Immunochemical assessment of mycotoxins in 1989 grain foods: evidence for deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) contamination

To assess the potential for mycotoxin contamination of the human food supply following the 1988 U.S. drought, 92 grain food samples were purchased from retail outlets in the summer of 1989 and surveyed for aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol (DON [vomitoxin]) by monoclonal antibody-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Only one sample (buckwheat flour) was found to contain aflatoxin B1 (12 ng/g), whereas zearalenone was found in 26% of the samples at a mean concentration of 19 ng/g. In contrast, the DON ELISA was positive in 50% of the samples at a detection level of 1.0 micrograms/g. Between 63 and 88% of corn cereals, wheat flour/muffin mixes, rice cereals, and corn meal/muffin mixes yielded positive results for DON, whereas 25 to 50% of oat cereals, wheat- and oat-based cookies/crackers, corn chips, popcorn, and mixed-grain cereals were positive for DON. The mean DON content of the positive samples was 4.0 micrograms/g, and the minimum and maximum levels were 1.2 and 19 micrograms/g, respectively. When positive ELISA samples were also analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, a strong correlation between the two methods was found. The presence of DON in the two highest samples, corn meal and mixed-grain cereal, which contained 19 and 16 micrograms/g, respectively, was quantitatively confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results indicated that DON was present in 1989 retail food products at concentrations that exceeded those found in previous market surveys and that have been experimentally associated with impaired animal health.     

Immunochemical assessment of mycotoxins in 1989 grain foods: evidence for deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) contamination.

To assess the potential for mycotoxin contamination of the human food supply following the 1988 U.S. drought, 92 grain food samples were purchased from retail outlets in the summer of 1989 and surveyed for aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol (DON [vomitoxin]) by monoclonal antibody-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Only one sample (buckwheat flour) was found to contain aflatoxin B1 (12 ng/g), whereas zearalenone was found in 26% of the samples at a mean concentration of 19 ng/g. In contrast, the DON ELISA was positive in 50% of the samples at a detection level of 1.0 micrograms/g. Between 63 and 88% of corn cereals, wheat flour/muffin mixes, rice cereals, and corn meal/muffin mixes yielded positive results for DON, whereas 25 to 50% of oat cereals, wheat- and oat-based cookies/crackers, corn chips, popcorn, and mixed-grain cereals were positive for DON. The mean DON content of the positive samples was 4.0 micrograms/g, and the minimum and maximum levels were 1.2 and 19 micrograms/g, respectively. When positive ELISA samples were also analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, a strong correlation between the two methods was found. The presence of DON in the two highest samples, corn meal and mixed-grain cereal, which contained 19 and 16 micrograms/g, respectively, was quantitatively confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results indicated that DON was present in 1989 retail food products at concentrations that exceeded those found in previous market surveys and that have been experimentally associated with impaired animal health.     

Australian survey on community knowledge and attitudes regarding the fortification of food with folic acid

BACKGROUND: In response to the proposal that mandatory fortification be introduced in Australia to reduce the incidence of NTDs, the purpose of this study was to establish, for the adult community, baseline data on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards the fortification of foods with folic acid. METHODS: A cross-sectional, Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing survey with respondents recruited randomly from the electronic version of the Western Australian telephone directory was used. One thousand members of the community aged 18 years or older were interviewed for the study. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted in September 2006, with a response rate of 76%. Half the respondents were aware folate is currently added to some breakfast cereals (59%) and some breads (53%), but awareness of other food types that may be voluntarily fortified with folate was much lower. Only 13% of respondents were concerned about folate being added to bread, 10% believed folate should not be added to foods, and 9% said they would avoid foods with added folate. Generally, around half the respondents were uncertain about the benefits of fortifying foods with folate and around a quarter were uncertain about any risks or concerns with this practice. CONCLUSIONS: The community appears no more concerned about the fortification of bread with folate than they are about other existing fortification programs in Australia, and appear more likely to support rather than oppose the fortification of foods with folate, particularly if they are informed of the benefits of such a program.     

Stored-product insects associated with a retail pet store chain in Kansas

The types and numbers of insect species associated with eight Kansas retail stores belonging to a pet store chain were surveyed during February to August 2001. Insects were monitored at 1-3-wk intervals using food- and pheromone-baited pitfall traps for beetles and pheromone-baited sticky traps for moths. Thirty traps of each type were placed within a store. Thirty insect species belonging to 20 families in four orders were recorded from the eight stores. The weevils, Sitophilus spp.; Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner); and merchant grain beetle, Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel), were the most common and abundant species in all stores, whereas the red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes (Degeer), and red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were abundant only in one store. The numbers of each insect species captured varied from store to store. In each of the stores, a total of 12-19 stored-product species were captured in traps, and seven of the eight stores had relatively high species diversity. With the exception of one store, the different types of insect species found among the remaining seven stores were essentially similar. The mean density of insects in infested bulk-stored and bagged pet food products removed from a store ranged from 65 to 656 adults/kg. The types and numbers of insect species captured in traps indicated that infestations were well established in the surveyed stores. Early detection and management of these infestations is critical for maintaining quality and integrity of food products sold in the pet stores.     

Exposure to food advertising on television: Associations with children's fast food and soft drink consumption and obesity

There is insufficient research on the direct effects of food advertising on children's diet and diet-related health, particularly in non-experimental settings. We employ a nationally-representative sample from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) and the Nielsen Company data on spot television advertising of cereals, fast food restaurants and soft drinks to children across the top 55 designated-market areas to estimate the relation between exposure to food advertising on television and children's food consumption and body weight. Our results suggest that soft drink and fast food television advertising is associated with increased consumption of soft drinks and fast food among elementary school children (Grade 5). Exposure to 100 incremental TV ads for sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drinks during 2002–2004 was associated with a 9.4% rise in children's consumption of soft drinks in 2004. The same increase in exposure to fast food advertising was associated with a 1.1% rise in children's consumption of fast food. There was no detectable link between advertising exposure and average body weight, but fast food advertising was significantly associated with body mass index for overweight and obese children (≥85th BMI percentile), revealing detectable effects for a vulnerable group of children. Exposure to advertising for calorie-dense nutrient-poor foods may increase overall consumption of unhealthy food categories.     

Proximity to SNAP-authorized retailers and child maltreatment reports

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been shown to have positive benefits for children. Families may face fewer barriers to accessing food they can purchase with their benefits if more stores in their neighborhoods accept SNAP benefits. We examine whether proximity to stores accepting SNAP benefits is related to child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) reports, particularly those potentially related to food insecurity. We combine geographically identified child maltreatment report data from the state of Connecticut from 2011 through 2015 with state SNAP-authorized retailer data. Using within-Census block group changes in the presence of a SNAP-authorized store, we find that in large, rural areas, one additional SNAP store is associated with a 4.4 percent decrease in the child maltreatment report rate (p < 0.05), and an 11.3 percent decrease in substantiated cases of maltreatment (p < 0.10), even net of changing zip code level factors and time-invariant neighborhood characteristics. The relationship between a neighborhood SNAP store and child maltreatment reports in these rural areas is largely driven by neglect, concentrated among young and school-aged children (ages 0–9), and primarily due to fewer reports by medical personnel. We find no effects of a neighborhood SNAP store on child maltreatment reports in smaller, more densely populated neighborhoods. Sensitivity checks affirm these results. Results indicate the benefits of access to SNAP retailers on the child welfare system and child well-being more broadly, especially in rural areas.     

Limited Supermarket Availability Is Not Associated With Obesity Risk Among Participants in the Kansas WIC Program

Socioecological theory and a growing body of research suggests that geographic, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of obesity are linked to disparities in the availability of food retail outlets that provide healthy food options. We examined the availability of food stores for low‐income women in Kansas and tested whether food store availability was associated with obesity using cross‐sectional, geocoded data from women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (n = 21,166) in Kansas. The availability and density of food stores within a 1, 3, and 5 mile radius of residence was determined, and multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association of food store availability with obesity. The availability of convenience, grocery stores, and supermarkets varied across the urban–rural continuum, but the majority of WIC recipients lived within a 1 mile radius of a small grocery store. WIC participants in micropolitan areas had the greatest availability of food stores within a 1 mile radius of residence. Availability and density of food stores was not associated with obesity in metropolitan and rural areas, but availability and density of any type of food store was associated with an increased risk of obesity among WIC recipients in micropolitan areas. These results suggest that limited spatial availability of grocery stores and supermarkets does not contribute to obesity risk among low‐income WIC recipients in Kansas, and that urban influence moderates the contribution of food environments to obesity.     

Rebalancing the marketing of healthier versus less healthy food products

Jean Adams discusses the evidence around food marketing restrictions and how they may be an effective way to support public health.

We live in a world increasingly saturated with marketing for less healthy foods [1]. One study found that children in New Zealand see an average of 27 instances of marketing for less healthy foods and only 12 for healthier foods, each day [2]. Food marketing involves activities across the 4 Ps of the marketing mix: product, place, price, and promotion. We are encouraged to buy less healthy food products through their placement in prominent store locations such as checkouts, end of aisles, and store entrances; price discounts; and promotions including advertising, cartoon tie-ins, and celebrity endorsements.Systematic reviews have confirmed the effectiveness of these marketing techniques to influence purchasing and consumption of less healthy foods [3–5]. Indeed, the documented power of food marketing has led the World Health Organisation to recommended limiting exposure as an overarching and enabling “best buy” to improve diets [6].Supermarkets remain the location of about 70% of food spend in the United Kingdom [7]. The concentration of food marketing in grocery stores can feel particularly overwhelming with parents describing the “temptation” as “like a trip to the zoo every week” for their children [8]. As such, supermarkets may be particularly important venues for addressing food marketing.In 2 accompanying Research Articles in PLOS Medicine, Piernas and colleagues used nonrandomised approaches to study the impacts on sales of a range of strategies to rebalance the marketing of healthier versus less healthy products in 3 large UK supermarket chains [9,10]. Across the 2 papers, 7 different interventions were implemented that changed the relative availability of healthier versus less healthy products (2 interventions), removed less healthy products from prominent positions, placed healthier products at eye level, offered price discounts on healthier products, increased signage on healthier products, and applied a range of entertainment tie-in promotions on healthier products (one intervention each). These variously had the intention to encourage substitution of less healthy products with healthier alternatives or to reduce purchasing of less healthy foods without substitution.Increasing the relative availability of healthier products, removing less healthy products from prominent positions and price promotions on healthier products were all associated with changes in unit sales in the expected direction, although associations with changes in nutrients purchased were sometimes more modest. In contrast, moving healthier products to eye level and increasing signage were not associated with changes in sales. These findings are particularly timely in England where a range of measures to reduce exposure to marketing of less healthy foods in retail environments are due to be implemented from October 2022 [11].Piernas and colleagues worked in collaboration with large UK supermarket chains. That the chains were prepared to innovate to support public health indicates that rebalancing marketing towards healthier products may not be as burdensome to the sector as it has sometimes claimed [12]. It also strengthens the external validity of these studies giving an indication of how customers react in real-world environments.However, that the supermarket chains decided what the interventions should be also imposes limitations on wider interpretation of the findings. Each of the 7 different interventions applied to different categories of foods without any rationale made explicit to the research team—for example, chocolate confectionary was removed from prominent positions, higher fibre breakfast cereals were placed at eye level, and price discounts were applied to fruit and vegetables. This makes it hard to determine whether observed impacts were unique to specific combinations of intervention and food category. Indeed, rather than particular marketing interventions being more effective than others across the board, it is possible that complex interplays between food category, marketing intervention, and other contextual aspects (such as shop and customer characteristics) interact to produce changes in sales.The “squeezed balloon effect” proposes that restrictions on specific aspects of marketing may lead to compensatory increases in others [13]. For example, restricting television advertising of less healthy foods during and around children’s programmes in the UK was associated with increased exposure of adults to these adverts [14]. Wider compensation between, as well as within, media (for example, TV restrictions leading to more online marketing) may also be expected. It is possible that supermarkets willing to engage in university-assessed marketing changes may have self-policed any simultaneous compensatory activities, and, anyway, these would not necessarily have been identified in the studies by Piernas and colleagues. Any real-life compensation as the whole grocery sector adapts to government-imposed marketing restrictions may be difficult to predict. This reinforces the need for postimplementation evaluation.The squeezed balloon effect means that the most effective marketing restrictions may be those that target marketing of the same products through multiple simultaneous interventions. In Chile, near-simultaneous implementation of front-of-pack warning labels, advertising restrictions, and a prohibition of sales in schools of products high in calories, sodium, sugar, or saturated fat were associated with substantial declines in purchases of targeted foods and nutrients [15]. This approach is also the underlying strategy in England where near-simultaneous restrictions on TV and online advertising of less healthy foods are planned for the whole of the UK alongside the England-specific bans on location and price-based promotions [16].Despite the innovative approach in England, neither the regulations on TV and online advertising of less healthy foods nor on price and location-based promotions of these foods have cleared the parliamentary process. The UK government recently accepted an amendment to the TV and online advertising restrictions to give the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care power to delay implementation [17]. The restrictions on price and location-based promotions may be under threat of being dropped altogether [18].Piernas and colleagues’ studies add to the accumulating evidence that restricting marketing on less healthy foods and encouraging marketing on healthier foods may be an effective way to support public health. Theory and a range of evidence suggest that simultaneous restrictions on a variety of different types of less healthy food marketing are likely to be the most effective ways of reducing exposure to this marketing. The UK government has proposed this approach in England on a number of occasions. That implementation continues to hang in the balance is a sad indictment of our collective inability to create a world that supports everyone to eat in the way they want to, rather than the way the marketers want for us.     

Ingesta dietética de los estudiantes de secundaria de la ciudad de Badajoz

ObjectivesTo quantify dietary intake of secondary education students in Badajoz, Spain, evaluating food frequency use in teenagers of both sexes.Material and methodsThe study sample consisted of 1197 secondary education students (49.9% male and 50.1% female). After giving informed consent, they completed a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) including 51 food items divided into five separate categories. This questionnaire was modified from the one used at the Valencian Community in 2003 and previously validated in a pilot study on 374 students.ResultsMale and females students reported higher intakes of 70.6% and 17.6% of foods analyzed respectively, while intake of 11.8% of food items was similar in both sexes. Sex differences were statistically significant for 35% of foods (of which 72% and 28% were taken more frequently by males and females respectively). Intake of milk and dairy products appeared to be adequate, while intake of fish and seafood was low consumption of meat products was high. Intake of vegetables, fruits, bread, and cereals was below the recommended levels. Intake of pasta, rice, and oils was adequate, and there was not a high consumptio of cookies or industrial pastries. There was an excess intake of sweets, but intake of soft drinks was not high.ConclusionsThese results show intermediate values as compared to other national surveys.     

A survey of fumonisins (B1, B2, B3) in Indonesian corn-based food and feed samples

In this paper a survey is described for determination of contamination level of fumonisins (B¹, B², B³) in Indonesian cornbased feed and food samples. The survey was conducted from February to May 2001. Foodstuffs, which are consumed directly such as snacks and other products, were investigated for fumonisin contamination. Of 105 food and feed samples purchased from local retail stores and local poultry shops around Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia were analyzed using ELISA. Results indicate that 74.3% of samples analyzed were contaminated in a large range of 10.0 – 3307 μg/kg, and the concentration of fumonisins depends on the type of samples. Detection limit of the method used was 9 μg/kg.From eight food samples of maize flour, and corn-based beverages and cereals, none was contaminated (below detection limit). For food samples of industrial products (19 samples), 13 were contaminated in the range of 22.8 – 105 μg/kg and 19 of 20 samples from home made products were contaminated between 12.9 – 234 μg/kg. The food samples contaminated in highest level occurred in corn. Of ten samples, 6 were contaminated from 68.0 – 2471 μg/kg. For feed samples, 17 corn samples were evaluated. Of those samples, 16 contained in a large range of 17.6 – 3306 μg/kg.     

The availability of socially marketed condoms in urban Tanzania, 1997-99

The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in the availability of socially marketed condoms in urban Tanzania, and to assess the effect of changes in the social marketing programme's strategy for distributing condoms to retail outlets. Three retail outlet surveys conducted in urban Tanzania in 1996/97, 1998 and 1999 were analysed. Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used to determine changes in availability of condoms, after adjusting for differences in the composition of the samples. Consistent with the changes in the condom social marketing distribution system, the proportion of condom outlets that were supplied by wholesalers increased from 42% in 1997 to 60% in 1999. The increasing use of wholesalers allowed sales agents to devote more time to opening new outlets. Hence, the percentage of outlets that had been solicited to sell condoms by social marketing condom sales persons increased from 14% in 1997 to 25% in 1999. Following these changes in the distribution system, the percentage of outlets selling socially marketed condoms increased from 25% to 32% between 1997 and 1998, and stabilized at that level. More detailed examination showed that availability of socially marketed condoms increased significantly in most non-traditional outlets, and in all regions of the country. In conclusion, distribution survey data indicate that changes in the distribution system increased the role of wholesalers, and enabled sales teams to allocate more time to soliciting new condom outlets. Concurrent with these changes, the availability of socially marketed condoms in non-traditional retail outlets increased significantly. Regular monitoring of condom availability can ensure that any emerging supply problems are identified and remedied quickly.     

A review on biotechnological potential of multifarious enzymes in bread making

Baking is a universal process for the preparation of baked products like, bread, biscuits, pastries, cookies, crackers, pies, and others. Although usage of enzymes in bakery is quite old but recent developments in basic biology, biochemistry, advancements in technological approaches, and discovery of new/novel enzymes, has revolutionized the application potential of enzymes in a variety of food industries including the bakery. World over people want their foods to be free of chemical preservatives and additives, therefore, the role of enzymes in potentially replacing the chemicals is very imperative. Application of enzymes in bakery not only enhances the dough properties such as, gas retention, crumb softness, water absorption capacity, and others but improves the nutritional status of products. Microbial sources of enzymes offer multiple advantages over plants and animals. Microbial enzymes from diverse resources have been reported for usage in bread making. A wide array of microbial enzymes viz. xylanases, phytases, α-amylases, proteases, cellulases, glucose oxidases, lipase and others have been reported to enhance the nutritional, sensory and other desirable properties of bread. Current article presents recent developments on application of enzymes for improvement of bread quality.     

Neural responses to visual food stimuli after a normal vs. higher protein breakfast in breakfast-skipping teens: a pilot fMRI study

This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pilot study identified whether breakfast consumption would alter the neural activity in brain regions associated with food motivation and reward in overweight "breakfast skipping" (BS) adolescent girls and examined whether increased protein at breakfast would lead to additional alterations. Ten girls (Age: 15 ± 1 years; BMI percentile 93 ± 1%; BS 5 ± 1×/week) completed 3 testing days. Following the BS day, the participants were provided with, in randomized order, normal protein (NP; 18 ± 1 g protein) or higher protein (HP; 50 ± 1 g protein) breakfast meals to consume at home for 6 days. On day 7 of each pattern, the participants came to the laboratory to consume their respective breakfast followed by appetite questionnaires and an fMRI brain scan to identify brain activation responses to viewing food vs. nonfood images prior to lunch. Breakfast consumption led to enduring (i.e., 3-h post breakfast) reductions in neural activation in the hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate, and parahippocampus vs. BS. HP led to enduring reductions in insula and middle prefrontal cortex activation vs. NP. Hippocampal, amygdala, cingulate, and insular activations were correlated with appetite and inversely correlated with satiety. In summary, the addition of breakfast led to alterations in brain activation in regions previously associated with food motivation and reward with additional alterations following the higher-protein breakfast. These data suggest that increased dietary protein at breakfast might be a beneficial strategy to reduce reward-driven eating behavior in overweight teen girls. Due to the small sample size, caution is warranted when interpreting these preliminary findings.     

Commercial production of microalgae in the Asia-Pacific rim

There are around 110 commercial producers of microalgae in the Asia-Pacific region, with annual production capacity ranging from 3 to 500 T. About nine-tenth of the algal cultivation plants are located in Asia. The commercially cultivated microalgae include Chlorella, Spirulina, Dunaliella, Nannochloris, Nitzschia, Crypthecodinium, Schizochytrium, Tetraselmis, Skeletonema, Isochrysisand Chaetoceros. Most of the commercially produced algal biomass is being marketed as health food, in the forms of tablets and capsules. Algae and their extract are also included in noodles, wine, beverages, breakfast cereals and cosmetics. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparative study on concentrations of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in kernels of transgenic Bt maize hybrids and nontransgenic maize hybrids

A survey of aflatoxin contamination in selected Colombian foods was conducted over a 12-month period on a total of 248 samples. Samples were collected in supermarkets, retail stores and stock centres and were grouped into five categories: (1) corn and corn products, (2) cereal grains, (3) rice and rice products, (4) legume seeds; and (5) snacks and breakfast cereals. Aflatoxins were identified and quantitated using a liquid chromatographic technique with a limit of detection of 1 ng/g for each aflatoxin. Aflatoxins were detected in 14 of 109 samples of corn and corn products, 4 of 40 samples of rice and rice products, 2 of 30 samples of legume seeds, and 2 of 11 samples of snacks and breakfast cereals. None of the cereal grains samples analysed contained detectable levels of aflatoxins. Twelve of the total of 22 positive samples exceeded the maximum tolerable level of aflatoxin B₁ adopted in most countries (5 ng/g); 10 of these 12 samples corresponded to corn and corn products. The results of the present study indicate that aflatoxin B₁ contamination in certain foods in Colombia is a major public health concern. Continuous monitoring of aflatoxin B₁ levels in Colombian foods is advised.     

Acrylamide in Austrian foods

Acrylamide is known for its potential health hazards. Recently acrylamide was found in starch containing heated foods in high concentrations which lead to the assumption that a cancer risk could be associated with the uptake of foods containing high amounts of acrylamide. This study focuses on the analysis of acrylamide in foods potentially containing this substance which is formed from natural ingredients. The highest concentrations were found in potato crisps with concentrations of above 1500 ng/g (median: 499 ng/g). Other food groups contained lower amounts: cookies with a median of 99 ng/g; crisp bread with a median of 69 ng/g; breakfast cereals with a median of 0 ng/g; popcorn and rice products with a median of 97 ng/g; potato chips with a median of 161 ng/g and coffee with a median of 169 ng/g.     

The aquarium trade as a potential source of fish introductions in southwestern Europe

The aquarium trade has been identified as an important vector of aquatic invasive species but this question has mostly been investigated in North America. We investigated the variation in diversity and species composition in different trade types in southwestern Europe (three major international wholesalers, different retail store types, and local internet forums), mostly in Spain and Portugal. As in previous studies, the diversity of fishes in the aquarium trade was vast, with a total of 20 orders, 79 families, and 1,133 fish species detected in the trade types analyzed. 248 species were observed in a single metropolitan area (Barcelona), with estimates of about 294 species being present. International wholesalers had higher species richness and evenness, with a single one having over 700 species. General pet stores had much lower evenness but due to high turnover had a total richness of over 200 species. Internet forums had the lowest evenness but similar richness. The different commerce types varied significantly in relative species abundance with about a dozen of popular fish species (e.g., goldfish, Siamese fighting fish, common carp, guppy, swordtails) dominating the retail stores, particularly the general pet stores. Our results imply that frequency in the trade varies strongly among species and commerce types and although general pet stores have usually low diversity, this is compensated with a higher species turnover. Many of the most popular species are well known invasive species and some of the species available are temperate species that might establish in Europe, reinforcing the need for more careful implementation of education programs, regulation and monitoring of trade, and internalization of environmental costs by the industry.     

Monitoring insect pests in retail stores by trapping and spatial analysis

Stored-product insects are a perennial problem in retail stores, where they damage and contaminate susceptible merchandise such as food products and animal feed. Historically, pest management in these stores has relied heavily on chemical insecticides, but environmental and health issues have dictated use of safer methods, and these require better monitoring. A monitoring procedure that employs an array of moth and beetle traps combined with spatial (contour) analysis of trap catch was tested in three department stores and two pet stores. The rate of capture increased with the level of infestation but was essentially constant over 4- to 5-d trapping periods. Contour analysis effectively located foci of infestation and reflected population changes produced by applications of the insect growth regulator (S)-hydroprene. The most abundant insects were Plodia interpunctella (Hiibner), Lasioderma serricorne (F.), Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and Cryptolestes pusillus (Sch?nherr). The results indicate that contour analysis of trap counts provides a useful monitoring tool for management of storage pests in retail stores. It identifies trouble spots and permits selection, timing, and precision targeting of control measures to achieve maximum pest suppression with minimum pesticide risk. It permits managers and pest control operators to visualize pest problems over an entire store, to monitor changes over time, and to evaluate the effectiveness of control intervention. The contour maps themselves, along with records of control applications and stock rotation, provide permanent documentation of pest problems and the effectiveness of pest management procedures.     

Youths' perceptions of overweight-related prevention counseling at a primary care visit

Objective: We examined youths’ report of receiving specific overweight‐related preventive counseling and perceived readiness to adopt nutrition and physical activity behaviors recommended by their clinicians. Research Methods and Procedures: We surveyed 324 youth 10 to 18 years old who had a physical exam within the past year. The survey included questions on height, weight, race/ethnicity, mother's education, and topics they discussed with their clinician during their visit. We used multivariable analyses to examine whether weight status and sociodemographic characteristics were predictors of which youth received counseling from their clinicians and which youth were ready to change. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 13.7 (1.8) years; 54% were black, and 22% were Hispanic. Less than one‐half of participants reported discussing sugar‐sweetened beverages [38%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 32% to 43%] or television viewing (41%; 95% CI, 36% to 47%) with their clinicians. In multivariable analyses adjusting for participant's age, sex, race/ethnicity, overweight status, and mother's educational attainment, youth whose mothers lacked education beyond high school were significantly less likely to report receiving counseling on any overweight‐specific topic including television viewing [odds ratio (OR), 0.46; 95% CI, 0.27, 0.79], sugar‐sweetened beverage (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28, 0.80), and fast food consumption (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.32, 0.92). In addition, youth 10 to 14 years old were more likely than those 15 to 18 years old to report they would try to change their television viewing (OR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.78, 9.44) if recommended by their clinician. Discussion: Youth report infrequently receiving counseling on specific overweight prevention topics during routine primary care visits. Our findings suggest that greater efforts may be needed to reduce social class disparities in overweight prevention counseling and that counseling to prevent overweight in youth may be more acceptable to younger children.