more brands to adopt reusable packaging. Willingness to buy findings, indicating whether consumers have the intention to buy a product, were mixed. A decrease was observed in food products and an increase noted in non-food. Brand perception most often showed a decrease, indicating challenges in maintaining brand differentiation. Three strategic approaches for brands to align with a sustainability-driven market while preserving value are presented. These are focusing on visual and verbal differentiation, collaborating with competitors to adopt a common archetypal packaging, or shifting marketing away from physical packaging towards digital and authentic communication. However, the new role of marketers will need further exploration, with a focus on authentically communicating the real content and its added value. Full article

In current times, sustainability is paramount, and businesses are increasingly adopting renewable energy sources (RESs) and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to minimise their environmental impact and operational costs. Such a transition can prove challenging to multi-location businesses since each chain store functions under different constraints; therefore, the implementation of a corporate policy requires adaptations. The increased electricity demand associated with EV charging stations and their installation cost could prove to be a significant financial burden. Therefore, this study aims to investigate and develop strategies for effectively incorporating RES and EV charging stations into the operations of a supermarket chain in Crete. Monthly electricity consumption data, parking availability, and premise dimensions were collected for 20 supermarkets under the same brand. To achieve a more tailored approach to custom energy system sizing, the integration of energy storage coupled with a photovoltaic (PV) system was investigated, using the Moth–Flame Optimiser (MFO) to maximise the Net Present Value (NPV) of 20 years. The algorithm managed to locate optimal solutions that yield profitable installations for all supermarkets by installing the necessary number of PV units. Manual exploration around the solutions led to the optimal integration of energy storage systems with a total upfront cost of EUR 856,477.00 and a total profit for the entire brand equal to EUR 6,426,355.14. Full article

Background: Food insecurity is a major global problem, with over 2.8 billion people reported as unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. While charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play an important role in improving food access, ensuring the quality and safety of donated foods is crucial for safeguarding needy communities from food-related illnesses. This study evaluated the safety and quality of food donations at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District using a novel methodology. Methods: In March 2024, a five-day audit was conducted at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A mobile device was utilized to document comprehensive information on all incoming deliveries, including the type of food, product details (such as brand, name, and variety), donor information, weight, and date markings. The audit assessed 1037 items, totaling 64,818 kg of donated food, against established food safety standards. Each item was visually inspected upon arrival and classified as ‘unsuitable’, ‘potentially unsafe’, or ‘unsafe’ for human consumption. Results: Out of the 64,818 kg of donated food, 95.5% (61,886 kg) was deemed satisfactory. However, 4.5% of the total, which amounts to 2932 kg, was categorized as either unsafe (355 kg), potentially unsafe (1182 kg), or unsuitable (1395 kg) for consumption. Retail supermarkets donated the largest weight of food, and also of the food classified as unsafe or unsuitable. Conclusions: The study highlights an urgent need for improved quality control and safety measures in food donations to CFAPs. Stricter handling and inspection guidelines are essential to ensure the quality of charitable food, reduce health risks, and build public trust in donation programs. Full article

Kombucha brewers selling non-alcoholic beverages in the United States must ensure that the ethanol content of their products remains below 0.5% (v/v) throughout all stages of production and shelf life. Producers struggle to comply with this regulation in the absence of expensive dealcoholizing equipment if they wish to sell the unpasteurized or minimally pasteurized products that consumers typically expect. To identify which bacterial and/or fungal species contribute to the high ethanol content of commercial kombucha, we analyzed 47 commercial kombucha samples purchased at supermarkets near Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, USA. We analyzed samples for ethanol content via HPLC, microbial load determination, and next-generation amplicon sequencing of the bacterial and fungal populations of those samples. Two brands were found to contain significantly more than 0.5% ethanol (v/v) in the tested samples (t-test, p < 0.05, greater), and three brands were found to contain significantly different amounts of sugar in the tested samples compared to what was reported on the nutrition label (one higher and two lower, t-test, p < 0.05, two-sided). The microbial communities of the samples most significantly varied due to brand (PERMANOVA, p < 0.05). The main bacterial genera observed in the samples were Komagataeibacter, Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Oenococcus, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium. The main fungal genera observed in the samples were Saccharomyces, Dekkera, Cyberlindnera, Lachancea, Schizosaccharomyces, and Pichia. We did not identify any bacterial or fungal species associated with differences in ethanol content between samples within brands, suggesting significant strain variation in the bacteria and fungi involved in commercial kombucha fermentation. However, we did find that the relative abundance of Lactobacillales and the lactic acid content of the samples were significantly correlated (Kendall correlation test, p < 0.05). These results build upon recent research elucidating the role of lactic acid bacteria in the commercial fermentation of kombucha. Full article

While policies targeting education in schools, marketing campaigns, and taxation strategies are of great importance to tackle our population’s malnutrition, there is growing concern about enhancing the supermarket environment to promote healthier food consumption. Public and private policies targeting the food retail sector can contribute to achieving this goal. Supermarkets play a significant role in presenting food options. As gatekeepers of the food system’s impact on consumers’ health, they have the power to help people make better food choices. Examples include making healthy checkouts and nudging consumption of vegetables through infographics. Currently, few policies specify how supermarkets’ environments could be set up to improve healthy purchases (e.g., the “Partnership for a healthy diet” in Norway and “hange4Life Convenience Stores” in the UK). Furthermore, we see recent shifts in the policy agendas of countries like Germany and Argentina, with new nutrition behavioural policies being legislated and implemented. However, we lack general guidelines that unify the available information on this topic. Addressing this gap has the potential to guide future supermarket policy recommendations. We will perform a review and delve deeper to search for governmental policies and policies of major supermarket brands in selected countries (i.e., Germany and Argentina) to taxonomize the policy initiatives, examining their projects and campaigns designed to improve supermarket environments and encourage consumers to choose healthy options. We will harvest sources published since the release of the SDGs (2015), from ScienceDirect, the FAO policy search engine Informas, and the NOURISHING platform. We will identify the grey literature by searching related websites and databases as well as national government pages or private supermarket policy documents. We will extract the information relevant to policymaking to improve environments in terms of product reformulation, labelling strategies, placement, product processes, and sweet beverage representation. While spotting incentive, procurement, and regulative policies, we will group them in terms of interventions and further taxonomize the different approaches/initiatives. Our objective is to provide unified policy recommendations by leveraging existing experiences and policies and designing applicable recommendations to improve the food environment in supermarkets. Furthermore, we aim to promote the creation of science-based policies that consider these recommendations. Full article

Background and objectives: Nutrients of concern (i.e., salt, sugars, and total fat/saturated fat) are associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCD); their intakes in adults across the EU are, on average, above the recommended intake. Reformulation policies for healthier food and beverage products are an NCD Best Buy to tackle unhealthy diets and could lead to lower intakes of these nutrients. However, regular monitoring of such policies and of food environments is lacking; good quality and representative data about the food offer in supermarkets are difficult or expensive to obtain. Aiming to support public monitoring of the nutritional quality of the food offer, the JRC developed a web-based tool to host data on branded food products across Europe. Methods: FABLE hosts data on branded food and beverage products across Europe collected within three public-funded projects, EUREMO, JANPA and Best-ReMaP. The aligned food product nomenclature makes for more effective data analysis. The FABLE design will allow for the addition of future data collection efforts. Results: FABLE’s dynamic dashboard will enable users to explore, interact with and visualize data on the nutritional content of branded food and beverage products across Europe. Several food categories are covered, such as bread and bread products, breakfast cereals, soft drinks, and dairy products. FABLE allows for (1) country comparisons for specific nutrients and food groups, (2) deep dives into each country/food category-specific nutrient of concern, and (3) the possibility of making time comparisons on the progress of the nutritional quality of the food offer. Discussion: Currently, there is no publicly available systematic approach to collecting and accessing data to continuously monitor food offer across Europe. FABLE aims to close this gap by making data collected on branded food and beverages through EU-funded projects publicly available for researchers, policymakers and the public. Users will be able to interact with, explore and easily visualize data. This will allow for the public monitoring of the food supply across the EU, which can incentivize reformulation efforts and lead to an improved food offer, making healthier choices more available to consumers. Full article

There is a growing demand for convenience grab-and-go (GNG) food and beverages due to the modern, busy lifestyle. The types of food and beverages available in this sector are currently not well defined, although a large selection of discretionary foods is typically on display. The aims of this study were (1) to summarise the literature on consumers’ purchasing behaviours of sweetened beverages, in particular the effects of purchasing locations and settings, price, promotion, and serving sizes, followed by (2) a cross-sectional audit of available sweetened beverages (sugar-sweetened and intensely sweetened) in the GNG sector. Three common GNG settings (convenience stores, front of supermarket, and fast-food outlets) within metropolitan Sydney, Australia, were selected in three different socioeconomic localities. Data were collected by in-store visits (n = 18) and using brand websites between March and April 2022. A total of 1204 GNG sweetened beverages were included. Sugar-sweetened beverages comprised 67% of beverages, with the highest proportion in fast-food outlets (80%), followed by convenience stores (67%) and supermarkets (61%). The majority (63%) of sugar-sweetened beverages had an energy content higher than 600 kJ and a serving size over 375 mL. Fast-food outlets in particular had the smallest selection of sugar-sweetened beverages less than or equal to 250 mL (5.1%). No differences across socioeconomic localities in the proportion and serving sizes of available sugar-sweetened beverages were observed. These findings show that the majority of GNG sweetened beverages have large serving sizes and high energy content, and opportunities exist to improve this food environment. An increased selection of smaller serving sizes can nudge consumers towards more appropriate serving size selections. Full article

In food desert areas, low-income households without convenient transportation often shop at small, independently owned corner markets and convenience stores (SIOMs). Studies indicate a higher potential for reduced product quality and safety of foods sold at SIOMs, with more critical and non-critical code violations in the region. This study aimed to assess the difference in market scale on the microbiological quality in select food products procured from food deserts in Central Virginia. A total of 326 samples consisting of meat products (i.e., ground beef, chicken, and sausage), ethnic food products (i.e., ox tail, stock fish bite, egusi ground, and saffron powder), and food packaging surfaces procured from ten registered SIOMs and nine large chain supermarkets (LCSMs) between August 2018 and March 2020 were evaluated. Higher levels of aerobic mesophile and coliform counts were found in SIOMs-acquired samples than in LCSMs-acquired samples, as demonstrated by the lower food safety compliance rate of SIOMs. Regardless of SIOMs or LCSMs, Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella were detected in 3.6%, 20.9%, 5.5%, and 2.7% of samples, respectively. The majorities of Campylobacter (75%, 6/8) and Salmonella (83.3%, 5/6) detected were from SIOMs-acquired samples including ethnic food products. Among the tested antimicrobials, AMP (100%) and TOB (100%) showed the highest frequency of resistance among Campylobacter, TCY (69.9%) among E. coli, NAL (100%) among Listeria, and TCY (50%) among Salmonella, respectively. The prevalence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) and non-susceptibility in Campylobacter and non-susceptibility in Listeria isolated from SIOMs-acquired food products were lower than those isolated from LCSMs-acquired samples. A higher price of the same brand name commodity sold at SIOMs than those sold at LCSMs was also observed, indicating an increased financial burden to economically challenged residents in food desert areas, in addition to food safety concerns. Elaborated and in-depth research on a larger-scale sample size with a greater diversity of products is needed to determine and intervene in the cause(s) of the observed differences in the prevalence of the pathogens and AMR profiles. Full article

As a result of worried consumer pressure, European supermarket chains (ESC) have developed very strict rules about the number and concentration of pesticide active substance residues (AS) accepted in fruits. So-called fruit quality toxicological burden indicators were developed. If fruit suppliers do not comply with ESC requirements, their fruit is often rejected. It is becoming increasingly difficult for apple producers to meet all the requirements of the ESC, so they need new residue reduction tools. One of the options to lower the concentrations of residue on apples is a preharvest application of low-risk preparations (LRP) based on potassium bicarbonate (KHCO₃) = PBC, coconut di-ethanol amide ((CH₃(CH₂)_nC(=O)N(CH₂CH₂OH)₂) = DEA, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) = HP, and a mixture of microbes (EM) that have the ability to dissolve or disintegrate the AS residue. Trials were carried out to test the concept mentioned above. The application of LRP during the last four weeks of preharvest significantly reduced the residue concentration of pesticide AS in apples. Reduction rates among 25 active substances ranged from 0 to 100%, depending on the combination of LRP and AS. HP had the highest capacity to accelerate AS degradation, PB was the second most efficient, and DEA and EM displayed a low residue disintegration ability. The application of the tested LRP can enable apple growers to produce fruits with significantly lower residue concentrations and allows them to comply more successfully with strict ESC rules based on the calculations of toxicological burden indicators. Full article

While the Mediterranean diet (MD) is championed as a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern, the NOVA classification is discussed as a tool to identify ultra-processed foods and further specify healthy food choices. We tested whether the NOVA System aligns with the MD recommendations as presented in the MD pyramids. Foods from the Greek branded food composition database, HelTH, (n = 4581) were scored according to NOVA and assigned to the tiers of the traditional and/or sustainable MD pyramids. Nutritional quality was measured as nutrient content and Nutri-Score grades. NOVA identified 70.2% of all foods as UPFs, and 58.7% or 41.0% of foods included in the sustainable and the traditional MD, respectively. Although foods at the top of the pyramids were mostly (>80%) UPFs, NOVA identified > 50% of foods in the MD base as UPFs. Only 22–39% of foods in the MD base were not UPFs and of high nutritional quality (Nutri-Score A-B). NOVA has low discriminatory capacity across the MD tiers, and it restricts food choices to <30% of foods currently available in supermarkets and <60% within the recommended MD tiers. Therefore, the NOVA classification cannot always identify suitable food choices under the MD pyramid in the modern packaged food environment. Full article

A growing number of studies have confirmed that microplastics (MPs) contamination represents a worrisome issue of global concern. MPs have been detected in the atmosphere, in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as in the biota. Moreover, MPs have been recently detected in some food products and in drinking water. However, only limited information is currently available for beverages, although they are largely consumed by humans and might contribute to the ingestion of MPs. Thus, estimating the contamination in beverages represents a crucial step in assessing human MP ingestion. The aim of the present study was to explore the presence of MPs in nonalcoholic beverages, namely soft drinks and cold tea, of different brands purchased in supermarkets and to estimate the contribution of beverage consumption to MP ingestion by humans. The results of the present study confirmed the presence of MPs, mainly fibers, in most of the analyzed beverages, with a mean (± SEM) number of 9.19 ± 1.84 MPs/L. In detail, the number of MPs detected in soft drinks and cold tea was 9.94 ± 0.33 MPs/L and 7.11 ± 2.62 MPs/L, respectively. Our findings confirmed that beverage consumption can be considered one of the main pathways for MP ingestion by humans. Full article

Salmonella are widely distributed foodborne pathogens and are often associated with food animal products. Colistin resistance mediated by mcr-1 is an increasing threat; however, data on the characteristics of mcr-1-harboring Salmonella among retail foods are still lacking. In this study, retail meats from 24 supermarkets and eggs from nine markets in Qingdao city were investigated to determine the presence and genomic characteristics of mcr-1-harboring Salmonella. We found the retail meats and eggs were highly contaminated by Salmonella, with detection rates of 17.5% (31/177) and 12.3% (16/130), respectively. A total of 76 Salmonella isolates were obtained in this study, and 77.6% showed multidrug resistance (MDR). The MDR proportion of egg isolates (97.5%) was significantly higher than that in meat isolates (55.6%) (p < 0.05). The most prevalent Salmonella serotypes were Typhimurium (56.6%) and Enteritidis (17.1%). Of the 76 Salmonella isolates, 40 possessed mcr-1. All 40 mcr-1-positive isolates were ST34 S. Typhimurium and were from eggs of eight brands. Different mcr-1-harboring isolates existed in the same egg, and some isolates from different egg samples or brands showed clonal relationships. The mcr-1 was located on similar IncHI2/HI2A MDR non-conjugative plasmids lacking transfer region, resulting in the failure of conjugation. The phylogenetic tree using genome sequences showed that the mcr-1-positive isolates from eggs clustered together with mcr-1-positive isolates from chicken and humans in China, revealing that mcr-1-positive egg-borne Salmonella might be derived from chicken and could potentially trigger outbreaks in humans. The high occurrence of mcr-1-harboring Salmonella in fresh eggs is alarming, and there is an urgent need to monitor mcr-1-harboring Salmonella in retail meats and eggs. We report for the first time the role of retail eggs in disseminating mcr-1-positive Salmonella and the risk of transmission of these MDR pathogens from retail food to humans should be evaluated comprehensively. Full article

Bottled water is one of the fastest growing commercial products in both developing and developed countries owing to the believe that it is safe and pure. In South Africa, over the years, there has been an increase in the sale of bottled water due to the perceived notion that water supplied by the government may not be safe for human consumption. This study investigated the concentrations of trace metals and the physicochemical properties of bottled water purchased from various supermarkets (registered and unregistered) in Pretoria with a view to determining the health risk that may be associated with the levels of trace metals resulting from the consumption of the bottled water. Twelve commonly available different brands of bottled water were purchased and analysed for trace-metal content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The water samples were also analysed for various physicochemical parameters. The health risk was assessed using the target hazard quotient (THQ). For all the bottled water, the highest concentration of all the elements was recorded for Fe. The values reported for Cr, Ni and Pb were above the limit recommended by World Health Organization. The pH values ranged from 4.67 to 7.26. Three of the samples had pH values in the acidic region below the permissible standard of 6.8–8.0 set by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). The target hazard quotient calculated for the water samples showed a minimum risk for Pb, Cr and Ni. The study showed the need to adhere to a strict compliance standard considering the fact that South Africa has rich natural mineral elements, which may have played a role in the high levels of trace metals reported from some of the water samples. Full article