Foods produced using biotechnology: how does the law protect consumers?

This paper addresses the following subjects: biotechnology and consumers, concern about risks, consumer acceptance, labelling of foods produced using biotechnology, the legal approach to consumer protection, and consumer protection policies relating to biotechnology products in the European Union, the United States, Turkey and global institutions such as the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is likely that biotechnology will gain ground much more rapidly in the twenty‐first century than in the past. Despite rapid, detailed and precise advances in gene technology, its applications have not been the received with a great deal of consumer enthusiasm. Consumers have approached genetically modified foods with considerable apprehension and opposition. Consumer concerns about bioengineered food products focus on the questions of human health, environmental and social risks and benefits. The most important stages in the process of marketing new foods produced using biotechnology are to demonstrate user need and consumer acceptance. Generally, the technical complexity of biotechnology makes it difficult for consumers to understand details of the product and the specific attributes of biotechnology applications. Scientific uncertainty, the nature of consumer concerns and general reluctance to accept biotechnology products, increase the importance of consumer protection. Legal protection is a very important factor in the solution of new social problems related to technological advances. More specifically, consumer and environmental law support consumer protection related to foods produced with biotechnology. The basic principles of consumer law can be re‐formulated as consumer rights. Environmental law is a new phenomenon, but precautionary principles and public participation in decision‐making for environmental law are relevant to consumer protection relating to bioengineered food products.     

The food neophobia scale and young adults’ intention to eat insect products

In the coming years, the new EU Regulation on Novel Food is likely to facilitate the development of a niche market for insects and insect‐based ingredients in many European countries. In this research, the aim is to explore the relationship between willingness to try (WTT) and behavior of eating insects, where the independent variables are food neophobia, sensory property expectations, and previous consumption. In total, 88 Italian participants took part in the study. The food neophobia scale (FNS) was constructed using 9 of the 10 items from the original FNS, and a Structural Equation Modeling approach was used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that males are more open to trying insects than females, and food neophobia is negatively correlated with the willingness to eat insects. Findings also indicate that the first exposure to insects positively increases consumers’ sensory property expectations. Intention to try is a strong predictor of the behavior of eating insects. People who scored lower on the FNS were more likely to try (intention) and consequently eat insects (behavior). These findings enhance knowledge about factors which could lead to lower levels of negative prejudice and greater willingness to taste edible insects among Western consumers. Finally, some marketing implications are discussed, like the need of information campaigns to emphasize positive sensory attributes of edible insects to increase the WTT this unfamiliar food.     

Factors Affecting the Extent to which Consumers Incorporate Functional Ingredients into their Diets

This study considers the factors that explain the consumption of food and beverages with functional ingredients to avert or offset health problems. We use an instrumental variables Poisson regression model to deal with the endogeneity of perceived health status in functional ingredient use. The first stage results indicate that perceived health status is associated with attitude towards functional foods, food consumption motives and information seeking and being female. The second stage results suggest that individuals who consume more functional ingredients tend to have a positive attitude towards functional foods, are novelty‐seeking, female and older. As expected, consumption of functional ingredients is more likely when consumers’ self‐reports indicate that they are aware of functional foods’ nutritional value and the link with their own health. Consistent with previous research, most of the socio‐demographics are poor predictors of functional ingredient consumption.     

QuEChERS结合液相色谱-串联质谱联用法同时测定植物源性食品中多种双酰胺类农药残留

利用QuEChERS技术结合液相色谱-串联质谱联用法建立同时测定植物源性食品中6种双酰胺类农药残留的方法。样品采用乙腈作为提取剂,在缓冲盐环境下经振荡提取,C18、PSA和GCB净化,样液过膜后经C18柱分离,在电喷雾离子源、正离子扫描模式下多反应监测方式检测,基质配标,外标法定量。6种双酰胺类农药残留在0.1~150.0μg·L^-1浓度范围内线性良好,相关系数大于0.995;加标回收率为64.3%~106.0%,相对标准偏差为1.6%~9.7%,检出限为0.1~1.0μg·kg^-1。该方法简便、准确、灵敏,是同时测定植物源性食品中6种双酰胺类农药残留的有效方法。     

Consumer Trends and Attitudes to Functional Foods

Abstract

Consumers' needs have grown to such an extent that they are sought out of nutritious and pleasant organoleptic foods, as well as functional foods. This study explores consumer attitudes towards health nutrition products and particularly functional foods, using data from a survey to 325 consumers. The results designate that consumers recognize different kinds of functional foods, willing to pay a premium for their purchase. They perceive that functional foods may contribute to easily follow a healthy and balanced diet and reduce the risk of health problems but appeared anxious about the health benefits these foods communicate in their labelling.     

Restaurant's decision to purchase local foods: Influence of value chain activities

In this paper we investigate how restaurant managements’ attitudes and behaviors influence decisions to purchase local foods as inputs to their products. An enhanced investigation of chefs’ and managers’ decision-making criteria could improve understanding of local food systems linkages with the restaurant industry. We apply a value chain framework to investigate activities that influence restaurants’ decision to purchase local foods. Results indicate that attitudes and behaviors associated with sourcing and product characteristics play an important role in local food purchase decisions in the restaurant value chain. Order processing time and uniqueness of products are the most significant reasons in restaurant managements’ decisions to purchase local foods. The implications of these findings for restaurants and producers are discussed. Our study contributes to the literature by expanding upon the criteria used by restaurants to make local food purchasing decisions.     

The effects of acculturation and uncertainty avoidance on foreign resident choice for Korean foods

This study attempts to identify dining-out patterns among foreign residents in South Korea, examining the differences in foreign residents’ attitudes toward Korean foods and behavioral intentions to patronize Korean restaurants based on their acculturation and uncertainty avoidance levels. The results show that foreign residents in South Korea dine out frequently and intend to revisit Korean restaurants. However, the high acculturation group has a more positive attitude toward, better understanding of, and more preference for Korean foods than the low acculturation group. Satisfaction, revisiting, and recommendation intentions for Korean restaurants are higher among the high acculturation group than the low. The low uncertainty avoidance group spends more money for dining out than the high uncertainty avoidance group, who perceive Korean foods as expensive. Attitudes toward, understanding of, and preference for Korean foods, do not differ significantly between the two uncertainty avoidance groups; nor do satisfaction and behavioral intentions to Korean restaurants.     

Effect of Consumption Values on Women’s Choice Behavior Toward Organic Foods: The Case of Organic Yogurt in Iran

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumption values (i.e., functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value, epistemic value, environmental value, and health value) on women’s choice behavior toward organic yogurt. Structural equation modeling is used to assess data collected by a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that functional value–quality, functional value–taste, and functional value–price; conditional value; epistemic value; and health value have positive effects on choosing organic yogurt by women, and social value, emotional value, and environmental value have no effects on the subject. Among variables, epistemic value and health value have the highest impact on consumer choice behavior toward organic yogurt. So this study concludes that the main influence factors on choice behavior regarding organic yogurt are epistemic value and health value. In fact, consumers have high knowledge about organic yogurt benefits related to their health.     

从华商会、APEC会议看宴会的卫生控制

卫生安全的食品是宴会要遵守的第一准则。华商会、APEC会议采用定点生产、定点供应的方法,通过专业人员现场坐镇、快速检测的措施,确保了饮食的安全,为大型宴会食品的卫生控制提供了典范。因此,宴会食品的卫生控制不仅要靠饭店的工作人员,还要联合卫生防疫部门、种植业和养殖业管理部门及政府,加强“从农田到餐桌”全过程的安全控制。     

论富硒绿色食品产业链的互动构建

依托稀缺资源和自然环境，建立垂直式产业链互动模式，确立产业互动理念和目标，突出产业互动重点，加强产业基地建设，着力构建富硒绿色食品互动产业链，是恩施土家族苗族自治州产业创新发展的重大课题。