In 2008, the Choices International Foundation developed its logo criteria, identifying best-in-class food products. More advanced, global and graded nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) are needed to substantiate different national nutrition policies. The objective of this work was to extend Choices NPS to identify five levels of the healthiness of food products, so that the Choices NPS can also be used to support other nutrition policies, next to front-of-pack labelling. Based on the same principles as the previous logo criteria, four sets of threshold criteria were determined using a combination of compliance levels, calculated from a large international food group-specific database, the Choices logo criteria, and WHO-NPSs developed to restrict marketing to children. Validation consisted of a comparison with indicator foods from food-based dietary guidelines from various countries. Some thresholds were adjusted after the validation, e.g., because intermediate thresholds were too lenient. This resulted in a new international NPS that can be applied to different contexts and to support a variety of health policies, to prevent both undernutrition and obesity. It can efficiently evaluate mixed food products and represents a flexible tool, applicable in various settings and populations.
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The current food environment in The Netherlands is considered obesogenic. Eighty percent of the products in supermarkets are unhealthy. The Wheel of Five is the well-established, science-based Dutch food-based dietary guideline (FBDG) developed to stimulate healthier choices. In addition, simple directions on food packaging, such as front-of-package (FOP) health logos, could also be helpful. However, these tools should be in line with each other, in order not to confuse the consumer. To study this, we evaluated two FOP nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) for their alignment with the Wheel of Five: Choices five-level criteria and Nutri-Score. For this, a small but representative sample of 124 products was selected from the Dutch food composition database (NEVO). For these products, the scores for Choices and Nutri-Score were calculated using the published criteria, whilecompliance with the Wheel of Five was established by using the criteria from Netherlands Nutrition Center (NNC). The Wheel of Five food groups were used to categorize the products. Differences between the Wheel of Five and Choices are smaller than with Nutri-Score, concluding that Choices ismore consistent with the Wheel of Five and might be an attractive alternation for a FOP health logo on the Dutch market.
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Colours are an essential component of human lives since they can influence the final appearance of many products. A large variety of choices can be affected by the colours which are presented to us, for example in the food industry, product design, textiles etc. (Rao et al. 2017). Synthetic colours are dominating nowadays landscape, due to their ease of production, low manufacturing costs and resistance (UV, temperature) in use. However, many of these are also considered hazardous to both human and environmental wellbeing. In the effort of achieving a more sustainable society and limit environmental footprint, natural pigments are arising more and more interest (Velmurugan et al, 2009). As a consequence, the demand of natural pigments is expected to undergo a sharp rise in the future market (Venil et al. 2013). Further research is needed in order to render natural colours both more economically viable and better employable in industry (i.e. process standardization, pigments stability). Biobased pigments can derive from a variety of sources, such as plants, bacteria, algae and fungi (Venkatachalam et al. 2018). The present project is a feasibility study on producing novel biobased pigments with fungi. In order to understand the most optimal production requirements, the biological conditions and novel extraction techniques will be considered. The initial characterisation of the produced pigments will be carried out both regarding the chemical composition and the properties, such as UV- and thermal stability. The SME companies, BioscienZ and Phytonext and the Avans Centre of Expertise BioBased Economy (CoEBBE) will combine their expertise and collaborate with a goal to make a step change in production of biobased colourants.
Our world is changing rapidly as a result of societal and technological developments that create new opportunities and challenges. Extended Realities (XR) could provide solutions for the problems the world is facing. In this project we apply these novel solutions in food and hospitality. It aims to tackle fundamental questions on how to stimulate a healthy and vital society that is based on a sustainable and innovative economy. This project aims to answer the question: How can Extended Reality (XR) technologies be integrated in the design of immersive food experiences to stimulate sustainable consumption behavior? A multidisciplinary approach, that has demonstrated its strength in the creative industry, will be applied in the hospitality and food sector. The project investigates implications and design considerations for immersion through XR technology that can stimulate sustainable consumption behavior. Based on XR prototypes, physiological data will be collected using biometric measuring devices in combination with self-reports. The effect of stimuli on sustainable consumption behavior during the immersive experience will be tested to introduce XR implementations that can motivate long-term behavioral change in food consumption. The results of the project contribute towards developing innovations in the hospitality sector that can tackle global societal challenges by exploiting the impact of new technology and understanding of consumer behavior to promote a healthy lifestyle and economy. Next to academic publications and conference contributions, the project will develop a handbook for hospitality professionals. It will outline steps and design criteria for the implementation of XR technologies to create immersive experiences that can stimulate sustainable consumption behavior. The knowledge generated in the project will contribute to the development of the curriculum at the Academy for Hotel and Facility at Breda University of Applied Sciences by introducing a technology-driven experience design approach for the course Sustainable Strategic Business Design.
We live in a society that is increasingly dominated by technology-mediated interactions and consumption of experiences. It has opened pathways to innovative immersive technology concepts in the food and dining context, contributing to the development of a consumption-oriented society. This project addresses the challenge how to stimulate consumers through immersive technology designs to make conscious choices leading to more sustainable behaviors in the food and dining context. This project evolves around designing and testing Extended Reality (XR) technology-mediated immersive food experiences in the food and dining context to stimulate sustainable food consumption behavior. It includes the use of complementing measurement tools to test the effectiveness of XR designs to make better XR technology design choices that can stimulate change in consumption behavior.
