Hasil untuk "Nutrition. Foods and food supply"

D. Mason-D’Croz, J. Bogard, T. Sulser et al.

Summary Background Current diets are detrimental to both human and planetary health and shifting towards more balanced, predominantly plant-based diets is seen as crucial to improving both. Low fruit and vegetable consumption is itself a major nutritional problem. We aim to better quantify the gap between future fruit and vegetable supply and recommended consumption levels by exploring the interactions between supply and demand in more than 150 countries from 1961 to 2050. Methods In this global analysis, we use the International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade, which simulates the global agricultural sector, to explore the role of insufficient production of fruits and vegetables and the effects of food waste and public policy in achieving recommended fruit and vegetable consumption. First, we estimate the average historical (1961–2010) and future (2010–50) national consumption levels needed to meet WHO targets (a minimum target of 400 g/person per day or age-specific recommendations of 330–600 g/person per day) using population pyramids; for future consumption, we use projections from the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), a set of global socioeconomic scenarios characterised by varied assumptions on economic and population growth. We then simulate future fruit and vegetable production and demand to 2050 under three such scenarios (SSP1–3) to assess the potential impacts of economic, demographic, and technological change on consumer and producer behaviour. We then explore the potential effects of food waste applying various waste assumptions (0–33% waste). Finally, we apply two policy analysis frameworks (the NOURISHING framework and the Nuffield ladder) to assess the current state of public policy designed to achieve healthy diets. Findings Historically, fruit and vegetable availability has consistently been insufficient to supply recommended consumption levels. By 2015, 81 countries representing 55% of the global population had average fruit and vegetable availability above WHO's minimum target. Under more stringent age-specific recommendations, only 40 countries representing 36% of the global population had adequate availability. Although economic growth will help to increase fruit and vegetable availability in the future, particularly in lower-income countries, this alone will be insufficient. Even under the most optimistic socioeconomic scenarios (excluding food waste), many countries fail to achieve sufficient fruit and vegetable availability to meet even the minimum recommended target. Sub-Saharan Africa is a particular region of concern, with projections suggesting, by 2050, between 0·8 and 1·9 billion people could live in countries with average fruit and vegetable availability below 400 g/person per day. Food waste is a serious obstacle that could erode projected gains. Assuming 33% waste and socioeconomic trends similar to historical patterns, the global average availability in 2050 falls below age-specific recommendations, increasing the number of people living in countries with insufficient supply of fruits and vegetables by 1·5 billion compared with a zero waste scenario. Interpretation Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is an important component of a shift towards healthier and more sustainable diets. Economic modelling suggests that even under optimistic socioeconomic scenarios future supply will be insufficient to achieve recommended levels in many countries. Consequently, systematic public policy targeting the constraints to producing and consuming fruits and vegetables will be needed. This will require a portfolio of interventions and investments that focus on increasing fruit and vegetable production, developing technologies and practices to reduce waste without increasing the consumer cost, and increasing existing efforts to educate consumers on healthy diets. Funding The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CGIAR) Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security; CGIAR Research Program on Policy, Institutions, and Markets; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Johns Hopkins University.

Jie Bai, Yuanxing Cao, Lichao Wang et al.

BackgroundPeople living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection frequently exhibit altered lipid profiles and persistent inflammation that contribute to long-term morbidity. Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly recommended in this population, but the magnitude and consistency of their benefits remain uncertain. This study aimed to precisely re-estimate the effects of omega-3 supplementation compared with control on selected metabolic (lipid profile) and inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, CRP), IL-6, and TNF-α in adults with HIV.MethodsWe searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from 1965 to September 2025 for randomized trials reporting lipid or inflammatory biomarkers in adults with HIV. Eligible studies included participants aged 18 years or older and provided the exact numeric triplets required for reproduction (N, mean change or endpoint, and SD). Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2. All analyses, figures, funnel plots, Egger and Begg tests, and subgroup tests were reproduced exactly from the investigator-supplied Stata 17.0. To explore heterogeneity, we conducted subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses using study-level percentages of male participants and follow-up duration in months extracted from the data sheets; outcomes with fewer than 3 usable studies were not pooled.ResultsTwenty-one trials supplying the exact numeric triplets met the inclusion criteria, representing 1,118 participants in total. The reproduced pooled analyses included total cholesterol (n = 15), High-Density Lipoprotein Cholestrol (HDL-C) (n = 13), triglycerides (n = 13), Low-Density (LDL-C) (n = 11), Interleukin-6 Lipoprotein Cholestrol (IL-6) (n = 4), CRP (n = 8), apolipoprotein (Apo A) (n = 4), and Apo B (n = 4). Using only the numeric outcome values explicitly reported in the included studies, we observed a modest, non-significant increase in HDL-C (weighted mean difference [WMD] 0.02 mg/dL, 95% CI –1.01–0.06) and a clear reduction in triglycerides (WMD − 0.86 mg/dL, 95% CI −1.18 to −0.54), while findings for total cholesterol and LDL-C were inconsistent and imprecise.ConclusionIn adults with HIV, omega-3 supplementation was associated with small, insignificant increases in HDL-C and meaningful reductions in triglycerides, whereas effects on other lipid fractions were inconsistent. Omega-3 supplementation was associated with a consistent reduction in CRP and modest improvements in other inflammatory biomarkers such as IL-6, while evidence for TNF-α remains inconclusive.

Rui Xie, Jiawen Liu, Yutao Li et al.

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in wines of ‘Dornfelder’ (DF), ‘Petit Verdot’ (PV), ‘Pinot Noir’ (PN), ‘Sangiovese’ (SV) and ‘Malbec’ (MB) were analyzed using an E-nose, HS-SPME-GC–MS and HS-GC-IMS. A total of 94 VOCs were identified by two techniques. Specifically, HS-SPME-GC–MS identified 70 compounds (alcohols' concentration accounting for 52.56%–68.75 %), and HS-GC-IMS identified 36 compounds (esters' concentration accounting for 35.58 %–42.05 %), with 12 compounds were identified by both methods. 15 key differential VOCs identified through chemometrics and machine learning analysis. Additionally, correlation analysis of E-nose sensor responses with key differential VOCs indicated that W2S, W2W, and W5S may be more suitable for predicting levels of 2-methylbutyl acetate, 3-methyl-butanoic acid, and isoamyl acetate, which can thus help to quickly identify PV wine. These results help to understand the flavor differences between different varieties of wines and provide a theoretical basis for wine flavor differentiation, quality control and product development.

Lanlan Wei, Shuaijie Zhu, Guoyuan Xiong et al.

This study demonstrated the fabrication of zein/polyethylene glycol/nisin (zein/PEG/nisin) nanofiber membrane and cross-linked by citric acid vapor (zein/PEG/nisin/C). The distribution within the whole nanofiber membranes was monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Studies using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) validated the effectiveness nisin encapsulation and molecular interactions. The water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP) of zein/PEG/nisin/C are 150.47 ± 7.14 (g m−2 24h) and 59.74 ± 3.10 (cm3 m−2 24h), respectively. Antibacterial experiments have shown that the antibacterial effect of zein/PEG/nisin/C on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the diameters of the bacteriostatic circle were 11.52 ± 0.44 mm and 10.67 ± 0.46 mm, respectively. During 10 days of the storage of the cooled fresh goose meat, compared with the control group, the pH of zein/PEG/nisin/C nanofiber membrane was 5.7, the concentration of the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and the value of total viable count (TVC) and thiobarbituric acids (TBARS) are 11.28 mg/100g, 5.01 ± 0.69 log (CFU g−1), and 0.83 mg kg−1, respectively. These results point to the possibility of using functionalized nanofiber membranes for the cold fresh goose meat preservation facilitated by vaporized citric acid cross-linking.

Asfaw Asegidew Meseret, Zelalem Tafese Wondimagegne

Comorbidities, which are additional health conditions that occur alongside diabetes, can have a significant effect on blood sugar control. These conditions often complicate the management of diabetes and worsen overall health. Malnutrition, on the other hand, is a common concern for people with diabetes due to difficulties with food intake and metabolism. Proper nutrition is crucial for maintaining general health and effectively managing the disease. However, the extent of comorbidities and malnutrition within this group is not well understood in the study area. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa governmental hospitals between April and May 2023, involving 422 adult outpatients living with diabetes. The study aimed to evaluate their comorbidities, nutritional status, and associated factors. The required data were collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25.0. Undernutrition and concordant comorbidities were prevalent in the study population, occurring at rates of 15.2% and 57.8%, respectively. Additionally, 18.5% of participants were classified as overweight and obese with a BMI greater than 25 kg/m2. Three significant predictors of undernutrition among adult outpatients living with diabetes were identified: alcohol intake (P < 0.05), comorbidities (P < 0.01), and educational status (P < 0.05). Concordant comorbidity was notably common in these patients. It is recommended that the healthcare system consider comorbid conditions when managing diabetes. A longitudinal study is suggested to provide stronger evidence on these findings.

R K Anushree, Archana Kushwaha, Ravindra Kumar Panwar et al.

Abstract This study focuses on the development and evaluation of lentil-infused noodles as a nutritious and functional food alternative for health-conscious consumers. Various formulations of lentil flour (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) were combined with wheat flour to produce lentil-enriched noodles. The sensory attributes, nutritional composition, functional properties, and storage stability of these noodles were assessed. Sensory evaluation revealed that the formulation with 30% lentil flour (LIN-30) had the highest acceptability, particularly in terms of flavor and texture. Proximate composition analysis showed that LIN-30 had significantly higher protein (15.84 g/100 g) and fiber (3.14 g/100 g) content compared to control wheat noodles. Additionally, LIN-30 exhibited a moderate glycemic index of 60.57 ± 0.07, making it suitable for individuals looking to manage blood sugar levels. In vitro protein digestibility was also favorable, with a digestibility rate of 72.59 ± 1.12%. The mineral content of LIN-30 was enriched, showing higher levels of iron, zinc, and manganese than the control noodles. Texture profile analysis revealed that LIN-30 had good firmness and elasticity, although slightly lower than that of control noodles. Furthermore, LIN-30 demonstrated good storage stability, maintaining its nutritional and sensory properties over a three-month period. Overall, lentil-infused noodles, especially the LIN-30 formulation, offer a promising, affordable, and nutritious option for individuals seeking healthier noodle alternatives.

Zhang Wen, Pei-Jie Han, Da-Yong Han et al.

Medium-temperature Daqu (MT-Daqu) serves as a crucial saccharifying and fermentation agent in the production of strong-flavor Baijiu. Due to the spatial heterogeneity of solid fermentation, significant differences occurred in the fermentation state and appearance features in different parts of Daqu during fermentation. Currently, the understanding of the underlying mechanism behind this phenomenon remains limited. Here, we analyzed the microbial succession and assembly models and driving factors in different parts of MT-Daqu at the species level based on the PacBio single-molecule real-time sequencing technology. The results showed significantly different bacterial and fungal community compositions, successions, and interaction patterns in different parts of MT-Daqu. The bacterial community composition and succession model in the middle layer were similar to those in the core layer, whereas the fungal community composition and succession model in the surface layer were similar to those in the middle layer. The co-occurrence network analysis showed that microbial interaction is stronger in the middle and core layers than in the surface layer. Analyses based on both niche theory and neutral theory models indicated that deterministic processes predominantly governed the microbial community assembly and these processes played an increasingly important role from the surface to the core layer. Random forest analysis revealed that temperature was the primary endogenous factor driving the bacterial and fungal community assembly. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the microbial community in MT-Daqu and are helpful for the quality control of MT-Daqu fermentation.

Minh Trong Nguyen, Trinh Thi Thuy Phan, Ngoc Lieu Le et al.

In recent years, natural preservatives have attracted more and more attention in food processing since they can enhance food shelf-life and safety. In this study, the polyphenol extract was obtained from mangosteen peels using enzyme-microwave assisted method, characterized for its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and subsequently used as a natural additive in fish ball preservation. Results revealed that the mangosteen peel polyphenol powder (MPP) had a high phenolic content of 154 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter, which led to high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging capacity of 95 mg Trolox equivalent/g dry matter. MPP also exhibited effective antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, expressed by its large inhibitory zones (11.3 and 12.1 mm, respectively) and small ratios (less than 4) of minimum bactericidal concentration over minimum inhibitory concentration against tested bacteria. The MPP supplementation at the levels of 38 mg/100 g and 53 mg/100 g into fish balls remarkably improved their gel strength, reduced lipid oxidation, limited protein oxidation and structural degradation as compared to those of the control without any addition or with synthetic preservatives. Especially, the addition of 53 mg MPP/100 g could sufficiently retard the microorganism growth. The synergistic effects of MPP in both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities hence could extend the shelf-life of fish balls, more than 40 %, as compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (synthetic antioxidant) or sodium benzoate (synthetic antimicrobial) with their single effects. These findings imply that MPP could be potentially used as a natural additive in preservation of fish and meat products.

A. Liceaga, J. Aguilar-Toalá, B. Vallejo‐Cordoba et al.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected food supply chains worldwide, showing the vulnerability of food security. Efforts to develop alternative protein sources that are sustainable and can help alleviate global food shortage problems should be prioritized. Insects have been part of our diet for thousands of years and still are today, and market trends show a global increase in the number of food-grade insect producers. The global market for edible insects has been forecasted to reach US$8 billion by the year 2030. Insects are highly nutritious and have bioactive peptides with potential therapeutic effects. This review provides an overview of the consumption of insects from ancient to modern times, discusses the rationale for using insects as alternative protein sources, and presents a summary of the major insects consumed worldwide as well as a brief description of the traditional and novel technologies currently used to process insects and/or extract their nutritional components. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 13 is March 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Cosmas Parwada, Hupenyu A. Mupambwa, Ronald Mandumbu et al.

Wanru Luo, Bo Li, Yanjun Zhang et al.

The research of starch retrogradation have been attracting interest. Thereby, the long-term retrogradation mechanism (0–21 days) of Pouteria campechiana seed starch (PCSS) was investigated. The results showed that crystal type was changed from A- to B + V-type during retrogradation. The retrogradation PCSS (RPCSS) exhibited faster retrogradation rate and more compact internal ultra-structure compared to rice, wheat and maize starch. Pearson correlation indicated that, as retrogradation days increased, values of α-1,4-glycosidic bond, A chains, double helix, V-type polymorphism, Mw, relative crystallinity (Rc) and short-range order gradually significantly increased, and B1 chains, B3 + chains values gradually significantly dropped (p < 0.05). These inferred an increasing peak temperature and compactness of morphology with increasing retrogradation days. Compared to native starch, RPCSS α-1.4-glycosidic bond was increased, which indicated that its quick molecules degradation including decreased Mw, B3 + chains, Rc, semicrystalline order, and ΔH. These might provide a theoretical direction for preparation of starch-basis food.

Yishu Liu, Nan Li, Ni Yan et al.

Abstract Background Consumption of nuts improves cardio-metabolic risk factors in clinical trials and relates to lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in prospective observational studies. However, there has not been an adequately powered randomized controlled trial to test if nuts supplementation actually reduces incident CVD. In order to establish the feasibility of such a trial, the current study aimed to assess the acceptability and adherence to long-term nut supplementation amongst individuals at high CVD risk in China. Methods This protocol described a 6-month trial performed in Ningxia Province in China among participants with a history of CVD or older age (female ≥65 years, male ≥60 years) with multiple CVD risk factors. Participants were randomized to control (received non-edible gift), low dose walnut (30 g/d), or high dose walnut (60 g/d) groups in a 1:1:1 ratio. Walnuts were provided at no cost to participants and could be consumed according to personal preferences. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 2 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. The primary outcome was fasting plasma alpha linolenic acid (ALA) levels used as an indicator of walnut consumption. Secondary outcomes included self-reported walnut intake from the 24 h dietary recalls. The target sample size of 210 provided 90% statistical power with two-sided alpha of 0.05 to detect a mean difference of 0.12% (as percent of total fatty acid) in plasma ALA between randomized groups. Results Two hundred and ten participants were recruited and randomized during October 2019. Mean age of participants was 65 years (SD = 7.3), 47% were females, and 94% had a history of CVD at baseline. Across the three study groups, participants had similar baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Discussion This trial will quantify acceptability and adherence to long-term walnut supplementation in a Chinese population at high risk of CVD. The findings will support the design of a future large trial to test the effect of walnut supplementation for CVD prevention. Trial registration NCT04037943 Protocol version: v3.0 August 14 2019

Adrian T. Billeter, Sarah Wloka, Rouven Behnisch et al.

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease covers a broad spectrum. Simple steatosis has usually a benign course while nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can progress into hepatocellular carcinoma, and cirrhosis. Therefore, differentiating patients with benign steatosis and NASH is crucial. Liver biopsy, the usual gold standard for NASH diagnosis, cannot be used as a screening method due to its associated risks. This is especially problematic for obese patients with a prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in &#x3e;80% of patients. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate a noninvasive NASH screening test in a cohort of high-risk, morbidly obese patients. Methods: This prospective study examined diagnostic accuracy in accordance with STARD guidelines. 112 liver biopsies were consecutively assigned to either a training or validation cohort. Using the Bedossa histological scoring system, the cohorts were subdivided into NASH versus NAFLD/No NAFLD. Predictors of NASH were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A model was then constructed using a backward stepwise logistic regression and evaluated in an independent validation cohort. Results: 53.5% of the patients had NASH and 4 patients had cirrhosis. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 49.8 ± 7.5 kg/m2. Backward stepwise logistic regression identified 4 parameters associated with the presence of NASH: alanin-aminotransferase, albumin, BMI, and triglycerides. The noninvasive NASH detection score (NI-NASH-DS) had an ROC of 0.851 and 0.727 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were 77.1% and 88% in the training cohort and 88% and 48% in the validation cohort which was much better than the established noninvasive scores. Discussion/Conclusion: The NI-NASH-DS is easy-to-use, inexpensive, and noninvasive and can reliably detect NASH in patients with morbid obesity. Due to its simplicity, it can be used frequently and repeatedly.

J. Schmidhuber, P. Sur, K. Fay et al.

Summary Background Few data are available on the supply and consumption of nutrients at the country level. To address this data gap, we aimed to create a database that provides information on availability (ie, supply) of 156 nutrients across 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2013. Methods We matched 394 food and agricultural commodities from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Supply and Utilization Accounts (SUAs) to food items in the United States Department of Agriculture Food Composition Database and obtained data on nutrient composition of the SUAs' food items. Then, after adjusting for inedible portion of each food item, we added the contributions of individual food items to the availability of each nutrient and estimated the national availability of macronutrients and micronutrients in each year. We validated our estimates by comparing our results with those of national nutrition surveys from three countries (the USA, South Korea, and Ecuador). Using dietary consumption data from the Global Burden of Disease study and two popular machine learning algorithms (Random Forest and XGBoost [extreme gradient boosting]), we developed predictive models to estimate the consumption of each nutrient based on their national availability. Findings Globally 2710 kcal (95% UI 2660–2770) were available per person per day in 2013. Carbohydrates were the major contributor to energy availability (70·5%), followed by fats (17·4%), and protein (10·5%). The energy availability and the contribution of macronutrients to total energy widely varied across levels of development. Countries at the higher level of development (high Socio-demographic Index countries) had more energy available per person per day (3270 kcal, 3220–3310); greater contributions from fats (26·0%) and proteins (11·9%) to total energy availability; and lower contributions from carbohydrate (54·8%). During 1980–2013, energy availability and the contributions of protein and fats to energy availability have increased globally and across levels of development while the contribution of carbohydrates to total energy availability has decreased. The supply of the micronutrients has also increased during the same period globally and across levels of development. Our validation analysis showed that, after accounting for waste at the retail and household level, our estimates of macronutrient availability were very close to the consumption data in nationally representative surveys. Our machine-learning models closely predicted the observed intake of nutrients with the out-of-sample correlation of greater than 0·8 between predicted and observed intake for the nutrients included in the analysis. Interpretation Our global nutrient database provides a picture of the supply of various nutrients at the country level and can be useful to assess the performance of national food systems in addressing the nutritional needs of their population. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Letícia de Rossi Rodrigues, Carolina Tarcinalli Souza, Débora Tarcinalli Souza et al.

Y. Abu Kwaik, D. Bumann

Microbial access to host nutrients is a fundamental aspect of infectious diseases. Pathogens face complex dynamic nutritional host microenvironments that change with increasing inflammation and local hypoxia. Since the host can actively limit microbial access to nutrient supply, pathogens have evolved various metabolic adaptations to successfully exploit available host nutrients for proliferation. Recent studies have unraveled an emerging paradigm that we propose to designate as ‘nutritional virulence’. This paradigm is based on specific virulence mechanisms that target major host biosynthetic and degradation pathways (proteasomes, autophagy and lysosomes) or nutrient‐rich sources, such as glutathione, to enhance host supply of limiting nutrients, such as cysteine. Although Cys is the most limiting cellular amino acid, it is a metabolically favourable source of carbon and energy for various pathogens that are auxotrophic for Cys but utilize idiosyncratic nutritional virulence strategies to generate a gratuitous supply of host Cys. Therefore, proliferation of some intracellular pathogens is restricted by a host nutritional rheostat regulated by certain limiting amino acids, and pathogens have evolved idiosyncratic strategies to short circuit the host nutritional rheostat. Deciphering mechanisms of microbial ‘nutritional virulence’ and metabolism in vivo will facilitate identification of novel microbialand host targets for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Host–pathogen synchronization of amino acid auxotrophy indicates that this nutritional synchronization has been a major driving force in the evolution of many intracellular bacterial pathogens.

Kuk-Hwan Seol, Juhui Choe, Hyun-Jin Kim et al.

In this study, crude peptide fractions from Hanwoo loins were released by injecting with proteolytic enzymes [no enzymes (control); protease type XIII (E1); thermolysin (E2); and combination of E1 and E2 (E3)] and their bioactivities were determined. The peptides derived from E2-injected Hanwoo loin exhibited the highest angiotensin I–converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and vitamin C equivalents antioxidant capacity among the treatments. The released peptide by treatment of E2 and E3 had similar (P > 0.05) inhibitory activity in HT29 cancer cell viability compared with luteolin as a positive control and non-cytotoxic effect on normal cell (3T3-L1). Therefore, the released peptide fraction from thermolysin (E2)-injected Hanwoo beef might contain potent bioactive peptides with ACE inhibitory and antioxidative activity and inhibition effect on certain cancer cell viability.

G. Martin, R. Clift, I. Christie

The contemporary interest in urban cultivation in the global North as a component of sustainable food production warrants assessment of both its quantitative and qualitative roles. This exploratory study weighs the nutritional, ecological, and social sustainability contributions of urban agriculture by examining three cases—a community garden in the core of New York, a community farm on the edge of London, and an agricultural park on the periphery of San Francisco. Our field analysis of these sites, confirmed by generic estimates, shows very low food outputs relative to the populations of their catchment areas; the great share of urban food will continue to come from multiple foodsheds beyond urban peripheries, often far beyond. Cultivation is a more appropriate designation than agriculture for urban food growing because its sustainability benefits are more social than agronomic or ecological. A major potential benefit lies in enhancing the ecological knowledge of urbanites, including an appreciation of the role that organic food may play in promoting both sustainability and health. This study illustrates how benefits differ according to local conditions, including population density and demographics, operational scale, soil quality, and access to labor and consumers. Recognizing the real benefits, including the promotion of sustainable diets, could enable urban food growing to be developed as a component of regional foodsheds to improve the sustainability and resilience of food supply, and to further the process of public co-production of new forms of urban conviviality and wellbeing.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Alba Brancato, Daniela Brocca et al.

Abstract The conclusions of EFSA following the peer review of the initial risk assessment carried out by the competent authority of the rapporteur Member State, Italy, for the pesticide active substance isoxaflutole are reported. The context of the peer review was that requested by the European Commission following the submission and evaluation of negligible exposure data. EFSA prepared a conclusion where the assessment of the information is presented according to the draft technical guidance on assessment of negligible exposure of an active substance in a plant protection product under realistic conditions of use. The conclusions were reached on the basis of the evaluation of the representative uses of isoxaflutole as a herbicide on maize and sweet corn.

V. Réquillart, L. Soler