Background: Non communicable diseases (NCD) place a significant health burden on Pacific Island countries including Fiji. Policy interventions to curb NCDs have been implemented in Fiji including a 32% increase in the import duty on palm oil. This study aims to analyse the development and implementation of the increase in palm oil import duty in Fiji. Also, to document the policy process, identify barriers and facilitators during implementation and to examine the impact of the new import duty on import volumes.
Methods: Data were collected through key informant interviews with private stakeholders, government officials and supermarket managers. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Import volumes were analysed for the 2010-2015 period.
Results: Facilitators of policy development and implementation included stakeholder awareness of the health implications of palm oil, preparation of a comprehensive policy briefing paper, and inter-sectoral support and leadership. This decrease in the availability of palm oil was encouraging however, it may have been counteracted to some extent by industry relabelling the product as vegetable oil.
Conclusions: Barriers to policy changes need to be anticipated during the policy development process. Whilst the decline in imports probably reduced population consumption, further research is needed to determine if this translated to a population wide reduction in saturated fat.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116374 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0407-0 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Danau Girang Field Centre, c/o Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Characterizing the feeding ecology of threatened species is essential to establish appropriate conservation strategies. We focused our study on the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), an endangered primate species which is endemic to the island of Borneo. Our survey was conducted in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), a riverine protected area that is surrounded by oil palm plantations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
November 2024
Biomass Waste-to-Wealth Special Interest Group, Research Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Kuching, 93350, Malaysia.
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
December 2024
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
In this study, high-intensity ultrasound (1000 W ultrasonic power and 18 kHz frequency) was employed in conjunction with heterogeneous acid catalysts to reduce the free fatty acid (FFA) content in palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). The aim was to convert the FFAs in PFAD to methyl esters (MEs) through an esterification process. The use of Amberlyst-15 as a heterogeneous acid catalyst offers environmental advantages over homogeneous catalysts and the potential for reuse in the biodiesel production process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
December 2024
Engineering Research Center of Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
is an important edible and medicinal mushroom widely cultivated in East Asia, with its quality and health strongly influenced by associated microbial communities. However, limited data exist on the bacterial communities associated with cultivation in Chinese farms. This study investigated bacterial communities associated with and its production environment using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and culture-dependent methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural and Animal Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, PR China; Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, PR China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Storage and Conversion, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213001, PR China. Electronic address:
The juice processing industry offers several benefits, including promoting health and wellness through the delivery of beverages rich in nutrients. Nonetheless, the industry encounters significant challenges regarding new technologies for processing and preservation given that they can be costly and labor-intensive. In this study, magnetic Janus silica (SiO) nanoparticle which offers multifunctionality and high stability was synthesized and subsequently immobilized with a protease mutant T70I (T70I@MSNs) to serve as a clarifying agent in juice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!