The survey of Irish consumers’ use and understanding of nutrition labels, carried out by Sarah Keogh, an independent consultant dietician, showed that 61 per cent of males and 40 per cent of females never read the nutrition label before purchase.
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center held focus groups with staff members at 34 area child care centers to learn more about how kids spend their time in day care and the reasons they may or may not spend time outside.
This study examined the importance of school environment in Danish data from the European 2003 Pro Children Survey. Most of the total variance in students’ f&v intake occurred at the individual level (93-98%). The small school-level effects on 11-year-olds’ fruit and vegetable intake imply that family level interventions may be more important and that the success of school interventions will rely on the degree of parental involvement.
Assessment urges more veggies plus restrictions on unhealthy options. Find a series of articles in a supplement to the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Children who watch TV for more than two hours a day or are otherwise inactive have a doubled risk for asthma, according to a U.K. study to be published in the journal Thorax.
This study investigated the effects of processing conditions including bran particle size, dough fermentation time, and baking time and temperature on the extractable antioxidant properties of whole-wheat pizza crust. Experiments were carried out using two different varieties of hard white winter wheat, Trego and Lakin.
Lucky Charms busted
Mar 6
A Canadian consumer protection agency has scored another victory against the marketing of sweet snacks to children, successfully prosecuting a Lucky Charms web site that featured the cereal’s leprechaun mascot in animated games.
Today bill that would get junk foods out of schools once and for all was introduced. The bill is likely to be addressed when Congress reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act, which expires this year.
Three different three food quality scores for ranking foods are compared. Fruits and vegetables are substantially more nutrient-dense than items from other food groups. There is an imperative need for a simple, consistent method to guide consumers in making healthier food choices.
Grocery-aisle gotchas
Mar 5
Don’t fall for marketing terms that sound like health promises. You can’t always make assumptions about food based on its packaging. Labels don’t just inform, they sell.