An exploration of customers' perceptions, preferences, experiences, and feasibility of offering standardized portions in restaurants

Excess caloric intake increases the risk of weight gain, and diet-related chronic diseases. Restaurants play an integral role in the portions of food people consume. Standardization of portion sizes in restaurants can help customers recognize appropriate portions. Through customer interviews, we aimed to assess and understand the feasibility, perceptions, and acceptability of standardized portions in restaurants. Kaiser Permanente partnered with three restaurants in Southern California to create alternative menu options of meals that would not exceed 700 calories. Kaiser Permanente members who lived within a 5-mile radius of the restaurants were informed through email about the study. Customers (N=33), who dined at one of the restaurants participated in a one-on-one semi-structured interview. Interviews were recorded, typed, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Customers perceive standard portions as a better choice and the benefits outweigh regular portions; 2) Individual and restaurant-related factors may influence portion preferences; 3) Restaurant portions are perceived to be in excess of what customers need; and 4) Portion standardization is an evolving area for restaurants. Our findings suggest positive perceptions and acceptance of standardized portions among restaurant customers. Customer awareness and restaurant standardization procedures can improve customers' dining experience.

Analysis of Sodium Content in 4082 Kinds of Commercial Foods in China

High-sodium intake is associated with the increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Monitoring and analyzing the sodium content in commercial food is instructive for reducing sodium intake in the general population. The sodium content of 4082 commercial foods across 12 food groups and 41 food categories was collected and analyzed, including 4030 pre-packaged foods and 52 artisanal foods. The food group with the highest average sodium content (6888.6 mg/100 g) contained sauces, dressings, springs and dips, followed by bean products (1326.1 mg/100 g) and fish, meat and egg products (1302.1 mg/100 g). The average sodium content of all the collected commercial foods was 1018.6 mg/100 g. Meanwhile, the sodium content of non-alcoholic beverages (49.7 mg/100 g), confectionery (111.8 mg/100 g) and dairy products (164.1 mg/100 g) was much lower than the average sodium content of the 12 food groups. The sodium contents of different food groups and categories were significantly different. The proportion of high-sodium food (600 mg/100 g) was more than one-third of all the products. There are a few products marked with salt reduction on the package. Sixteen salt-reduced products were collected, which belong to the food category of soy sauce and account for 16% of all the soy sauce products. The average sodium content in salt-reduced soy sauce is 2022.8 mg/100 g lower than that of non-salt-reduced soy sauce products. These data provide a primary assessment with sodium content in commercial foods and potential improvements for the food industry to achievement the goal of sodium reduction.

Improved Analytical Method for Determination of Furan and Its Derivatives in Commercial Foods by HS-SPME Arrow Combined with Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Owing to the presence of significant levels of toxic furan compounds reported globally in commercial foods by various food authorities, the objectives of this study were to develop an analytical method for determination of furan and its 10 derivatives in commercial foods using headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-Arrow coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Furan and its 10 derivatives were separated within 10 min by employing an HP-5MS capillary column with d₄-furan as the internal standard for quantitation. The most optimal sample weight and extraction time for various commercial food samples, respectively, ranged from 1 to 5 g and 10-15 min depending on the sample variety. For extraction, carboxen/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (CAR/PDMS) cellulose was used with the temperature at 30 °C, equilibration time of 15 min, and desorption time of 3 min. The limit of detection ranged from 0.001 to 1.071 ng/g, while the limit of quantitation ranged from 0.003 to 3.571 ng/g. A high precision and accuracy were obtained for this method. The total furan content in commercial foods ranged from nd to 40 725.85 ng/g, in which the mean contents were the highest for brewed coffee (35 082.26 ng/g) and canned coffee (25 152.22 ng/g), while the lowest were for potato chip and cookies (0.57-1.48 ng/g), donut (1.50 ng/g), milk (0.34-30.38 ng/g), and oat (6.56 ng/g).

High Levels of Nutrients of Concern in Baby Foods Available in Europe That Contain Sugar-Contributing Ingredients or Are Ultra-Processed

Introducing children to healthy and diverse complementary foods, either prepared at home or produced commercially, helps to establish taste preferences and good eating habits later in life. Assessing the nutrient profile of foods available commercially is key to informing consumers and policy makers. We used commercial data to provide an overview of the energy and nutrient content of 7 categories of foods intended for infants and young children that were launched or re-launched across 27 European countries from March 2017 to March 2021 (n = 3427). We also assessed the presence of sugars as added ingredients, and the foods' level of processing, using the NOVA classification system. In total, 38.5% of the products contained at least one sugar-contributing ingredient; about 10% of products listed an added sugar, almost ¼ of the products listed a free sugar and finally about 20% of the products listed fruit and vegetable purees and powders as an ingredient. Half of the products had a 'no added sugars' positioning statement; among these, almost 35% had free sugars, fruit and vegetable purees and powders as added ingredients. With regard to processing classification, 46.3% of the products were minimally processed, 24.5% were processed and 29.2% ultra-processed. About half of all products had a 'no artificial ingredient' positioning statement; however, among these, 31.4% were ultra-processed. Our analysis showed that, within each food category, products with sugars as an added ingredient had a less desirable nutrient profile compared to those that did not have sugar-contributing ingredients. The results for level of processing were similar; in most food categories, ultra-processed foods had higher energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium content, and lower fibre content, compared to the minimally processed and processed ones.

High sugar content of European commercial baby foods and proposed updates to existing recommendations

The aim was to determine whether commercial baby foods marketed within Europe (up to 36 months of age) have inappropriate formulation and high sugar content and to provide suggestions to update European regulations and recommendations as part of a nutrient profile model developed for this age group. The latter was produced following recommended World Health Organization (WHO) steps, including undertaking a rapid literature review. Packaging information from countries across the WHO European region was used to determine mean energy from total sugar by food category. The percentage of products containing added sugar and the percentage of savoury meal‐type products containing pureed fruit were also calculated. A total of 2,634 baby foods from 10 countries were summarised: 768 sold in the United Kingdom, over 200 each from Denmark (319), Spain (241), Italy (430) and Malta (243) and between 99–200 from Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Estonia and Slovenia. On average, approximately a third of energy in baby foods in these European countries came from total sugar, and for most food categories, energy from sugar was higher than 10%. Use of added sugars was widespread across product categories, with concentrated fruit juice most commonly used. Savoury meal‐type purees did not contain added sugars except in United Kingdom and Malta; however, fruit as an ingredient was found in 7% of savoury meals, most frequently seen in UK products. Clear proposals for reducing the high sugar content seen in commercial baby foods were produced. These suggestions, relating to both content and labelling, should be used to update regulations and promote product reformulation.

Food Additive Titanium Dioxide and Its Fate in Commercial Foods

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most extensively utilized food additives (E171) in the food industry. Along with nanotechnology development, the concern about the presence of nanostructured particles in E171 TiO2 and commercial food products is growing. In the present study, the physicochemical properties of commercially available E171 TiO2 particles, including particle size distribution, were investigated, followed by their cytotoxicity and intestinal transport evaluation. The fate determination and quantification of E171 TiO2 in commercial foods were carried out based on the analytical procedure developed using simulated foods. The results demonstrated that TiO2 is a material mainly composed of particles larger than 100 nm, but present as an agglomerated or aggregated particle in commercial foods with amounts of less than 1% (wt/wt). Titanium dioxide particles generated reactive oxygen species and inhibited long-term colony formation, but the cytotoxicity was not related to particle size distribution or particle type (food- or general-grade). All TiO2 particles were mainly transported by microfold (M) cells, but also by intestinal tight junction. These findings will be useful for TiO2 application in the food industry and predicting its potential toxicity.

Acrylamide in commercial foods and intake by infants in Estonia

Acrylamide is formed when certain foods with low moisture are prepared at above 120 ºC, especially those foods containing asparagine and reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose. Acrylamide is a probable carcinogen, and from animal evidence the margins of exposure indicate a concern for neoplastic effects. On a body weight basis infants´ acrylamide intakes are often higher than those of adults. The aim of the study was to determine acrylamide levels in different commercially-available foods and to assess dietary acrylamide intakes by infants. The acrylamide content in samples ranged widely, from <LOD to 3,300 µg kg-1 depending on the product category, and the food product within the category. Excluding coffee substitutes, the highest mean acrylamide values were found for potato crisps and snacks. Among baby foods, the highest mean level of acrylamide was found in vegetable-based non-cereal foods (65 µg kg-1), followed by processed cereal-based infant foods (42 µg kg-1). The indicative acrylamide values were most frequently exceeded for vegetable-based baby foods. The mean acrylamide content in baby foods ranged from <30 to 65 µg kg-1. Among consumers of acrylamide-containing baby food, the MOE values ranged between 185 and 620 for neoplastic effects, and between 467 and 1,569 for non-neoplastic effects. These MOE values indicate the need to reduce acrylamide exposure among infants in Estonia.