A Mediterranean dietary pattern intervention does not improve cardiometabolic risk but does improve quality of life and body composition in an Aotearoa New Zealand population at increased cardiometabolic risk: A randomised controlled trial.

Aims: To test if a New Zealand food-based Mediterranean diet (NZMedDiet) with behavioural intervention improves cardiometabolic health and wellbeing.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial comparing 12 weeks of the NZMedDiet to usual diet in participants with increased cardiometabolic risk (metabolic syndrome severity score [MetSSS] > 0.35).

Cultivating curiosity: Consumer responses to ethical and product benefits in cultured foods.

Cultured foods have the potential to profoundly transform the food industry. However, most current research focuses on cultured meat, neglecting other cultured products and begging the question of whether different promotional approaches are suited for certain types of cultured food products than others. To bridge this knowledge gap, we carried out two studies to explore how product type (cultured meat vs.

Participant Insights From a Family-based Meal Kit Delivery Intervention.

Objective: To explore the lived experiences of prediabetic participants in an in-home, family-based meal kit delivery intervention for 12 weeks. Delivered foods followed a plant-dominant pattern, including small meat portions, to encourage long-term adoption of this pattern.

Methods: Qualitative in-depth individual interviews (n = 21) were undertaken online with 7 pilot participants, at 3-time points (preintervention, during intervention, and postintervention).

He Rourou Whai Painga, an Aotearoa New Zealand dietary pattern for metabolic health and whānau wellbeing: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cardiometabolic diseases are highly prevalent in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dietary intake is a modifiable risk factor for such diseases and certain dietary patterns, specifically the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), are associated with improved metabolic health. This study aims to test whether an intervention including a Mediterranean dietary pattern incorporating high quality New Zealand foods (NZMedDiet pattern) and behavior change science can improve the metabolic health of participants and their household/whānau.

'My voice, my choice': Impact of food technology conditions and message framing on sense of agency and purchase intent.

Evaluations consumers apply towards the way food technologies are framed is an important overlooked domain of food communication and advertising. We explore two distinct conditions of food technologies-technologies that manipulate external environments (i.e.

Positioning Phytosanitary Food Treatments: Exploring the Role of Business-to-Consumer Stakeholder Literacy as an Information Gatekeeper in New Zealand.

Various phytosanitary treatments are used globally to ensure biosecurity for borders, whilst maintaining public health and safety in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, public health literacy of phytosanitary treatments is still low. Furthermore, little is known of the literacy on important information gatekeepers, such as business-to-consumer (B2C) stakeholders.

What's your beef with meat substitutes? Exploring barriers and facilitators for meat substitutes in omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.

The overconsumption of meat has been related to negative health, environmental, and animal welfare effects. As such, many people are now reducing their meat consumption, and for some this includes increasing their consumption of meat substitutes. While research has discussed the barriers towards the adoption of meat substitutes, there is a lack of studies examining the differences between omnivores and veg*ns.

When food governance matters to consumer food choice: Consumer perception of and preference for food quality certifications.

Food quality certifications have been widely promoted for sustainable goals and addressing consumers' increasing concern for food safety. However, these mechanisms have achieved varied success in practice. Prior research notes the importance of certification and certifying agencies in making tangible an invisible process to build consumer trust in certified food.

Fortifying wellbeing: How Chinese consumers and doctors navigate the role of functional foods.

China's rapidly developing economy has seen an increase in medical problems commonly associated with affluent lifestyles such as increases in metabolic diseases and digestive issues. One response to this problem is an increase in the amount of functional foods currently available, which may take a Western food form, or be more closely associated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This research seeks to understand how functional food and wellbeing intersect in order to better understand how consumers perceive the complex construct of wellbeing, and their agency in its creation.

Are trust and consumption values important for buyers of organic food? A comparison of regular buyers, occasional buyers, and non-buyers.

Although many countries have promoted organic farming for its benefits, organic food remains a niche market. This study investigates the drivers of purchasing organic food by examining if and how consumers' consumption values influence the food choices of regular buyers, occasional buyers, and non-buyers of organic food. We use consumption values as a theoretical lens for classifying different motives for purchasing organic food.

Exploring University Food Environment and On-Campus Food Purchasing Behaviors, Preferences, and Opinions.

Objective: Cross-sectional observation of a university food environment and a survey of food purchasing preferences, behaviors, and opinions of students and staff to formulate strategies for interventions.

Design: A modified food environment-quality index was used to assess food outlets. A cross-sectional survey with closed (n = 42) and open-ended (n = 2) questions assessing students and staff purchasing, choice determinants, and opinions about the food environment.