A fundamental requirement in agricultural trade is that imported products are safe, and do not pose a risk to human, animal and plant health. To address this issue, all countries maintain measures to ensure that imported food is safe for consumers, and to prevent the spread of disease among animals and plants. These measures, by their nature, can affect competitiveness by increasing the costs of imports or prohibiting them altogether. To ensure that these measures are used for their intended purpose and not as protectionist measures, WTO member countries signed the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures. A growing number of studies attempt to quantify the effects of SPS regulations on international trade flows. However, precious little research is dedicated to determining the effects of specific phytosanitary regulations on trade flows and, more importantly, questions regarding SPS regulations and their impact as "trade barriers" or "trade catalysts" remain to be settled. This thesis contributes to existing literature in two ways. First, a comprehensive and user friendly database on specific phytosanitary regulations faced by U.S. exports of onions, peas, walnuts, apples, cherries, grapes, peaches/nectarines, oranges and strawberries to 176 countries is developed for the period 1999-2009. Second, this database is used for an empirical investigation to determine how existing SPS regulations affect U.S. fruit and vegetable exports. The results indicate that initially, phytosanitary treatments act as "barriers" to trade. However, as exporters' experience grows, the negative impact of treatments is reduced and eventually eliminated. / Master of Science

Les systèmes alimentaires alternatifs font partie des stratégies prometteuses pour améliorer l’accès aux fruits et légumes (FL) frais des populations défavorisées et mal desservies. Peu de données probantes existent pour saisir leur portée et leur efficacité. Suite à l’implantation d’un kiosque maraîcher à la sortie d’une station de métro de Montréal, cette étude vise à analyser l’évolution de sa fréquentation, du profil de ses utilisateurs et les caractéristiques des utilisateurs rapportant une augmentation de leurs achats de FL au cours des deux premières saisons. Deux sources de données ont été analysées : les données de ventes recueillies par une application de paiement mobile et une enquête répétée auprès des utilisateurs (2016, n=214 ; 2017, n=151). Une augmentation significative de la fréquentation a été observée, les utilisateurs de 2017 achetaient plus au kiosque. Une plus grande proportion d’entre eux le fréquentait hebdomadairement et rapportait une consommation d'au moins 5 FL/jour. Les utilisateurs de 2017 étaient majoritairement plus favorisés qu’en 2016. En 2017, 23% affirmaient acheter davantage de FL, comparativement à 12% en 2016. Les caractéristiques des 23% correspondraient davantage à la population ciblée. Par ailleurs, ils étaient plus susceptibles de fréquenter le kiosque hebdomadairement, de percevoir peu abordables les FL de leur quartier et de ne pas avoir accès à une automobile. Un an après son ouverture, le kiosque affiche un certain succès, mais sa capacité à rejoindre les populations défavorisées est mitigée. Au-delà de l'amélioration de l'accès physique, l’ajout d’incitatifs réduisant les barrières économiques serait plus efficace pour diminuer les inégalités de santé. / Alternative food systems have the potential to enhance physical and economic access to fruits and vegetables (FV) for vulnerable and underserved populations. The evaluation of their scope and their effectiveness requires additional efforts. Following the implementation of a FV stand next to a subway station in Montreal, this study aims to determine the evolution of its attendance, shoppers’ profile and the characteristics of shoppers reporting an increase in their FV purchases between the first and second season. Two sets of data were collected: details of all sales data and on-site surveys (2016, n = 214; 2017, n = 151). A significant increase in attendance was observed: 2017’s shoppers purchased more FV at the stand. A larger proportion of 2017 shoppers frequented it weekly and reported an intake of at least 5 FV / day. However, a larger proportion were wealthier. In 2017, 23 % of shoppers reported an increase of their FV purchases. compared to 12% in 2016. These 23% of shoppers would have characteristics of the originally targeted deprived population. They were also more likely to attend the stand weekly, to perceive FV’s neighborhood unaffordable and not to have access to a car. One-year post-implementation, the FV stand present a potential success. However, its reach to disadvantaged populations is mixed. Beyond improving physical access, include incentive strategies to reduce economic barriers would be relevant in reducing social and health inequalities.

Pakankamas vaisių ir daržovių vartojimas – tai neabejotinas gerų sveikos mitybos įpročių pagrindas. Vaisiai ir daržovės ypač svarbūs jaunam organizmui, nes jų pakankamas vartojimas vaikystėje susijęs su sumažejusia rizika sirgti širdies bei kraujagyslių ligomis, tam tikromis vėžio formomis ir kitomis lėtinėmis neinfekcinėmis ligomis tiek jaunystėje, tiek vyresniame amžoiuje. Moksliniais tyrimais įrodyta, kad vaikai, vartojantys mažiau vaisių ir daržovių, yra linkę turėti viršsvorį ar net būti nutukę, o vaikystėje susiformavę tinkami šių produktų vartojimo įpročiai dažniausiai išlieka ir suaugus. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti ir įvertinti Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų pradinių klasių mokinių daržovių ir vaisių vartojimo ypatumus. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. įvertinti pradinių klasių mokinių daržovių ir vaisių vartojimą ir jo atitikimą sveikos mitybos rekomendacijoms; 2. nustatyti veiksnius, galinčius daryti įtaką mokinių vaisių ir daržovių vartojimui; 3. įvertinti mokinių nuomonę ir žinias apie daržovių ir vaisių vartojimą bei sveiką mitybą. Atsitiktinės atrankos būdu tyrimui buvo atrinktos 72 Lietuvos Respublikos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos. Buvo išdalinta 3750 apklausos anktetų, gauta 2402 teisingai užpildytos anketos. Atsako dažnis – 64,1% . Statistinė duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) statistinę programinę įrangą (13.0 for Windows versija) ir Epi Info (Version 5.1) kompiuterinę programą. Išanalizavus atlikto tyrimo duomenis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is the undisputed evidence of healthy nutrition skills. These foods are extremely important for the children because of their ability to protect against cancers and cardiovascular diseases and the consumption of these foods during childhood is associated with decreased risk of stroke and cancer. It is scientificly proven that higher fruit and vegetable intake was associated with a lower risk of overweight or even obese and healthy eating habits formed by consumption of fruits and vegetables tend to persist into adulthood. The objective of this research – to evaluate and assess the pecularities of the fruits and vegetables consumption among primary classes of Lithuanian schools. The tasks of the paper – assessment of the fruits and vegetables consumption and concordance with healthy nutrition recommendations among primary school pupils, evaluation the circumstances affecting fruits and vegetables consumption among primary school pupils, assessment of the knowledge and opinion of primary school children about fruits and vegetables consumption healthy eating. In this randomized study 72 general education schools of the Republic of Lithuania were selected. 3750 questionnaires were distributed, 2402 correctly filled questionnaires received. The response rate – 64,1%. The statistical data was processed with the help of SPSS 13.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and Epi Info (Version 5.1). As the reserch data shows, it is... [to full text]

This thesis has two basic aims. The first aim is to analyze the global value chain of fruits and vegetables and the current international market with apples. The second aim is to analyze the value chain of apples in Czechia and measure its connection to global value chains. The research was carried out by analyzing secondary sources and basing on an own qualitative survey. This thesis is divided into two major parts. The first part deals with the global value chain (GVC) of fruits and vegetables. This chain is examined through five dimensions which are typical for GVC analysis: input-output structure, geographic scope, governance, institutional context and upgrading. The second part focuses only on one specific crop, apples. Firstly, it is studied at the global level, then the thesis concentrates only on the value chain of apples in Czechia.

Problem: Food waste is a major issue from both an environmental as well as an economic perspective. In Europe alone, 90 million tons of food is wasted in the food supply chain every year. In order to reduce these excessive costs and the environmental impact, new food waste management strategies need to be developed and established. The food waste management strategies established in the retail stage are limited as the retail stage is an area of the food supply chain that has been neglected in research.   Purpose: This thesis explores the food waste management of fresh fruits and vegetables out of retailer´s perspective. In specific, it assesses the potential effects for Swedish supermarkets in which have established processes where non-sellable products are recycled through conversion in-house.   Method: This qualitative study has been performed through observational studies with semi-structured interviews to complement the observational findings. The empirical data is collected at Swedish supermarkets that have conversion processes established in their organization. The respondents were either store managers or managers for perishable goods. The data were analysed using the content analysis approach.   Findings: The results of our research reveal that conversion activities of fresh fruits and vegetables result in less food waste and positive economic outcomes. To create higher economic value of the food waste conversion, the conversion of fresh fruits and vegetables should be performed in combination with other product categories.

Introdução: O baixo consumo de frutas e hortaliças é um importante fator de risco para diversas doenças crônicas e obesidade. Na população brasileira, o consumo destes alimentos é tradicionalmente abaixo das recomendações internacionais. Dentro deste cenário, os locais de trabalho vêm atraindo cada vez mais interesse como ambientes propícios para o desenvolvimento de ações de promoção de alimentação saudável direcionadas à população adulta. Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto de uma intervenção para aumentar a oferta e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em empresas cadastradas no Programa de Alimentação do Trabalhador. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo de intervenção com amostra de 29 empresas divididas em dois grupos: intervenção (n=15) e controle (n=14). Avaliou-se uma amostra de trabalhadores em todas as empresas participantes do estudo para verificar os efeitos da intervenção sobre o consumo de frutas e hortaliças. A intervenção foi baseada no modelo ecológico de promoção de saúde, teve quatro etapas com duração total de seis meses. A coleta de dados ocorreu em dois momentos: antes e após a intervenção. O efeito da intervenção foi investigado por meio de dois indicadores: oferta em gramas de frutas e hortaliças nas refeições servidas nas empresas e o consumo em gramas destes alimentos pelos trabalhadores. De forma secundária, avaliou-se o impacto da intervenção sobre a oferta de energia, macronutrientes e fibras nas refeições. Para avaliar o efeito da intervenção sobre a oferta de alimentos e nutrientes nas refeições, realizou-se comparação entre os grupos intervenção e controle e a comparação intra-grupos antes e após a intervenção. Para o consumo dos trabalhadores, utilizou-se análise de regressão linear para avaliar a mudança no consumo no grupo intervenção após a intervenção. Resultados: A oferta de frutas e hortaliças aumentou de forma significativa após a intervenção nos cardápios oferecidos pelas empresas no grupo intervenção, cerca de + 49g, enquanto não houve variação no grupo controle. Também se observaram efeitos positivos na oferta de fibras e redução na oferta de gorduras. A intervenção também aumentou o consumo de frutas e hortaliças entre os trabalhadores nas refeições oferecidas pelas empresas, o aumento médio foi de 11g, após ajustes pelas variáveis sociodemográficas dos trabalhadores. Conclusão: A intervenção apresentou impacto positivo sobre a oferta e consumo de frutas e hortaliças no ambiente de trabalho / Introduction: The low consumption of fruits and vegetables is an important risk factors for several chronic diseases and obesity. In the Brazilian population the consumption of these foods is traditionally lower of international recommendations. In this context, the workplace environment is considered to promote healthy food, comprising large portion of the adult population. Objective: To evaluate the impact of an intervention to increase the availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables in companies participating in the Worker Food Program. Methods: It was a randomized intervention involving a sample of 29 companies divided in two groups: intervention (n=15) and control (n=14). A sample of workers in all companies participating in the study was evaluated in order to assess the effects of intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The intervention was based on the ecological model of health promotion, with 4 different stages for 6 months. Data collection occurred in two stages, before the intervention and after intervention. The effect of the intervention was investigated using two indicators: the availability in grams of fruit and vegetables in meals served in companies and consumption in grams of food by employees. Secondarily, the impact of intervention on the availability of energy, macronutrients and fiber in meals was assessed. It was made a comparison between the intervention and control groups and intra-group comparison before and after intervention to evaluate the effect of intervention on the availability of food and nutrients in meals. For the consumption of workers we used linear regression analysis to evaluate the change in consumption in the intervention group after the intervention. Results: The availability of fruits and vegetables in the meals offered by companies in the intervention group increased about +49g, while no changes in the control group. Also, it was observed positive effects on the availability of fiber and fat reduction in meals. The intervention also increased fruits and vegetables consumption among workers, the mean increase was 11g, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables of workers. Conclusion: The intervention has presented a positive impact on the availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables in the workplace

Introdução: O baixo consumo de frutas e hortaliças é um importante fator de risco para diversas doenças crônicas e obesidade. Na população brasileira, o consumo destes alimentos é tradicionalmente abaixo das recomendações internacionais. Dentro deste cenário, os locais de trabalho vêm atraindo cada vez mais interesse como ambientes propícios para o desenvolvimento de ações de promoção de alimentação saudável direcionadas à população adulta. Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto de uma intervenção para aumentar a oferta e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em empresas cadastradas no Programa de Alimentação do Trabalhador. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo de intervenção com amostra de 29 empresas divididas em dois grupos: intervenção (n=15) e controle (n=14). Avaliou-se uma amostra de trabalhadores em todas as empresas participantes do estudo para verificar os efeitos da intervenção sobre o consumo de frutas e hortaliças. A intervenção foi baseada no modelo ecológico de promoção de saúde, teve quatro etapas com duração total de seis meses. A coleta de dados ocorreu em dois momentos: antes e após a intervenção. O efeito da intervenção foi investigado por meio de dois indicadores: oferta em gramas de frutas e hortaliças nas refeições servidas nas empresas e o consumo em gramas destes alimentos pelos trabalhadores. De forma secundária, avaliou-se o impacto da intervenção sobre a oferta de energia, macronutrientes e fibras nas refeições. Para avaliar o efeito da intervenção sobre a oferta de alimentos e nutrientes nas refeições, realizou-se comparação entre os grupos intervenção e controle e a comparação intra-grupos antes e após a intervenção. Para o consumo dos trabalhadores, utilizou-se análise de regressão linear para avaliar a mudança no consumo no grupo intervenção após a intervenção. Resultados: A oferta de frutas e hortaliças aumentou de forma significativa após a intervenção nos cardápios oferecidos pelas empresas no grupo intervenção, cerca de + 49g, enquanto não houve variação no grupo controle. Também se observaram efeitos positivos na oferta de fibras e redução na oferta de gorduras. A intervenção também aumentou o consumo de frutas e hortaliças entre os trabalhadores nas refeições oferecidas pelas empresas, o aumento médio foi de 11g, após ajustes pelas variáveis sociodemográficas dos trabalhadores. Conclusão: A intervenção apresentou impacto positivo sobre a oferta e consumo de frutas e hortaliças no ambiente de trabalho / Introduction: The low consumption of fruits and vegetables is an important risk factors for several chronic diseases and obesity. In the Brazilian population the consumption of these foods is traditionally lower of international recommendations. In this context, the workplace environment is considered to promote healthy food, comprising large portion of the adult population. Objective: To evaluate the impact of an intervention to increase the availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables in companies participating in the Worker Food Program. Methods: It was a randomized intervention involving a sample of 29 companies divided in two groups: intervention (n=15) and control (n=14). A sample of workers in all companies participating in the study was evaluated in order to assess the effects of intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The intervention was based on the ecological model of health promotion, with 4 different stages for 6 months. Data collection occurred in two stages, before the intervention and after intervention. The effect of the intervention was investigated using two indicators: the availability in grams of fruit and vegetables in meals served in companies and consumption in grams of food by employees. Secondarily, the impact of intervention on the availability of energy, macronutrients and fiber in meals was assessed. It was made a comparison between the intervention and control groups and intra-group comparison before and after intervention to evaluate the effect of intervention on the availability of food and nutrients in meals. For the consumption of workers we used linear regression analysis to evaluate the change in consumption in the intervention group after the intervention. Results: The availability of fruits and vegetables in the meals offered by companies in the intervention group increased about +49g, while no changes in the control group. Also, it was observed positive effects on the availability of fiber and fat reduction in meals. The intervention also increased fruits and vegetables consumption among workers, the mean increase was 11g, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables of workers. Conclusion: The intervention has presented a positive impact on the availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables in the workplace

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports indicate that 8% and 6.3% of Kentuckians consume enough fruits and vegetables, respectively. The Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud (PIUKP) project is a recipe-development project that aims to boost produce consumption by incorporating local fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to implement promotional strategies using PIUKP recipes at farmers’ markets and determine their effects on consumers’ intent of purchasing and preparing the produce. The study was conducted at nine farmers’ markets across Kentucky (n=300) in collaboration with Cooperative Extension agents/assistants. The consumers’ impression of the sample was positively associated with their intent to purchase fruits and vegetables the same day (t = 0.36; p < 0.0001), in future (t=0.43; p < 0.0001), and prepare the respective recipes (t=0.51; p < 0.0001). Distribution of recipe cards was also positively correlated with consumers’ intent to prepare recipes (t=0.35; p < 0.0001). However, no significant association was found between the self-reported fruit and vegetable intake and their respective dermal carotenoid score. Findings from this study support the use of promotional strategies as a means to influence produce intake among farmers market consumers. Future studies can apply these strategies and explore the extent of effect they have on dietary intake.

Due to increased rates of childhood obesity since 2010, researchers have examined family environmental factors and family influences on children's consumption of healthy foods. While previous research has examined how factors such as food presentation and the food intake of other family members can predict a child's body mass index, there has been little research examining whether parent factors predict the amount of healthy foods children eat. This quantitative survey study examined whether certain parent factors, specifically parents' attitudes about food, parents' feeding styles, and parents' attachment styles, predicted the amount of fruits and vegetables children ate. Understanding the extent to which these factors predict children's actual consumption of healthy foods, rather than predicting their body mass index, will further inform the healthcare field about parents' role in their children's physical development. Family systems theory served as the theoretical foundation. Seventy-four parents of children ages 1 to 7 years completed an online survey containing items from the Caregiver Feeding Styles Questionnaire, the Relationship Structures Attachment Questionnaire, and the Parent Attitudes About Food Questionnaire. As well, they logged the amount of fruits and vegetables their child ate over a 1-week period. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed an overall significance which suggested that the 3 parent factors together predicted the amount of fruits and vegetables that children ate; however, closer examination indicated that only parents' attachment style was a significant prediction of children's consumption of fruits and vegetables. The results of the study add to our understanding of the role that parents play in their children's eating habits and the influence of attachment on children's consumption of a nutrient-dense diet.

Submitted by Emanuel Varela Cardoso (emanuel.varela@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-10-16T16:03:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FAUSTO VAZ DE OLIVEIRA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGFísica) 2014.pdf: 2950759 bytes, checksum: f75675457b33950244dae94b86657cac (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-16T16:03:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FAUSTO VAZ DE OLIVEIRA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGFísica) 2014.pdf: 2950759 bytes, checksum: f75675457b33950244dae94b86657cac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-13 / CNPq / Neste trabalho usamos a técnica de Espectroscopia Fotoacústica na identificação de Biomoléculas Funcionais, presentes em várias frutas e vegetais. Essas biomoléculas, em geral compostos polifenólicos, formam grupos de substâncias amplamente distribuídos em plantas, frutas e legumes, componentes comuns da alimentação humana, especialmente flavonóides e taninos que possuem diversas propriedades terapêuticas e farmacológicas. Dentre as espécies de frutas e cereais investigadas, cientificamente estabelecidas como depositárias de moléculas bioativas, algumas se destacam por suas excelentes propriedades funcionais, tendo, por este motivo, recebido o nome pomposo de “superfrutas”. São elas caracterizadas por apresentarem altas concentrações de polifenóis tais como as antocianinas, os flavonóis (quercetinas, kaempferol, catequinas, resveratrol e taninos), os ácidos fenólicos como o gálico, o ascórbico, o elágico, o clorogênico, o benzóico, o felúrico, etc e os carotenóides, onde se destacam o β–caroteno, licopeno, violaxantina, zeaxantina, luteína, neoaxantina, dentre outras. As superfrutas são assim classificadas por exibirem extraordinário valor funcional. Os resultados experimentais obtidos por espectroscopia fotoacústica para os comprimentos de onda λmax que representa os picos de absorção em cada amostra de frutas e vegetais investigados evidenciam a existência de Biomoléculas Funcionais, que fazem bem a saúde humana. Nossos resultados, obtidos pela técnica de Espectroscopia Fotoacústica, confirmam esta como uma ferramenta experimental de grande potencial e eficiência na identificação de biomoléculas em sistemas biológicos “in natura”, sem necessidade de utilização de processos exaustivos de extração molecular. / In this work we have used the technique of Photoacoustic Spectroscopy to identify Functional Biomolecules, present in various fruits and vegetables. These polyphenolic compounds constitute groups of substances widely distributed in plants, fruits and vegetables, common components of the human diet, especially anthocyanins, flavonols, tannins and carotenoids that have been found to exhibit several therapeutic and pharmacological properties. Among the fruits and vegetables species investigated and scientifically established as host for bioactive or functional biomolecules, some of them are detached by their excellent functional properties, then, have been nominates as “superfruits”. They are characterized by exhibit high concentrations of polyphenols compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonols (quercitins, kaempferol, catechins, tannins), the phenolic acids such as the gallic, ascorbic, ellagic, chlorogenic, benzoic, ferulic, etc, and the carotenoids β–carotene, lycopene, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, neoaxanthin among others. The “superfruits” are classified in this way for exhibit functional extraordinary value. The experimental results obtained by photoacoustic spectroscopy λmax for the wave lengths representing the absorption peaks of each sample of fruits and vegetables investigated showed the existence of Functional Biomolecules, which are human health as well. Our results obtained by the technique Photoacoustic Spectroscopy confirm this as an experimental tool with great potential and efficiency in the detection of biomolecules in biological systems “in nature”, without the need of using exhaustive molecular extraction processes.