11pgs, Many tropical countries are experiencing massive land-use change with profound environmental and socioeconomic implications. In Indonesia, oil palm cultivation is rapidly expanding at the expense of more traditional crops – such as rubber and rice – and forest land. While environmental effects of the oil palm boom were analyzed in many studies, much less is known about social effects. Here, we analyze how oil palm cultivation by smallholder farmers is associated with nutrition through changing income and gender roles. The analysis uses panel data collected in Jambi Province, Sumatra, one of the hotspots of Indonesia's recent oil palm boom. Regression models show that oil palm cultivation is positively associated with nutrition and dietary quality. These associations are related to income gains that improve smallholders' access to nutritious foods from the market. Oil palm requires less labor than traditional crops, so a switch to oil palm could potentially free family labor for off-farm economic activities. We find that oil palm cultivation is positively associated with off-farm employment of male but not female household members, which may be related to unequal opportunities and social norms. Independent of oil palm cultivation, female off-farm employment is positively associated with nutrition, even after controlling for household income.
Online from publication. 3 pages., Editorial highlights the inaccuracies in a Burger King television advertisement that repeats misleading claims and data about the role of beef and dairy production in greenhouse gas emissions that harm climate.
10 pages, BACKGROUND
Our objective was to evaluate the effect of garden-based learning on outlook and behaviors toward vegetables among primarily Latinx students. An educational strategy, garden-based learning is a teaching tool that complements other disciplines.
METHODS
Third- and fourth-grade students at 4 elementary schools with different garden programs completed a bingo survey and participated in class discussions to measure outlook and behaviors toward vegetables.
RESULTS
Students in schools with more garden exposure were more likely to answer “Yes” to survey questions reflecting a positive attitude and behaviors toward vegetables. In class discussions, students most often mentioned vegetables grown in the school garden as their favorite vegetables.
CONCLUSION
For third- and fourth-grade students, the length of exposure to a school garden appears to have a positive impact on both perceptions of and desire to consume vegetables. Other studies have shown that positive outlook and behaviors toward vegetables can change vegetable consumption habits in children. Integrating garden-based learning into the school curriculum may positively influence eating behaviors over the long-term future.
8 pages, Reducing food waste is widely recognized as critical for improving resource efficiency and meeting the nutritional demand of a growing human population. Here we explore whether the sharing economy can provide meaningful assistance to reducing food waste in a relatively low-impact and environmentally-sound way. Analyzing 170,000 postings on a popular peer-to-peer food-sharing app, we find that over 19 months, 90t of food waste with an equivalent retail value of £0.7 million were collected by secondary consumers and diverted from disposal. An environmental analysis focused on Greater London reveals that these exchanges were responsible for avoiding emission of 87–156t of CO2eq. Our results indicate that most exchanges were among users associated with lower income yet higher levels of education. These findings, together with the high collection rates (60% on average) suggest that the sharing economy may offer powerful means for improving resource efficiency and reducing food waste.
58 pages., Journal article via online., Historical analysis of print advertising in the early 20th Century revealed that "in an era of scientific discovery and therapeutic ethos, fruits and vegetables were advertised as medical tonics, with 'prescriptions' that included recommended daily doses, to ward off or cure real or imagined medical ailments (flu, listlessness, acidosis)." Findings identified social positives and negatives associated with this practice. Researchers recommended use of a broader social marketing and transdisciplinary approach.
9 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Researchers analyzed the effectiveness of the European Union Pledge, a self-regulation initiative of leading food companies at the European level, in restricting television advertising of food and drink products high in fat, sugar or salt to children. Results indicated that effectiveness was limited by the focus on children's program and the relatively lenient nutritional criteria agreed to by signatory companies.
USA: National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Centennial, CO
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 130 Document Number: D11293
Notes:
21 pages., Online via AgriMarketing.com., Announcement of results of an online survey among more than 1,800 U.S. consumers during late 2019. Findings suggested "widespread consumer confusion regarding the ingredient composition and purported benefits of plant-based fake meat products." More than half did not realize that plant-based products being marketed as "burgers" have no real meat." The PowerPoint presentation and accompanying news release provide statics on responses to specific questions.
Online via Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Australia-based university educators evaluated learner participation and perceptions in an evidence-based Massive Open Online Course(MOOC) about nutrition and provided recommendations for engaging international online lay audiences with diverse backgrounds. Findings highlighted complexities of delivering such education "in the online space crowded with food advertising and nutrition conjecture."
20 pages., Via online from the University of Illinois website., Authors' review provided an overview of the data sources, computational methods, and applications of text data in the food industry. Applications of text data analysis were illustrated with respect to food safety and food fraud surveillance, dietary pattern characterization, consumer-opinion mining, new-product development, food knowledge discovery, food supply-chain management, and online food systems.
