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Background: Public health nutrition recommendations and clinical dietary interventions emphasize eating healthy food at home, implicitly requiring household foodwork. Household foodwork is defined as the physical and mental tasks a household does for eating meals and snacks. Because no tools exist to measure it, how much time people spend doing household foodwork and the foodwork barriers they experience remain unknown. The objective of the present research was to develop the first stand-alone household foodwork assessment tool. Methods: Through informal interviews with partners with lived experience, clinicians, and researchers, a literature review, a stakeholder meeting of advisors, and a two-round electronic Delphi process including face/content validation by expert panelists (n = 21), we developed the 10-question household foodwork interactional assessment questionnaire (FIA-Q10). An optional accompanying module was developed to collect self-identified demographic data to provide context for understanding how social-structural positionality factors may interact to influence foodwork. Results: The FIA-Q10 assesses the domains of household composition, frequency of eating at home, special diets within a household, foodwork stress intensity, foodwork barriers, desired supports related to foodwork, and time use for foodwork. The FIA-Q10 measures time use for four subdomains of foodwork among individuals and their households: (1) planning, (2) getting, (3) preparing/cooking, and (4) cleaning up food. In the second Delphi round, the FIA-Q10 scored 95% for language appropriateness, 67% for visual appropriateness, 95% for relevance, 95% for representativeness, and 95% for distribution. Suggested improvements were implemented. All Delphi panelists (100%) reported they would consider using the FIA-Q10. Conclusions: The FIA-Q10's development is the first step towards a standardized assessment of foodwork, enabling examination of challenges in foodwork that may impact nutrition and nutrition equity. Future research will focus on FIA-Q10 validation in multiple populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospital menus are profoundly important to meet the nourishment needs of patients. So, this study is conducted to determine the nutrient adequacy of adult patients’ normal diet menus. Methods: An evaluation of 30-day fixed menus consisting of 4 dishes was conducted in four different public hospitals in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Mean adequacy ratio (MAR) and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) were used to examine the sufficiency of nutrients and meals. Results: For all the hospitals, MAR value was found higher than %85. However, nutrient adequacy ratio of dietary fiber, calcium and magnesium were lower than the other nutrients. It was determined that total fat, saturated fat, salt and cholesterol (except hospital D) contents were high according to the recommended values. Nevertheless, these fixed menus supplied 75% daily fiber on average. Hospital A and D menus met calcium requirements by 73% and 67%, respectively. While hospital D menus met magnesium (76%) and potassium (67%) requirements moderately, other hospitals approached 100% sufficiency for potassium. It is remarkable that in all the hospitals the amount of fruits seemed very low, up to 34%. Conclusion: As the hospital meal is an essential part of in-patients’ institutional care and nutritional support, the nutrient contents of menus should be monitored for nutritional requirements and, if necessary, there should be initiatives and arrangements in standard recipes to reduce salt and fat contents.

Background: The goal of the present study was to design an easily computable score, based on nutrient composition data instead of food groups, to evaluate the nutritional quality and balance of meals, adapted to the nutritional recommendations for Filipino adults. Method: The score was defined as a weighted average of 9 nutrient scores. Protein, total fat, saturated fat, free sugars were scored as % of energy; calcium, fiber, sodium, vitamin C, magnesium were scored based on the local dietary reference intakes. The scoring algorithm was an adaption of a score previously developed by the authors based on US data. In the present study, the score was applied to 69,923 meals reported by 31,218 adult Filipinos aged 20 to 59 in the 2018 edition of the Philippine Expanded National Nutrition Survey to evaluate its validity and compare against exemplary meals designed as part of 24 h diet plans that meet local dietary guidelines. Results: Meals from these exemplary menu plans, developed by local nutrition experts, scored on average 72.2 ± 13.9 (mean ± standard deviation) while those of survey participants scored 46.1 ± 12.9. Meal scores were significantly associated with the density of positive micronutrients (e.g., Vit A, Vit C) and favourable food groups (e.g. fruits, whole grains) not directly included in the algorithm. Conclusion: The score, between 0 and 100, is a valid tool to assess the nutritional quality of meals consumed by the PH population, accounting for both shortfall and excess nutrients, adjusted for the energy content of the meal. If applied to consumer-facing applications, it could potentially help users to understand which meals are nutritionally balanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the importance of sustainable nutrition, it is important that hospitals' meal menus are planned to ensure the lowest possible environmental footprint. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the environmental effects of hospital menus and the changes that may occur when these menus are planned according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean diet recommendations. In this context, first, the yearly environmental footprints of the standard meal menus of the state university hospitals in Turkey (n = 42), including water footprint (WF) and greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) values, were determined. Second, changes in the environmental footprint as a result of arranging the standard meal menus of state university hospitals according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional models were evaluated. It was determined that the average WF and GHGE values of hospital menus were 137,280 ± 18537.2 L/month and 140.0 ± 18.4 kg CO2‐eq/month, respectively. Adjusting state university hospitals' standard meal menus according to Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional models reduced WF by 24.8% to 103206.7 L/month and 37.8% to 85420.5 L/month, and GHGEs by 31.7% to 95.5 kg CO2‐eq/month and 49% to 71.3 kg CO2‐eq/month, respectively. In addition, it was determined that hospital meal menus planned according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and the Mediterranean nutritional model contained lower saturated fat and cholesterol and higher dietary fiber. In conclusion, planning hospital menus according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional recommendations can reduce the environmental footprint of hospital food services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Nutrition & Food Security is the property of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Nutrition & Food Security Research Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study determined how food handlers apply menu planning principles in food waste prevention in supermarket kitchens. The objective was to assess whether menu planning principles that positively impact minimising food waste are applied by food handlers in supermarket the kitchens in Soweto, South Africa, and to understand the underlying causes of food waste. The quantitative, structured observation was conducted using a checklist to observe food handlers' practices throughout meal production. The study found that food handlers lacked proper menu planning and execution principles for food waste prevention, including not following standardised recipes, poor food preparation skills, lack of food texture variety, improper meal distribution, and poor food storage practices. The findings revealed that food handlers overlook menus' importance as communication tools in planning, operation, and waste minimisation. This highlights a gap in poor practices that needs to be addressed as a step-in meeting target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to halve global food waste and loss. per capita by 2030 and recommends developing food waste guidelines specific for food handlers in supermarket kitchen. This paper contributes to the existing theoretical literature. The significant practical implication of this study is to enforce sustainability practices in supermarket kitchens.

Copyright of Tourism & Management Studies is the property of Escola Superior de Gestao, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Community health education is essential in combating obesity and cardiovascular diseases by addressing nutritional knowledge gaps and promoting healthier dietary habits in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and needs of residents at Beijing Fengtai District. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022, residents from 31 communities of the Fengtai District were given an online questionnaire, which was designed to assess their nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and needs. Results: From 420 distributed surveys, a total of 416 participants were enrolled for an effective recovery rate of 99.05%. Among them, 317 participants (76.20%) scored 80% or higher on the nutritional knowledge questionnaire, participants with higher nutritional knowledge scores were more likely to be aged over 60 years (OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.06– 0.76, p = 0.02), female (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.22– 0.73, p < 0.01) and employed (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.04– 5.12, p = 0.04). While many community residents expressed a desire to receive guidance on dietary guidance (n = 303, 72.84%) dietary matching (n = 303, 72.84%), and preventive health care (n = 286, 68.75%). Residents were familiar with nutritional care clinics (55.05%) and believed that the nutritional care clinics should be increased (59.86%). In addition, 345 residents (83.41%) wanted nutritional care clinics to provide consultation on nutritious meal planning. Conclusion: Beijing residents need additional access to clinical nutritional resources as their needs are not fulfilled despite a relatively strong knowledge of nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases associated with abnormalities in insulin action and/or secretion. The continuous rise in the number of patients and the overall patient count, which reflects the global prevalence of this disease, unequivocally indicates that hospital facilities are frequently admitting patients with this condition. The healthcare personnel responsible for patient nutrition should ensure both the quantity and quality of their meals. Objectives. The aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the menus implemented in specific hospital facilities following a diet with restricted easily digestible carbohydrates. Material and methods. The study analyzed 182 one-day menus from 13 hospital facilities, consisting of 13 fourteen-day menus from the summer of 2021. A questionnaire was developed for qualitative evaluation. Results. The analysis showed that the menus were subject to numerous errors, particularly in the number of meals per day, the type of fat used, the frequency of dairy products, the frequency of vegetables, the type of carbohydrate supplements used in lunches, and the frequency of non-recommended products. Conclusions. Most of the menus showed errors that could be corrected. The analyzed material clearly indicated that in hospital nutrition, patients are often provided with inappropriate products for their disease entity, and the number of meals per day is too low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study assesses the temporal responses of cardiovascular function, fibro-inflammation, and glucometabolic profiles in asymptomatic adults with type 2 diabetes, following a low-energy meal replacement plan (MRP) or exercise training. Methods: Secondary analysis of DIASTOLIC: a randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial of 12 weeks MRP (~810 kcal/day) or exercise training. Cardiac magnetic resonance, plasma fibroinflammatory, and metabolic markers were undertaken at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks. Results: Out of 24 participants in the MRP group and 22 in exercise training, 18 and 11 completed all three visits. MRP resulted in early (0–4 weeks) improvement in insulin resistance (HOMA-IR: 10.82 to 4.32), decrease in FABP-4 (4.87 ± 0.19 to 5.15 ± 0.32 mg/L), and improvement in left ventricular remodelling LV mass: volume (0.86 ± 0.14 to 0.78 ± 0.11), all with large effect sizes. MMP8 levels increased moderately at 4–12 weeks. Peak early diastolic strain rate (cPEDSR) initially decreased, then improved. Exercise training led to minor improvements in insulin resistance and MMP-8 levels, with no significant changes in cPEDSR or LV remodelling. Conclusions: MRP resulted in early improvements in insulin resistance, cardiac remodelling, and inflammation, but with an initial decrease in diastolic function, improving by 12 weeks. Exercise training showed minor early benefits in insulin resistance and inflammation, but no significant cardiac changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, in the pursuit of personalized health and well-being, dietary choices are critical. This paper introduces a novel recommendation system designed to provide users with personalized meal plans, consisting of breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner, in alignment with their health history and preferences from other similar users. More specifically, our system exploits collaborative filtering first to identify other users with similar dietary preferences and uses this information to propose suitable recipes to individuals. The whole process is enhanced by analyzing the individual's health history, including dietary restrictions, nutritional needs, and specific diet plans, such as low-carb or vegetarian. This ensures that the generated meal plans are not only aligned with the user's taste but also contribute to the overall wellness of the user. A distinctive feature of our system is its dynamic adaptation feature, which enables users to make real-time adjustments to their meal plans based on their personal constraints and preferences, directly impacting future recommendations. We evaluate the usability of the system through a series of experiments on a large real-world data set of recipes, showing that our system is able to provide highly personalized, dynamic, and accurate recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ketogenic and vegan diets have become increasingly popular. The rising popularity of these dietary trends has been met in kind by the food industry producing a variety of specialty ultra-processed foods (UPF). Despite increasing popularity, the cost and nutrient profile of vegan and ketogenic diets (KD) that rely on UPF specialty products is poorly understood. We aimed to assess the cost and nutrient profile of vegan and KD that relied primarily on UPF and compare this to those that relied primarily on whole foods. Design: We designed and calculated the cost of four 1-d meal plans for a hypothetical weight-stable adult female. Two meal plans were created for the vegan-style and ketogenic-style diets, respectively, with one of each being predominantly whole food based and the other constituting primarily of UPF. Carbohydrates were limited to ≤50 g, protein was set at 15–20 % and fat ≥75 % for the ketogenic meal plans. Carbohydrates were set between 45 and 65 %, protein 15 and 25 % and fat 20 and 35 % for the vegan meal plans. FoodWorks dietary analysis software was used to assess data against the national Australian/New Zealand nutrient reference value for adult females and cost was calculated using Countdown online shopping (a local New Zealand supermarket). Setting: New Zealand. Participants: None. Results: The whole food-based meal plans met a greater proportion of the macro and micronutrient thresholds and were less costly when compared with the specialty-based meal plans. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that well-planned, predominantly whole food diets (regardless of dietary trend) are nutritionally superior and more cost-effective than those that rely on UPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a menu box delivery service tailored to the long-day care (LDC) setting on improving menu compliance with recommendations, children's diet quality and dietary intake while in care. Design: A cluster randomised controlled trial in LDC centres randomly assigned to an intervention (menu box delivery) or comparison (menu planning training) group. The primary outcome was child food provision and dietary intake. Secondary outcomes include menu compliance and process evaluation, including acceptability, fidelity and menu cost (per child, per day). Setting: South Australian LDC centres. Participants: Eight LDC centres (n 224 children) provided data. Results: No differences were observed in serves/d between intervention and comparison centres, for provision (intervention, 0·9 inter-quartile range (IQR) 0·7–1·2; comparison, 0·8 IQR 0·5–1·3) or consumption (intervention, 0·5 IQR 0·2–0·8; comparison, 0·5 IQR 0·3–0·9) of vegetables. Child food provision and dietary intake were similar across both groups for all food groups (P < 0·05). At follow-up, all intervention centres met menu planning guidelines for vegetables, whereas only one comparison centre met guidelines. Intervention centre directors found the menu box delivery more acceptable than cooks. Cost of the intervention was AUD$2·34 greater than comparison centres (intervention, AUD$4·62 (95 % CI ($4·58, $4·67)); comparison, AUD$2·28 (95 % CI ($2·27, $2·30)) per child, per day). Conclusions: Menu compliance can be improved via a menu delivery service, delivering equivalent impacts on child food provision and dietary intake compared with an online training programme. Further exploration of cooks acceptability and cost is essential before scaling up to implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore how fathers with young children contributed to healthy home food provisioning and the factors enabling or inhibiting their involvement in family food tasks. Design: Cross-sectional study using purpose-designed online survey. The survey assessed the level of responsibilities and practices in family food tasks, food agency (Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale), and use of resources to support involvement in family food tasks. Data collection took place over 3 weeks in November–December 2020 when various COVID-19-related restrictions were in place. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to assess psychosocial factors influencing responsibilities in family food tasks and food agency. Setting: Online survey. Participants: Included in the analysis were 435 Australian fathers with children aged under 5 years. Results: Between 75 and 77 % of fathers in this study reported having at least half of the responsibilities in meal planning, shopping, and cooking. Health was frequently considered when deciding what to eat, but few used nutrition or food labels when shopping, tried new recipes or modified recipes to make them healthier. Involvement in family food tasks was promoted by a higher food agency, but time spent in employment was a significant barrier to reported food agency and greater involvement in food tasks. There was a high interest in resources to support healthy home food provisioning. Conclusions: The findings suggest the need to consider father-specific strategies to overcome time barriers and opportunities to enhance their capabilities for healthy home food provisioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a framework for large employers designing a menu of health plan offerings that differ on both financial and nonfinancial dimensions. Using administrative data from Harvard University, we estimate a model of plan choice and utilization, and evaluate the benefits of cost sharing and plan variety. For this population of consumers, and a single plan with a generous out‐of‐pocket maximum and zero deductible, modest cost sharing of approximately 30% maximizes average employee surplus. Gains from offering choice are meaningful only if financial differentiation is paired with differentiation along other dimensions where consumer preferences are correlated with efficient coverage levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final stage of Fe deficiency is Fe deficiency anaemia, with repercussions for human health, especially in children under 5 years of age. Studies conducted in Brazilian public daycare centres show high prevalence of anaemia. The present study aims to evaluate the availability of Fe in the meals of the Municipal Centers of Early Childhood Education in Maceió. The experimental design comprises selection of algorithms, menu evaluation, calculation of the estimates, comparison between the estimates obtained and the recommendations, and analysis of correlation between meal constituents, and of the concordance between the absorbable Fe estimates. Four algorithms were selected and a monthly menu consisting of 22 d. The correlation analysis showed a moderate positive correlation to animal tissue (AT) v. non-heme iron (r = 0·42; P = 0·04), and negative to AT v. Ca (r = −0·54; P = 0·09) and Ca v. phytates (r = −0·46, P = 0·03). Estimates of absorbable Fe ranged from 0·23 to 0·44 mg/d. The amount of Fe available, unlike the total amount of Fe offered, does not meet the nutritional recommendations on most school days. The Bland–Altman analysis indicated that the Monsen and Balinfty and Rickard et al. showed greater agreement. The results confirm the need to adopt strategies to increase the availability of Fe in school meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insights into the immunological role of the gastrointestinal tract in autoimmune conditions have led to the investigation of diet as a potential adjunctive treatment option for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) has shown promising results. However, studies on participants' experiences of dietary interventions in JIA are rare. In this study we investigated the experiences of children and parents' who had participated in a four-week intervention with SCD aiming to examine the potential anti-inflammatory effects. Objectives: To conduct a qualitative evaluation exploring children's and parents' experiences of the dietary intervention, how they navigated challenges, and their support requirements. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 children and 15 parents from 13 families, who were interviewed individually and together. The transcripts were analysed using systematic text condensation. Results: Most participants interviewed found the intervention beneficial, with 12 out of 13 reporting positive effects, such as reduced pain and morning stiffness, and improved gastrointestinal function. Many participants reported being willing to repeat the intervention in the current form. Despite facing challenges, all children followed the diet for one to three months, with some continuing to follow a modified version. Facing the socio-emotional consequences of adhering to the diet was challenging for children. These were handled by focusing on the positive aspects and by relying on the supportive environment available. Parents struggled with practical issues since the diet required hard work, time, and money. Areas identified as requiring additional support include finding simple, quick, and child-friendly solutions, strengthening organizational food skills such as meal planning, and preparation prior to starting the intervention regarding socio-emotional aspects. Conclusion: Navigating the dietary treatment was considered challenging, practically for the parents and socio-emotionally for the children. Based on the reported challenges and participants' suggestions the intervention could be optimised by providing support and solutions in relation to the practical issues and better preparation regarding dealing with the socio-emotional consequences. Despite the difficulties, the participants reported overall positive experiences of, and attitudes towards, the current setup. Consequently, dietary interventions, such as the SCD, may be regarded as suitable targets for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mevlevi cuisine, which carries the traces of history in Konya in Turkey, is an ethnic type of cuisine that is identified with that region. It is known that with the opening of more restaurants in the concept of ethnic cuisine, there will be a positive interaction in the region in terms of gastronomic tourism. Purpose of the research: To evaluate the meals and drinks of ethnic cuisine by the guests who prefer ethnic restaurants, using the menu analysis method. Case study, one of the qualitative research models, was used in the research. The research sample consists of Somatçı Fihi Ma Fih restaurant, which tries to keep an ethnic culinary culture alive with the concept of Mevlevi cuisine in Turkey's Konya province and volunteered to participate in the research. The data collection phase of the research was carried out in the light of the interview, document review and information obtained with both the manager and the chef of this restaurant, which constitutes the sample of the research. As a result of the study, a total of 14 menu items selected from the menu were subjected to menu engineering analysis. After this analysis, a total of 6 products were included in the stars group, 4 products in the problem group, 3 products in the horses group and 1 product in the puzzles group. As a result of the research, it was suggested that the Mevlevi cuisine dishes, which are not liked by the guests who prefer ethnic dishes, should be removed from the menu and replaced with the ones with stronger taste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulators often impose rules that constrain the behavior of market participants. We study the design of regulatory policy in an insurance market as a delegation problem. A regulator restricts the menus of contracts an informed firm is permitted to offer, the firm offers a permitted menu to each consumer, and consumers choose contracts from offered menus. If consumer types and firm signals are ordered in a way that reflects coverage need, the regulator can leverage the firm's information by forcing the firm to offer specified additional options on each menu. Several extensions illustrate the practical application of our results. (JEL D21, D43, D82, D86, G22, G28, L51) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The production and consumption of red and processed meat negatively impacts individual and planetary health. The 2021 Lancet countdown on health and climate change report stated that 842,000 deaths annually are due to excess red meat consumption, whilst its production is responsible for more than 50% of food‐related greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the National Health Service's net‐zero emissions strategy, King's College Hospital has committed to transitioning to a plant‐based food environment and removing processed red meat from menus. Aims: To ascertain patients' attitudes to the removal of processed and unprocessed red meat from menus Material and methods: We conducted a survey of 118 patients using in‐person interviews. Results: Most patients did not consider serving processed red meat (74%) or unprocessed red meat (66.1%) important to them and most patients (77.9%) were neutral or supportive of removing processed red meat from menus to reduce the risk of cancer. Most patients (67%) were also supportive of removing unprocessed red meat from menus to combat climate change. The majority would choose chicken or fish in place of red meat. Conclusion: These data show that patients would support the removal of red meat from hospital menus, but more education is required to support patients to select plant‐based options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease-related malnutrition remains a health problem with a high prevalence that increases the risk of poor patient outcomes, in addition to an elevation of healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of the menus at Ribera Molina Hospital, including their adequacy regarding recommended daily nutrient intakes and the agreement with the theoretical nutrition information provided by catering. The mean levels of energy, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals provided by the basal, diabetic, and soft diets were calculated through the weighing of plated food served throughout the first 14 days of February 2020. A nutritional overestimation was seen in the nutrition information provided by the catering compared to the values derived from weighing foods (p < 0.01). Despite this, the nutritional content calculated by weighing satisfied the energy and protein requirements of 203 hospitalized patients previously studied in the internal medicine area of the hospital. The mean age of these patients was 62 years, and the main causes of admission were lung, cardiovascular, renal, and digestive diseases. There seems to be an insufficient amount of vitamins E and D, as well as magnesium, on all the menus. A possible insufficient amount of calcium, potassium, zinc, and copper was observed in some of the menus studied. It is necessary to update the hospital prescription manual so the nutritional contents of the diets are accurate and based on the weighted and calculated values to improve the adequacy of diets prescribed to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Products approaching the end of their shelf life on retail store shelves are more likely to result in food waste. For this reason, manufacturers establish shipping policies related to the age of the products that leave their warehouses, that is, they set a maximum age beyond which shipping to retail stores is no longer allowed. In practice, most existing policies are simple one‐size‐fits‐all rules that do not accommodate the varying characteristics of the products. We offer a framework that manufacturers can use to determine maximum shipping age thresholds based on a Markov chain model, where the objective is to maximize profit, net of the cost of expiration at the warehouse and retail stores. We derive analytical insights about the impact of a shipping age threshold on food waste in the supply chain and obtain sufficient conditions under which a maximum shipping age threshold is suboptimal within the class of Ship‐Oldest‐First (a.k.a. First‐In‐First‐Out) issuing policies. We also numerically investigate the relationship between different system parameters (e.g., demand rate, waste cost at warehouse and retail, warehouse inventory, total shelf life) and the optimal shipping age threshold. Using real data from our industry collaborator, we compute the optimal shipping age thresholds at the stock‐keeping‐unit (SKU) level for over 450 products and find that 9–10% of the SKUs currently have suboptimal shipping age thresholds. This presents an opportunity to improve profits by up to 8.7% and reduce food waste by up to 14.7%. These improvements correspond to up to $292,561 savings and 1846 truckloads of waste reduction annually. Our framework can be adopted by any firm and satisfies a much emphasized need in industry to control food waste through shelf life management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early detection of nutritional problems is a vital skill for individuals as it enables timely prevention before any symptoms arise. This skill can be fostered through enhancing knowledge, practicing skills via educational activities and mentoring, and seeking support from peers who share similar challenges. This study aims to investigate the impact of peer tutoring on the development of a balanced menu and healthy snack consumption based on fish and vegetables among 11th-grade female students at a state high school in Singosari, Malang Regency. This study examined the effect of these interventions on the intake of energy, protein, and iron among the participants. Data were gathered by collecting food consumption data using the 24-hour food recall method and measurement of weight, height, Hb, and Albumin levels. The study employed a purposive sampling technique by conducting pretest, intervention, and post-test. The results showed significant improvements in the health indicators of the participants, including knowledge, intake, Hb, and Albumin levels (p=0.000; α=0.005). These findings demonstrate the potential of education and mentoring through peer tutoring in promoting healthy eating habits and preventing nutrition-related problems among female adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We have suggested "Revised Nutritional Reference Values for Feeding at Evacuation Shelters" (Revised RV) as a daily nutritional recommendation for meals served at evacuation shelters where poor diets had been reported. Since there are no meal examples to satisfy the Revised RV, our objectives were, for the future meal provision, to develop nutritionally adequate meal plans using the foods served at shelters in the past and to examine if the Revised RV could be met by changing combination of foods available. Methods: In this case study using secondary data, we analyzed food weights of 86 meals served and recorded at 12 shelters after the heavy rains in July 2020. We obtained these data from Kumamoto Prefecture that was damaged and asked us dietary assessment for nutrition assistance. Foods were classified into 3 types according to the check mark in the record sheets: food aid (commercial packaged food), boxed meal, and hot meal service. We counted serving frequency of each food and analyzed nutritional differences by their combinations. Menus were devised by choosing foods that were served more frequently or were more nutritious among those served at shelters. The target values for one meal were set at 1/3 of the Revised RV for energy, protein, vitamins B1, B2, and C, and salt. Results: None of the meals served in the shelters satisfied the target. We created 2 menus using food aid only: (#1 curry doughnut, milk with long shelf-life, and orange jelly) and (#2 salmon rice ball, ham and cheese sandwich, and vegetable juice); 1 menu by combination of boxed meal and food aid: (#3 boxed meal and vegetable juice); and 2 menus by combination of hot meal service and food aid: (#4 chicken meatball soup, packaged tofu, soy sauce, preprocessed white rice, and bottled green tea) and (#5 bamboo shoots rice, chicken and vegetable miso soup, and bottled green tea). Planned menus generally contained more energy, protein, and vitamins and less salt than the meals served. Their vitamin C contents were especially higher. Conclusion: Nutritionally adequate meals could be planned by changing the combination of foods available in shelters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carbohydrate counting has become a popular meal planning strategy in achieving optimal postprandial blood glucose control and dietary flexibility among people with insulin-requiring diabetes. Yet, this aspect of diabetes care has not been well embraced especially in low-resource countries like Uganda. This study aimed to develop an accessible, easy-to-use and context-specific meal planning resource for use in diabetes self-management education and to assist in clinical decisions as reference for clinicians in Uganda. It will also contribute to addressing the dearth in locally contextualised diabetes education resources. Methods: We mapped common foods consumed in Uganda from a variety of sources which we congregated into food groups. Typical portion sizes of the selected foods and beverages served in the Ugandan context were measured and corresponding carbohydrate content calculated from available food composition tables of Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and the US Department of Agriculture Food Data Central. We provided descriptive summary statistics and comparisons of carbohydrate content across food groups. All analyses were conducted in STATA version 16.0. Results: Images of Ugandan foods and dishes with corresponding carbohydrate figures were compiled into an electronic document that is freely accessible online. It features information from 100 food sets categorised into 12 food groups. Conclusions: This meal planning resource can provide important guidance to meal planning, food choices, clinical decision making and nutrition education in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning is important for the management and sustainable use of resources. To ensure sustainable quality meals, there is the need to plan meals in the home. Planning of meals can best be achieved if gender, especially, women who are the key people responsible for meals in the home, are involved. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the determinants of gender-based meal planning and the frequency of meals in Ghana using structured questionnaires and a multistage sampling technique. A total of 3521 households were interviewed across fourteen regions of Ghana, to identify how males and females plan their meals at the household level, and the key players involved in the choice of meals in the home. The country is stratified into regions and the regions further stratified into urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Purposive sampling was used to select households for the survey considering social classes and livelihoods of the people in the communities. Data obtained were entered in Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 16 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY) for analysis using the Pearson's chi square at a P-value of 0.05 to determine statistical differences between gender. Associations between factors that influence frequencies of meals were determined by Cramér's V. Findings showed that, women are mostly responsible for meals at the household level. The study also showed that most Ghanaian households eat three times per day, but their meals are often not planned. Furthermore, the findings of the study suggest that educational attainment and income do not have significant impact on the frequency of meals and gender-based planning of meals in the home. The study showed that 67.41% of households involved in the study were headed by men but those responsible for cooking were mostly women (63.71%). Only a few households planned their meals. Of these, women were mostly responsible for the provision of meals. Therefore, it is important to consider gender in the planning of meals to ensure good nutrition and food availability to the household throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overconsumption is one of the most serious public health challenges in the UK and has been linked to increased consumption of food ordered through delivery platforms. This study tested whether repositioning foods and/or restaurant options in a simulated food delivery platform could help to reduce the energy content of users' shopping basket. Methods: UK adult food delivery platform users (N = 9,003) selected a meal in a simulated platform. Participants were randomly allocated to a control condition (choices listed randomly) or to one of four intervention groups, (1) food options listed in ascending order of energy content, (2) restaurant options listed in ascending order of average energy content per main meal, (3) interventions 1 and 2 combined (4) interventions 1 and 2 combined, but food and restaurant options repositioned based on a kcal/price index to display options lower in energy but higher in price at the top. Gamma regressions assessed the impact of interventions on total energy content of baskets at checkout. Results: The energy content of participants' baskets in the control condition was 1382 kcals. All interventions significantly reduced energy content of baskets: Compared to control, repositioning both foods and restaurants purely based on energy content of options resulted in the greatest effect (-209kcal; 95%CIs: -248,-168), followed by repositioning restaurants (-161kcal; 95%CIs: -201,-121), repositioning restaurants and foods based on a kcal/price index (-117kcals; 95%CI: -158,-74) and repositioning foods based on energy content (-88kcals; 95%CI: -130,-45). All interventions reduced the basket price compared to the control, except for the intervention repositioning restaurants and foods based on a kcal/price index, which increased the basket price. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study suggests repositioning lower-energy options more prominently may encourage lower energy food choices in online delivery platforms and can be implemented in a sustainable business model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring safe meals with suitable hygienic-sanitary and nutritional features is an essential requirement to guarantee health in different settings. This study aims to evaluate the compliance of collective catering menus adopted in both school canteens and healthcare facilities in a regional area where specific guidelines have been issued, assessing many matters from food weight to single courses and from the use of wholegrain pasta and bread to the rotation of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Overall, 85 menus, edited by freelance professionals and endorsed by the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service staff of the Local Health Authority, were assessed from 2018 to 2022, highlighting critical issues potentially attributable at a local level to the lack of complete knowledge of the existence of guidelines and official reference documents among nutrition professionals. Since the preliminary outcomes show non-compliance in both sectors investigated, it is essential to continue to strengthen the role of prevention departments entrusted with services dedicated to food and nutritional safety and promote joint official controls performed by healthcare workers and other professionals with different backgrounds in order to ensure safe food for the target population that use collective catering services. In school canteens and healthcare facilities, providing and administering food is an opportunity to promote health through a balanced diet and safe food and offers opportunities for the development of community well-being and the local economy in a sustainable manner, understood in economic, environmental and social terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to allergens could be life-threatening for people with food allergies. Restaurants and cafes are challenging environments for accommodating food allergies. This study aimed to measure King Saud University female students' awareness about food allergens on restaurants' and cafes' menus. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 379 students aged 18 years and above. A paper-based questionnaire was used, which comprised 16 questions related to the definition of food allergies, food allergens, and food allergy symptoms; the definition and prevention of cross-contact of food allergies; emergency treatment procedures for food allergies; strategies for the prevention of food allergy reactions; customer expectations towards restaurants; and preventive measures taken for food allergies. The results indicate that the overall average score of food allergen awareness was 10.90, which falls in the higher range. Furthermore, female students in the age groups of 23 to 27 years and 33 to 37 years had higher levels of awareness than female students in the age group of 18 to 22 years. The results also showed that the level of awareness among science college and health college students was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that among humanities college students. Post-graduate students also showed a higher level of awareness of food allergens than bachelor's students. These findings also indicate that listing all allergens in the restaurants and cafes' menus statistically significantly (p < 0.05) increased the level of awareness of female students about food allergens on restaurants' and cafes' menus, compared to restaurants and cafes that do not list all allergens on their menus. In general, female students at King Saud University showed a high level of awareness about food allergies on restaurants' and cafes' menus. The study recommends assessing the impact of awareness of female students with and without food allergies on their practices and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following work presents a software solution capable of designing general meal plans which approach an optimal match of nutritional characteristics submitted by the user. A thorough review of existing literature indicates the absence of a software solution to this problem in its most general form. Existing solutions tend to address particular forms of the problem in specific contexts, for example, optimising culturally typical diets in response to specific medical conditions. Conversely, this work focuses on developing a nutritional software model with sufficient flexibility to be described as general, paired with a simple, specifically designed optimisation algorithm for working with the proposed prototype system. The resulting software tool can express the following characteristics: arbitrary nutritional content; economic characteristics; binary food-type classifications (e.g. vegetarian); and, because of the optimisation framework, can capture goals for any number of meals; meal composition (combinations of recipes for a given meal at a particular time); a maximum economic cost per meal; and nutritional content within each meal. The work outlines a prototype user interface to enable nutritional data and user goals to be entered and validated. Finally, based on ten specific test problems containing varied dietary goals, a basic algorithm tuning approach is described. The results suggest that the proposed prototype system can address the general meal optimisation problem. There is a discussion of several future developments to improve system capabilities and usability further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To pursue a healthy lifestyle, people are increasingly concerned about their food ingredients. Recently, it has become a common practice to use an online recipe to select the ingredients that match an individual's meal plan and healthy diet preference. The information from online recipes can be extracted and used to develop various food-related applications. Named entity recognition (NER) is often used to extract such information. However, the problem in building an NER system lies in the massive amount of data needed to train the classifier, especially on a specific domain, such as food. There are food NER datasets available, but they are still quite limited. Thus, we proposed an iterative self-training approach called semi-supervised multi-model prediction technique (SMPT) to construct a food ingredient NER dataset. SMPT is a deep ensemble learning model that employs the concept of self-training and uses multiple pre-trained language models in the iterative data labeling process, with a voting mechanism used as the final decision to determine the entity's label. Utilizing the SMPT, we have created a new annotated dataset of ingredient entities obtained from the Allrecipes website named FINER. Finally, this study aims to use the FINER dataset as an alternative resource to support food computing research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient composition data is essential for the development of meal planning exchange list of frequently consumed breakfasts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Twelve (N=12) commonly consumed breakfast were selected. Breakfasts were prepared according to averaged and standard recipe. Following an approximation method recommended in literature Exchange lists were developed. Data on the nutritional composition of commonly consumed breakfast in Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can be used by health care workers, nutritionists and dietitians to calculate energy and nutrient intakes. It will help addressing the major nutritional disorders that are related with the diet of community. The research study was a challenging one as it was an exploratory study it gave an insight both to the cultural relevance of commonly consumed breakfast in Peshawar and its macro-nutrient content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) requires clinical trials targeting cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) to demonstrate the functional relevance of cognitive improvements by employing a functional co-primary measure. Although quantitative evidence supports the suitability of the Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) for this purpose, FDA guidelines for qualification of clinical outcome assessments require evidence of content validity, defined as qualitative evidence that key stakeholders view the measure as relevant and important. To collect this important qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with outpatients with schizophrenia (n = 24), caregivers (n = 12), and professional peer support specialists (n = 12) to elicit their views about the definition and importance of functional independence, the importance of the functional domains assessed by the VRFCAT (meal planning, using transportation, handling money, shopping), and the relevance of the VRFCAT tasks to these domains. Qualitative thematic analyses revealed consistent themes across groups in defining functional independence, including performing instrumental self-care, financial, and social tasks; making decisions autonomously; and not depending on others to carry out daily activities. There were, however, notable differences in their views regarding the importance of and barriers to functional independence. All groups viewed the VRFCAT as assessing skill domains that are central to independent functioning and, with some minor differences, the VRFCAT tasks were viewed as relevant and meaningful examples of the domains. These qualitative results provide converging evidence that key stakeholders view the VRFCAT as a content-valid measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food recipe sharing sites are becoming increasingly popular among people who want to learn how to cook or plan their menu. Through online food recipes, individuals can select ingredients that suit their lifestyle and health condition. Information from online food recipes is useful in developing food-related systems such as recommendations and health care systems. However, the information from online recipes is often unstructured. One way of extracting such information into a well-structured format is the technique called named-entity recognition (NER), which is the process of identifying keywords and phrases in the text and classifying them into a set of predetermined categories, such as location, persons, time, and others. We present a food ingredient named-entity recognition model called RNE (recurrent network-based ensemble methods) to extract the entities from the online recipe. RNE is an ensemble-learning framework using recurrent network models such as RNN, GRU, and LSTM. These models are trained independently on the same dataset and combined to produce better predictions in extracting food entities such as ingredient names, products, units, quantities, and states for each ingredient in a recipe. The experimental findings demonstrate that the proposed model achieves predictions with an F1 score of 96.09% and outperforms all individual models by 0.2% to 0.5% in percentage points. This result indicates that RNE can extract information from food recipes better than a single model. In addition, this information extracted by RNE can be used to support various information systems related to food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore government support service access, perceived barriers/enablers to menu planning and menu compliance in long day care (LDC) centres in Victoria, Australia, where the Victorian Government-funded Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS) is available to provide free LDC menu planning support. Design: This is a cross-sectional study design. Data were collected from online surveys with the option of uploading 2 weeks of menus and recipes. Menu compliance was scored for quantity, quality and variety. Barriers/enablers to menu planning guideline implementation were determined using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Independent t tests, one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests assessed relationships between characteristics, barriers/enablers and menu scores. Setting: Eighty-nine LDC centres that prepare food onsite. Participants: LDC staff responsible for menu planning (n 89) and menus from eighteen centres. Results: Fifty-five per cent of centres had accessed HEAS. Of eighteen provided menus, only one menu was compliant with menu planning guidelines. HEAS access was associated with higher average scores in four of seven TDF domains, namely knowledge/awareness, skills/role, reinforcement/influence and optimism/intent. There were no correlations between menu score and barriers/enablers; however, menu quality scores were higher for those accessing HEAS. Conclusions: Childcare-specific government support services may be an important public health nutrition strategy and may improve menu planning guideline implementation as well as menu quality; however, this does not necessarily translate into menu compliance. Research should confirm these findings in larger studies to ascertain uptake of these services. Public health efforts should focus on exploring barriers and enablers to uptake of government support services to increase reach and acceptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart technologies and increased data availability enable restaurateurs to gather more information about customers and their behavior. These data can be combined with data from other sources to make a wide range of strategic and operational restaurant decisions, and can therefore generate tremendous value for restaurants and their customers. This study focuses on discussing the most promising research opportunities in restaurant operations that leverage data analytics. In particular, we focus on specific research questions across restaurant decision domains such as location, reservation and table management, queue management, menu design and engineering, and multichannel order management. For each research question, we motivate its practical and theoretical relevance, identify data sources, propose a methodological approach for analysis, and discuss actionable insights for practitioners. As a result, this paper aims to highlight data analytics opportunities for restaurateurs and inspire researchers to contribute in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food insecurity is a complex public health problem affecting many individuals in the United States. Digital health interventions that promote behavior change and provide access to affordable and healthy food may help to alleviate food insecurity. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize food-insecure users of Foodsmart, a telehealth and nutrition platform with meal planning, food ordering, nutrition education, budgeting, and grocery discount features, and to evaluate changes in diet and food insecurity. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data collected from 4595 adults who used the Foodsmart platform between February and October 2021. Participants self-reported their diet, demographics, biometrics, and food insecurity status in a 56-item questionnaire. Participants were reported to be food insecure if they answered "sometimes" or "often" to the question "How often does the food you buy not last and you don't have money to get more?" from the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security survey. We examined baseline characteristics of participants by food insecurity status, associations between characteristics and baseline food insecurity, and changes in diet quality and food insecurity status. To evaluate potential causes of reversing food insecurity, the use of 6 Foodsmart features was compared between food-insecure participants who achieved food security versus food-insecure participants who remained food insecure, based on their last response to the food insecurity question. Results: We found that 16% (742/4595) of participants were food insecure at baseline. Participants who were food insecure at baseline were more likely to be obese, to have at least one chronic condition, to have a lower diet quality, to cook less frequently at home, to think healthy food is too expensive, and less likely to order takeout or eat at a restaurant. Among participants who were food insecure at baseline, 61% (451/742) improved their nutrition and 29% (217/742) responded that they were food secure at follow-up, with an increasing percentage achieving food security with longer enrollment time. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, we found that age, diabetes, prediabetes, BMI categories, and diet quality at baseline were statistically significantly associated with the likelihood of being food insecure at baseline. Among those who were food insecure at baseline, there was a higher relative proportion of participants who achieved food security and used the "deals" (28.6% higher), "CookItNow" (36.4% higher), and "telenutrition" (27.5% higher) features compared to those who remained food insecure. Conclusions: This study assesses the characteristics of individuals enrolled on the Foodsmart platform who answered the food insecurity question. We found that a significant number of participants who were food insecure at enrollment achieved food security. This finding shows that telehealth and nutrition platforms may potentially help users improve household food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High school canteens are an ideal setting for public health nutrition intervention, and choice architecture strategies that facilitate the purchase of healthier foods and beverages from school canteens are recommended by the World Health Organization. The rapid uptake of online lunch ordering within school canteens provides a unique opportunity to implement choice architecture strategies that support healthier food choices with high fidelity. Despite this, no trial has tested the efficacy of choice architecture strategies within an online lunch ordering system on improving the nutritional quality of high school student lunch purchases. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of embedding choice architecture strategies into an online lunch ordering system on the nutritional quality of the school canteen lunch purchases of high school students (aged 12–19 years). Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with nine high schools in one Australian state. Schools were randomized to receive either a 2-month choice architecture intervention (involving menu labelling, prompts, item positioning, and feedback), or usual online ordering. Nutrient quality of online canteen lunch purchases was assessed using routine data collected by the online ordering system. Primary outcomes were the proportion of 'Everyday', 'Occasional', and 'Should not be sold' items purchased, categorized using the state healthy canteen policy. Secondary outcomes were the mean energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of purchases and the mean weekly revenue from online lunch orders. Linear mixed models were analyzed to assess outcomes. Results: Analysis of the student cohort (Intervention: 4 schools, 656 students; Control: 5 schools, 675 students) showed significant between group differences over time for the intervention group for the mean percentage of online lunch items per student that were 'Everyday' (+ 5.5%; P < 0.001) and 'Should not be sold' (− 4.4%; P < 0.001). There were no between group differences over time in the mean percentage of online lunch items that were 'Occasional'; the average energy, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium content of lunch orders. There was also no difference in mean weekly revenue from high school student online lunch orders (P = 0.23). Conclusions: These findings suggest that a low intensity, choice architecture intervention embedded within an online ordering system can increase the purchase of healthier food items for high school students in one Australian state without any adverse impact on canteen revenue. Trial registration: This trial was prospectively registered on Open Science Framework on 23rd October 2020 as osf.io/h8zfr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition is a prevalent issue in hospitals, nursing homes and the community setting. Nutritional products can be used by dietitians to supplement people's diet by adding energy, macronutrients and other constituents. The aim of the present work was (i) to create a database of nutritional products with information on their energy and macronutrient content, (ii) to estimate the food exchanges of each product and assist in diet plan development for malnourished persons and (iii) to provide a tool for calculation of food exchanges of newly developed products not included in the database. We searched the web for nutritional supplements, and an electronic database with 461 products was generated with data regarding the contained energy and macronutrients of each entry. The following companies were included: Abbott Nutrition, Nestle Nutrition, Nutricia North America, Nutricia Global, Nutricia Europe & Middle East, Axcan Pharma Inc., Kate Farms, Global Health, High Protein, NutriMedical BV, Hormel Health Labs, Hormel Health Labs/Diamond Crystal Brands, Lyons Magnus, Mead Johnson, Medical Nutrition USA Inc., Medtrition, Nutritional Designs Inc., Nutrisens, Humana (Germany), and Vitaflo USA. The created database facilitates product comparisons and categorization into several groups according to energy and protein content. In addition, a tool was created to determine food exchanges for each supplement per serving and/or food exchanges for newly developed products by simply inserting their macronutrient content. The developed tool can facilitate dietitians in comparing products and incorporating them into diet plans, if needed. Such tools may thus serve clinical practice, may be used in dietary or other smart applications and can familiarize dietitians with the digital epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy nutrition is essential for maintaining health and preventing chronic diseases. However, with the increase in dining out, the prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases is increasing daily. Therefore, to provide adequate and balanced nutrition in public, it is necessary to serve healthy menus following the energy and nutrient requirements of the target group in food service institutions. However, menu planning in food services is a complex process involving several factors. The planned menus should provide sufficient nutrients for the target group and consider factors such as color, consistency, appearance, and a variety of food groups. In addition, existing studies have limited constraints, and the fact that they are not open-source makes it difficult to conduct more comprehensive new studies. Furthermore, the lack of dietitian opinions limits its applicability in practice. Therefore, this study applied four different multi-objective optimization algorithms (AGEMOEA, SMSEMOA, NSGA2, and NSGA3) to solve the menu planning problems. The results were shared with 20 food service dietitians who are experts in the area and were asked to score the menus. In addition, an open-source tool called EvoMeal has been developed. In conclusion, our primary findings showed that AGEMOEA and SMSEMOA were used for the first time in the literature for the menu planning problem, which is a multi-objective problem, and they performed better than both NSGA2 and NSGA3 in general. In addition, expert opinions confirmed that AGEMOEA and SMSEMOA give better results than other algorithms. However, future studies need to conduct a more comprehensive expert evaluation to increase its applicability to the field. • An open-source tool was developed. • AGEMOEA and SMSEMOA were used for the menu planning problem for the first time. • New fitness functions were designed to solve the menu planning problem. • A new dataset were created consisting of a total of 332 dishes. • Menus were evaluated by dietitians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early childhood is a critical period for supporting the development of healthy eating habits, which may affect lifelong health. Childcare services are important settings for promoting early childhood nutrition; however, food provision in childcare frequently does not align with dietary guidelines. Web-based menu planning tools are well suited to support healthy food provision in childcare, although little is known about their use. Research is needed to understand how web-based menu planning tools are used in the childcare setting and how they can effectively support healthy menu planning and food provision for children in childcare. Objective: We aimed to explore the use of a web-based menu planning tool called FoodChecker, which is available to childcare services in Victoria, Australia. We also aimed to gain insights and perspectives from childcare staff involved in menu planning about their use of the tool to plan healthy menus and guide healthy food provision for children. Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using a cross-sectional web-based survey completed by the staff involved in menu planning in childcare services. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software. Emergent themes were mapped against constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model regarding perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and external variables influencing perceptions and use. Results: The participants included 30 cooks and 34 directors from 53 childcare services. Participants perceived the web-based menu planning tool as useful for supporting child nutrition and health, improving organizational processes, and aiding the menu planner role. Perceptions regarding ease of use were mixed. External variables influencing perceptions and use included awareness of the tool, perceived need, time, resources, organizational support, and the food budget. Participants made recommendations to improve the tool, particularly the need to integrate functionality to make it easier and faster to use or to include more links to resources to support healthy menu planning. Conclusions: The web-based menu planning tool was perceived as useful for cooks and directors in childcare services. Areas for improvement were identified; for example, the need for integrated digital features to make the tool easier and faster to use. As the first qualitative study to explore childcare staff experiences with a web-based menu planning tool, these findings inform future research and development of such tools to aid scalable and sustainable support for healthier food provision in the childcare sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]