Nearly 700,000 tonnes of peanuts are consumed annually in Europe. In the last 5 years, peanuts imported from China exceeded legal European Union (EU) aflatoxin limits more than 180 times. To prevent and mitigate aflatoxin contamination, the stages of the peanut chain most vulnerable to contamination must be assessed to determine how to interrupt the movement of contaminated produce. This paper discusses effective approaches for early identification and proactive mitigation of aflatoxins in peanuts to reduce a contaminant that is an impediment to trade. We consider (i) the results of the EU Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for Health and Food Safety review, (ii) the Code of Practice for the prevention and reduction of aflatoxins in peanuts issued by Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, (iii) the results from previous EU-China efforts, and (iv) the latest state-of-the-art technology in pre- and postharvest methods as essential elements of a sustainable program for integrated disease and aflatoxin management. These include preharvest use of biocontrol, biofertilizers, improved tillage, forecasting, and risk monitoring based on analysis of big data obtained by remote sensing. At the postharvest level, we consider rapid testing methods along the supply chain, Decision Support Systems for effective silo management, and effective risk monitoring during drying, storage, and transport. Available guidance and current recommendations are provided for successful practical implementation. Food safety standards also influence stakeholder and consumer trust and confidence, so we also consider the results of multiactor stakeholder group discussions.

AbstractA previous study has demonstrated that when people thought they were eating a low-calorie milkshake (versus a high-calorie labelled equivalent though same product) their physiological satiety, as measured by the gut peptide ghrelin, was consistent with what they believed they were consuming rather than the actual nutritional content (Crum et al., 2011). If replicated and shown for different food types, this finding could have implications for nutrient and health claims labelling and advertising. The aim of the study was to examine whether satiation (self-reported and physiological) varies depending on the mindset in which one approaches food consumption. On two separate visits (1 week between), participants (n = 50) were asked to consume a 380-calorie yoghurt and granola breakfast product under the pretence that it was either a 500-calorie ‘indulgent’ breakfast (high in fat and sugar) or a 250-calorie ‘sensible’ breakfast (low in fat and sugar). At each visit blood samples were collected at three timepoints to measure acylated ghrelin: after a 20-minute rest period (baseline), after 60-minutes (pre-consumption) and after 90-minutes (post-consumption). Self-reported appetite scales were completed 10 minutes prior to each blood sample. During the first interval (between 20 and 60 minutes) participants rated the breakfast label's appearance and perceived healthiness, and during the second interval (between 60 and 90 minutes) participants consumed the breakfast product while rating its sensory appeal. Participants (mean [SD]: 30.1 [10.4] yrs.) rated the ‘indulgent’ breakfast as more appealing than the ‘sensible’ breakfast (mean difference: 5.00 [95% CI: 0.71, 9.30]; P = 0.024), but felt less healthy when consuming the ‘indulgent’ breakfast (mean difference: -13.17 [95% CI: -18.75, -7.60]; P < 0.001). The breakfasts were not rated differently according to their taste, smell, overall palatability and enjoyment. Participants reported a higher mean change in self-reported fullness for the ‘indulgent’ breakfast than the ‘sensible’ breakfast from pre-consumption to post-consumption (mean difference: 7.19 [95% CI: -0.73, 13.6]; P = 0.030). This relationship was not observed between baseline and post-consumption, or for the other self-reported appetite measures (hunger, satiety, quantity and desire to eat). Mean change in acylated ghrelin was not significantly different between the breakfasts at any timepoint. This study demonstrated an increase in self-reported fullness after consuming the ‘indulgent’ breakfast compared to the ‘sensible’ breakfast despite the fact the two breakfast products were identical. A physiological response, however, was not observed.

Consumer trust is an important aspect in the functioning of any market but particularly the food and drinks sector. Food safety incidents and changes in food production practices have simultaneously led to a decrease in consumer trust and a need for greater trust. Previous research has developed items to measure consumer trust in food, however, these have not always been subject to validity and reliability testing and there exists no collated toolkit or collection of items to measure trust in various aspects of the food system. Therefore, the current set of studies aimed to develop a valid and reliable consumer trust toolkit which can be used to measure trust in specific aspects of the food system. Study 1 consisted of a literature review of previous consumer trust measures to construct an initial toolkit of items, followed by an exploratory factor analysis (n = 481) to identify the structure of the toolkit. Study 2 (n = 1,027) used confirmatory factor analysis to verify the factor structure of the model from study 1 with six different factors (types of trust): Organisation trust, product trust, interpersonal trust, trust in the food chain, organisation distrust, and general distrust. Study 2 also established the validity of the toolkit (face validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity). Study 3 resampled a collection of individuals from study 2 (n = 247) to establish composite reliability and temporal stability (test-retest reliability). The resultant consumer trust toolkit provides a valid and reliable collection of items which can be used in future research to measure consumer trust in selected aspects of the food system.

Mothers are frequently seen as the gatekeepers of the transmission of food-related meanings and practices to their children, but little is known about how they transmit cooking-related aspects. This study aimed to understand the intergenerational transmission of cooking-related meanings and practices using a life course perspective and a constructivist grounded theory approach to present a substantive theory. The study was carried out in southern Brazil with 27 women. The core category Finding my own way in the kitchen from maternal influence and beyond is explained by four other categories. The first three show (1) that daughters implicitly and explicitly learn the idea of cooking responsibility from their mothers; (2) that mothers influence daughters by the way they involve children in the kitchen and by the feelings they express regarding cooking and (3) that daughters learn cooking practices observing their mother's cooking, cooking together, receiving instructions and eating their mother's food. The fourth category shows that daughters recreate what they learned from the mother according to their own life trajectories, social and historical context, and the people they interact with. Some of what they recreate is now part of their mothers' lives, resulting in a bidirectional influence. Strategies designed to encourage cooking need to challenge the view that the activity is solely a woman's responsibility, as well as communicate to the parents that their influence goes beyond transmitting cooking practices, as the attitudes and feelings they express towards cooking are also transferred.

Recently, traceability labels with a quick response (QR) code have been printed on product packaging to help consumers easily access traceability information through their smart phones. We analyzed consumer (n = 616) attitudes and purchase intentions towards traceable minced beef/beef steak in England, and identified psychosocial determinants of their purchase using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Respondents held a general favorable attitude with positive behavioral beliefs and high trust towards the traceable product. In the TPB model, attitude was the main determinant of intention to purchase each traceable product, followed by subjective norm and perceived behavioral control (PBC). The predictive power of the TPB model increased marginally for each sub-group when it was extended with habits, trust, and frequency of purchase. In the TPB-extended minced beef model, PBC was no longer a significant driver, and trust replaced subjective norm as the second most important predictor. In the TPBextended beef steak model, attitude, subjective norm and PBC were all still significant drivers of intention, however, in order of importance, production process habits and origin habits were more important than PBC. These findings have importance for those involved in the production and marketing of beef. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND:Cooking and food skills interventions have grown in popularity; however, there is a lack of transparency as to how these interventions were designed, highlighting a need to identify and understand the mechanisms of behavior change so that effective components may be introduced in future work. This study critiques cooking and food skills interventions in relation to their design, behavior change techniques (BCTs), theoretical underpinnings, and outcomes.METHODS:A 40-item CALO-RE taxonomy was used to examine the components of 59 cooking and food skills interventions identified by two systematic reviews. Studies were coded by three independent coders.RESULTS:The three most frequently occurring BCTs identified were #1 Provide information on consequences of behavior in general; #21 Provide instruction on how to perform the behavior; and #26 Prompt Practice. Fifty-six interventions reported positive short-term outcomes. Only 14 interventions reported long-term outcomes containing BCTs relating to information provision.CONCLUSION:This study reviewed cooking and food skills interventions highlighting the most commonly used BCTs, and those associated with long-term positive outcomes for cooking skills and diet. This study indicates the potential for using the BCT CALO-RE taxonomy to inform the design, planning, delivery and evaluation of future interventions.

The academic discussion of power in supply chains has changed from a discussion of the use of coercive power to one which emphasizes the role of trust in embedding co-operation and disincentivizing opportunism. Whilst a number of empirical studies have suggested the former is alive and well, this paper argues that power relations may also be constituted by the self-perceptions of weaker actors as much as by the explicit actions of more powerful ones. This study explores the role of power through the perceptions of subjugated actors, which set the ‘rules of the game’. Our case centres on perceptions of Northern Irish beef farmers and their reflections on their ‘powerlessness’ in relation to the larger, more consolidated processors that they sell to. We find that the way farmers make sense of the power relations they encounter is influenced by the individuating character of the power relations exercised by the processors, which debilitates their ability to collaborate and resist collectively. What emerges is a story about the process of accommodation whereby farmers pragmatically resign themselves to play by ‘the rules of the game’ to remain ‘part of the game’.

Complexities in food supply chains were highlighted by the so called 'horsegate' crisis in 2013, where beef meat was fraudulently adulterated with horse meat causing widespread recalls and subsequent investigations across both retail and food service markets in the European Union (EU). The beef supply chain is a complex supply chain, with global (EU and Non EU) sourcing strategies in order to secure supply. However, managing these complex supply chains can be difficult and consequentially can expose vulnerabilities similar to that of horsemeat, where horsemeat was found in beef meat within EU supply chains. Six months after the crisis broke, an independent review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks was commissioned by the UK government and undertaken by Professor Chris Elliott of Queen's University, Belfast. The review recommended eight pillars of food integrity to industry and government: consumers first, zero tolerance, intelligence gathering, laboratory services, audit, government support, leadership and crisis management. This article examines the extent to which these recommendations have been implemented using personal communications from Professor Chris Elliott and relevant industry bodies. Following the review, industry attitudes have changed substantially, testing and surveillance systems have been integrated into normal industry practice and the government is more prepared for future incidents through the establishment of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU). Horsegate raised the profile of food fraud and crime in supply chains and despite improvements to date, further collaboration between industry and government is required in order to align fully with the recommendations.

This study examines the role of video technology in the development of cooking skills. The study explored the views of 141 female participants on whether video technology can promote confidence in learning new cooking skills to assist in meal preparation. Prior to each focus group participants took part in a cooking experiment to assess the most effective method of learning for low-skilled cooks across four experimental conditions (recipe card only; recipe card plus video demonstration; recipe card plus video demonstration conducted in segmented stages; and recipe card plus video demonstration whereby participants freely accessed video demonstrations as and when needed). Focus group findings revealed that video technology was perceived to assist learning in the cooking process in the following ways: (1) improved comprehension of the cooking process; (2) real-time reassurance in the cooking process; (3) assisting the acquisition of new cooking skills; and (4) enhancing the enjoyment of the cooking process. These findings display the potential for video technology to promote motivation and confidence as well as enhancing cooking skills among low-skilled individuals wishing to cook from scratch using fresh ingredients.

Objective: This qualitative study aimed to investigate consumer opinions on the usefulness of portion size estimation aids (PSEA); consumer preferences in terms of format and context for use; and the level of detail of guidance considered necessary for the effective application of PSEA.Design: Six focus groups (three to eight participants per group) were conducted to elicit views on PSEA. The discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed by two independent researchers using a template approach.Setting: The focus groups were conducted in 2013 by an experienced moderator in various sites across the island of Ireland (three in the Republic of Ireland and three in Northern Ireland) including local leisure, community and resource centres; the home environment; and a university meeting room.Participants: General population, males (n = 17) and females (n = 15) aged 18-64 years old. Participants were recruited from both urban and rural locations representing a range of socio-economic groups.Results: The majority of participants deemed the coloured portion pots and disposable plastic cup (household measures) to be useful particularly for the estimation of amorphous cereal products (e.g. breakfast cereals). Preferences were evident for "visual" PSEA (reference objects, household measures and food packaging) rather than 'quantities and measures' such as weighing in grams or ounces. Participants stated that PS education should be concise, consistent, from a reputable source, initiated at school age and communicated innovatively e.g. mobile app or TV advertisement. Guidance in relation to gender, age and activity level was favoured over a "one size fits all" approach.Conclusions: This study identified consumer preferences and acceptance of "visual" PSEA such as portion pots/cups to estimate appropriate PS of amorphous grain foods such as breakfast cereals, pasta and rice. Concise information from a reputable source in relation to gender, age and activity level should accompany PSEA. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The promotion of home cooking is a strategy used to improve diet quality and health. However, modern home cooking typically includes the use of processed food which can lead to negative outcomes including weight gain. In addition, interventions to improve cooking skills do not always explain how theory informed their design and implementation. The Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) taxonomy successfully employed in other areas has identified essential elements for interventions. This study investigated the effectiveness of different instructional modes for learning to cook a meal, designed using an accumulating number of BCTs, on participant's perceived difficulty, enjoyment, confidence and intention to cook from basic ingredients.141 mothers aged between 20 and 39 years from the island of Ireland were randomised to one of four conditions based on BCTs (1) recipe card only [control condition]; (2) recipe card plus video modelling; (3)'recipe card plus video prompting; (4) recipe card plus video elements. Participants rated their enjoyment, perceived difficulty, confidence and intention to cook again pre, mid and post experiment. Repeated one-way factorial ANOVAs, correlations and a hierarchical regression model were conducted.Despite no significant differences between the different conditions, there was a significant increase in enjoyment (P < 0.001), confidence (P < 0.001) and intention to cook from basics again (P < 0.001) and a decrease in perceived difficulty (P = 0.001) after the experiment in all conditions. Intention to cook from basics pre-experiment, and confidence and enjoyment (both pre and post experiment) significantly contributed to the final regression model explaining 42% of the variance in intention to cook from basics again.Cooking interventions should focus on practical cooking and increasing participants' enjoyment and confidence during cooking to increase intention to cook from basic ingredients at home. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to evaluate the precision, ease of use and likelihood of future use of portion size estimation aids (PSEA). Design A range of PSEA were used to estimate the serving sizes of a range of commonly eaten foods and rated for ease of use and likelihood of future usage. Setting For each food, participants selected their preferred PSEA from a range of options including: quantities and measures; reference objects; measuring; and indicators on food packets. These PSEA were used to serve out various foods (e.g. liquid, amorphous, and composite dishes). Ease of use and likelihood of future use were noted. The foods were weighed to determine the precision of each PSEA. Subjects Males and females aged 18–64 years (n 120). Results The quantities and measures were the most precise PSEA (lowest range of weights for estimated portion sizes). However, participants preferred household measures (e.g. 200 ml disposable cup) – deemed easy to use (median rating of 5), likely to use again in future (all scored either 4 or 5 on a scale from 1=‘not very likely’ to 5=‘very likely to use again’) and precise (narrow range of weights for estimated portion sizes). The majority indicated they would most likely use the PSEA preparing a meal (94 %), particularly dinner (86 %) in the home (89 %; all P<0·001) for amorphous grain foods. Conclusions Household measures may be precise, easy to use and acceptable aids for estimating the appropriate portion size of amorphous grain foods.

The purpose of this study was to test a comprehensive model of meal portion size determinants consisting of sociodemographic, psychological and food-related variables, whilst controlling for hunger and thirst.Using cross-sectional nationally representative data collected in 2075 participants from the Island of Ireland (IoI) and Denmark (DK), eight separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between food-related variables and meal portion size (i.e. pizza, vegetable soup, chicken salad and a pork meal) within each country. Stepwise regressions were run with physiological control measures (hunger and thirst) entered in the first step, sociodemographic variables (sex, age, body mass index (BMI)) in the second step; psychological variables (cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, general health interest (GHI)) in the third step and food-related variables (expected fillingness, liking, expected healthfulness, food familiarity) in the fourth step.Sociodemographic variables accounted for 2-19% of the variance in meal portion sizes; psychological variables explained an additional 3-8%; and food-related variables explained an additional 2-12%. When all four variable groups were included in the regression models, liking and sometimes expected healthfulness was positively associated with meal portion size. The strongest association was for liking, which was statistically significant in both countries for all meal types. Whilst expected healthfulness was not associated with pizza portion size in either country, it was positively associated with meals that have a healthier image (vegetable soup; chicken salad and in 101, the pork meal).In conclusion, after considering sociodemographic and psychological variables, and the food-related variables of liking and expected healthfulness, there may be little merit in manipulating the satiating power, at least of these type of meals, to maintain or promote weight loss. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND:Previous research has highlighted an ambiguity in understanding cooking related terminology and a number of barriers and facilitators to home meal preparation. However, meals prepared in the home still include convenience products (typically high in sugars, fats and sodium) which can have negative effects on health. Therefore, this study aimed to qualitatively explore: (1) how individuals define cooking from 'scratch', and (2) their barriers and facilitators to cooking with basic ingredients. METHODS:27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants (aged 18-58 years) living on the island of Ireland, eliciting definitions of 'cooking from scratch' and exploring the reasons participants cook in a particular way. The interviews were professionally transcribed verbatim and Nvivo 10 was used for an inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS:Our results highlighted that although cooking from 'scratch' lacks a single definition, participants viewed it as optimal cooking. Barriers to cooking with raw ingredients included: 1) time pressures; (2) desire to save money; (3) desire for effortless meals; (4) family food preferences; and (5) effect of kitchen disasters. Facilitators included: 1) desire to eat for health and well-being; (2) creative inspiration; (3) ability to plan and prepare meals ahead of time; and (4) greater self-efficacy in one's cooking ability. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings contribute to understanding how individuals define cooking from 'scratch', and barriers and facilitators to cooking with raw ingredients. Interventions should focus on practical sessions to increase cooking self-efficacy; highlight the importance of planning ahead and teach methods such as batch cooking and freezing to facilitate cooking from scratch.