Consumption Patterns of Processed Foods in Singapore-A Cross-Sectional Study

How Cognition Influences Chinese Residents' Continuous Purchasing Intention of Prepared Dishes under the Distributed Cognitive Perspective

Enhancing residents' purchasing intention of prepared dishes is crucial for the sustainable development of the prepared dishes industry. Understanding how residents' cognition influences their continuous purchasing intention can provide valuable insight for developing and refining company strategies, thereby reducing industry development obstacles. Based on the theory of distributed cognition, this study utilizes questionnaire data from urban residents in Beijing and Shanghai, and employs Structural Equation Modeling to explore the influence of cognition on the continuous purchasing intention of Chinese urban residents towards prepared dishes. The study results reveal that: (1) Individual power and geographical power have a significant positive effect on residents' continuous purchasing intention for prepared dishes, while cultural power does not have a significant effect. (2) Risk perception partially mediates the effect of individual power and geographical power on continuous purchasing intention and fully mediates the effect of cultural power on continuous purchasing intention. Recommendations include: (1) The government should enhance standardization and supervision to create a favorable consumption environment; (2) Enterprises should provide more objective and transparent information to improve residents' knowledge of prepared dishes and establish a good reputation.

Singapore's Total Diet Study (2021-2023): Study Design, Methodology, and Relevance to Ensuring Food Safety

A total diet study is often used to evaluate a population's baseline dietary exposure to chemical hazards from across the diet. In 2021-2023, Singapore carried out a TDS, and this article presents an overview of the study design and methodological selections in Singapore's TDS, as well as its relevance to ensuring food safety. A food consumption survey was conducted on Singapore citizens and permanent residents, where food consumption patterns of the Singapore population were identified. The selection of chemical hazards and foods for inclusion in Singapore's TDS, as well as principal considerations on sampling, food preparation, and analytical testing are discussed. Commonly consumed foods by the Singapore population in food categories such as grain and grain-based products, meat and meat products, fish and seafood, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products were included in this study, and mean concentrations of chemicals tested in each food category were reported, with food categories possessing higher levels identified. Future work will include dietary exposure assessments for the population and analysis of the contributions by food and cooking method.

Occurrence and Dietary Exposure of 3-MCPD Esters and Glycidyl Esters in Domestically and Commercially Prepared Food in Singapore

This study investigated the prevalence and occurrence of 3-monochloropropanediol esters (3-MCPDEs) and glycidyl esters (GEs) in domestically and commercially prepared food in Singapore and assessed the total dietary exposure for the Singaporean population. Minimal impact on the formation of 3-MCPDEs and GEs was observed from the domestic cooking methods commonly practiced in Singapore such as deep frying and stir frying. The estimated total dietary exposure to 3-MCPDEs for the Singaporean population (aged 15 to 92) was 0.982 µg/kg bw/day for general consumers and 2.212 µg/kg bw/day for high consumers (95th percentile), which accounted for 49.1% and 110.6% of the tolerable dietary intake (TDI) at 2 µg/kg bw/day by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The calculated margins of exposure (MOE) for GEs based on the dietary exposure for general consumers at 0.882 µg/kg bw/day and 2.209 µg/kg bw/day for high consumers were below 10,000, indicating a potential health concern. Our study showed that the occurrence of 3-MCPDEs and GEs varied among vegetable oils, and domestic cooking methods did not significantly impact the levels of 3-MCPDEs and GEs in prepared food. The critical factor influencing the prevalence and occurrence of 3-MCPDEs and GEs was the choice of oil used for cooking, which absorbed into the cooked food. It is essential to encourage the food industry to continue its innovation on mitigation measures to control and reduce 3-MCPDEs and GEs in vegetable oil production. Consumers are advised to make informed choices on food consumption and cooking oil for food preparation to reduce their exposure to 3-MCPDEs and GEs.

Nutrient composition of milk and plant-based milk alternatives: A cross-sectional study of products sold in Australia and Singapore

Dairy and non-dairy (plant-based) alternatives are promoted as an essential component of a healthy diet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the range of dairy milks and plant-based milk alternatives in supermarkets in Australia and Singapore, and to explore nutritional differences within the category, and between countries. Product information was collected in store from packaging. Products were sorted into dairy milks and plant-based milk alternatives, and further categorised as (i) breakfast drinks (12 % of products); (ii) plain milks (62 %); or (iii) flavoured milks (26 %). The nutrient profiles of products were tested for differences using Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Flavoured products contained almost double the median sugar content of plain products (8.3 g v. 4.6 g, p = 0.005). Two-thirds of the product range were dairy milks, which contained nearly four times the median saturated fat content (1.1 g v. 0.3 v, p < 0.0001) and more than double the amount of sugar (5.1 g v. 2.6 g, p < 0.0001) of plant-based milk alternatives, but three times more protein (3.3 g v. 1.0 g, p < 0.0001). Between countries, generally, calcium contents were similar across products, likely due to fortification of plant-based milk alternatives. Compared to Singapore, dairy milk and plant-based milk alternative products sold in Australia were generally higher in energy, protein and fat, but lower in carbohydrate content. Food supply differences between Singapore and Australia may be cultural and have nutritional implications.

Dietary factors and the risk of lung cancer by epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status and histological subtypes

Background

Previous studies have reported differential associations of certain dietary factors such as soy consumption by epidermal growth factor receptor mutant (EGFR +) subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, whether the other dietary factors including meat, fruits, and vegetables have differential risks on different histological and molecular subtypes of lung cancer remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate these associations.

Methods

A total of 3,170 cases and 4,238 controls from three different studies (Genes and Environment in Lung Cancer Study, Lung Cancer Consortium Singapore Study, and Multi-ethnic Cohort Study) were included. Information on demographics, lifestyle, and dietary consumption was obtained using questionnaires. Diet was assessed by using the number of standard servings of each item consumed per week. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between meat, vegetables, and fruits consumption with lung cancer risk after adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

We identified a significant inverse association between higher consumption of fruits and the risk of lung cancer (2nd tertile: OR = 0.54, 95%CI = 0.46-0.65; 3rd tertile: OR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.65-0.91), compared with the lower (1st tertile) consumption of fruits. Higher vegetable consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of EGFR + lung cancer (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.54-0.88), however, this association was not significant among EGFR wild-type (-) lung cancer. Conversely, higher consumption of total meat (OR = 2.10, 95%CI = 1.58-2.79) was significantly associated with higher lung cancer risk, as compared with the lower consumption group.

Conclusions

Differential associations between vegetable consumption with EGFR mutation status in NSCLC were found. Further prospective studies are warranted to assess this association and elucidate the biological mechanisms.