The corporate influence on food charity and aid: The "Hunger Industrial Complex" and the death of welfare.

There is an existing literature on how food companies, including the unhealthy food commodity industries, influence policy through a number of approaches. Direct approaches include lobbying and funding of research. Backdoor or indirect tactics used by food companies to demonstrate engagement include funding community groups, tactics previously used by the tobacco industry. Food industry support for food charities engaged in food donations is an area that has not received attention. This is another backdoor approach and one which may compromise more general public health policy. It is no surprise that the companies that engage in this can be largely fall under the rubric of unhealthy food commodity industries. This link is sometimes referred to as the "hunger industrial complex" and is based on the argument that an alliance exists between the food industry and the food banking movement. With rising levels of food insecurity there is pressure on the food system to donate food to charitable enterprises such as food banks and soups kitchens, which is often encouraged by government policy such as "Good Samaritan legislation". Food businesses contribute surplus food and often promote it as part of their corporate social responsibility agenda. The argument presented here is not an anti-food charity one but one which challenges the development of charitable food aid as a system and a replacement for public policy. The reasons for this can be summarized under three headings: (1) such donation systems compromise the wider application of public food welfare and give the impression that food poverty is being addressed; (2) the links with food corporations provide a backdoor for influence on wider food policies; and (3) researchers taking money from food charities may be compromised by the direct and indirect relationships with companies. The focus in this paper is on the latter two issues; the first will be established as a context with work we have published elsewhere. This article draws on examples from the UK of how charities have linked with chocolate and soft drink companies. Examples include: "For every Easter egg bought on the Cadbury Worldwide Hide, Cadbury will donate an Easter egg to a food bank in our network"; a Coca-Cola initiative in December 2021 "Win a meal, give a meal on-pack competition across Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar consumption packs, giving consumers the chance to win food-related vouchers, while donating to FareShare"; and an October 2021 initiative where "McDonald's joins forces with FareShare to fund 1 million meals for UK families". These relationships go beyond companies donating surplus food to food charities such as food banks and pantries to encouraging consumers to buy their products with the promise that the company will contribute products to such charities or provide cash donations in return for the purchase of their product.

Meal preparation and consumption before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: The relationship with cooking skills of Brazilian university students.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze meal preparation and the place of its consumption by university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to their individual characteristics and cooking skills. METHODS: Data were collected with 1919 Brazilian university students using the Brazilian Cooking Skills Questionnaire (BCSQ) and questions about gender, living arrangement, knowing how to cook and location of meal consumption. Bayesian multilevel ordinal regression models were used to estimate the probabilities of meal preparation and local location of its consumption by Brazilian university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to their individual characteristics and cooking skills. RESULTS: Most of participants showed reported a high level of cooking skills (70.7%). Also, they reported a decrease in ordering delivery of take-away food and eating fast-food, while increasing homemade meals with fresh ingredients, ultra-processed food or both during the pandemic compared to the period before the quarantine. Lastly, they increased their cooking frequency during the pandemic, regardless of their cooking skills level. However, the group with high cooking skills had a greater increase in the use of fresh ingredients. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the pandemic was an opportunity for university students to increase their cooking skills and frequency of cooking at home with a variety of foods. Particular attention should be given to those with low cooking skills and that use ultra-processed foods, promoting interventions to disseminate information and with behavior change components to teach about healthy cooking to increase cooking knowledge and skills, focusing on preparation of fresh ingredients.

Brazilian Cooking Skills Questionnaire evaluation of using/cooking and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

OBJECTIVE: Young adults are often faced with barriers to cooking their own food. These barriers are associated with poor diet. The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of the Brazilian Cooking Skills and Healthy Eating Questionnaire (BCSQ) to identify the barriers to cooking, use, and consumption of fruits and vegetables by young adults. METHODS: Data were collected from a baseline study with Brazilian university students (N = 767). Forty-eight items from the BCSQ (composed of the following scales: Cooking Attitude, Cooking Behavior, Produce Consumption Self-Efficacy, Cooking Self-Efficacy, Self-Efficacy in Using Cooking Techniques, and Self-Efficacy in Using Fruits, Vegetables, and Seasonings) were submitted to exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (ten fit indexes), and internal consistency reliability evaluation. Multilevel linear regression models were used to analyze variations on the BCSQ dimensions by sex, living arrangements, knowledge of how to cook, location of main meal, and time available for cooking. RESULTS: The 20-item BCSQ showed good fit indexes. The items based on negative cooking attitudes, frequency of using leftovers, and self-efficacy related to cooking from scratch, using and eating fruits and vegetables were adequate for the evaluation of cooking skills. These items represent and reflect the health dimensions applied to this research. The self-efficacy in using cooking techniques, which was not validated in previous study scale, was excluded due to its dimension. CONCLUSIONS: These results enabled us to shorten the BCSQ, which can be used to evaluate the barriers to cooking among young adults, as well as measuring their healthy eating practices, supporting future research and programs.

How was the cooking skills and healthy eating evaluation questionnaire culturally adapted to Brazil?

The study described the cross-cultural adaptation process of the American Cooking Skills and Healthy Eating questionnaire to Brazil. Six stages were followed: Translation; Synthesis of translations; Back-translations; Expert Committee; Synthesis of final version; and the Pretest (self-administered online questionnaire in a Brazilian University). Participants responded to the translated questionnaire twice for test-retest. Conceptual, item, semantic, operational and measurement equivalences were evaluated between original and translated questionnaires, as well as the internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Item, conceptual, semantic equivalences between original and Brazilian questionnaires were reached before the Expert Committee stage. Specific cooking techniques and terms were adapted. Forty-eight students answered the questionnaire in the pre-test stage, achieving the operational and measurement equivalences with kappa's agreement from moderate to substantial, and satisfactory to excellent correlations between measures. Only two measures showed low internal consistency. The combination of stages and equivalences approaches used in this cross cultural adaptation study provided lessons for further Nutrition's researches, disclosing the complexity of cooking skills concepts.

How was the cooking skills and healthy eating evaluation questionnaire culturally adapted to Brazil? / Como o questionário de avaliação das habilidades culinárias e alimentação saudável foi adaptado transculturalmente ao Brasil?

Abstract The study described the cross-cultural adaptation process of the American Cooking Skills and Healthy Eating questionnaire to Brazil. Six stages were followed: Translation; Synthesis of translations; Back-translations; Expert Committee; Synthesis of final version; and the Pretest (self-administered online questionnaire in a Brazilian University). Participants responded to the translated questionnaire twice for test-retest. Conceptual, item, semantic, operational and measurement equivalences were evaluated between original and translated questionnaires, as well as the internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Item, conceptual, semantic equivalences between original and Brazilian questionnaires were reached before the Expert Committee stage. Specific cooking techniques and terms were adapted. Forty-eight students answered the questionnaire in the pre-test stage, achieving the operational and measurement equivalences with kappa's agreement from moderate to substantial, and satisfactory to excellent correlations between measures. Only two measures showed low internal consistency. The combination of stages and equivalences approaches used in this cross cultural adaptation study provided lessons for further Nutrition's researches, disclosing the complexity of cooking skills concepts.

Resumo O estudo descreveu o processo de adaptação transcultural do questionário estadunidense de avaliação das habilidades culinárias e alimentação saudável para o Brasil. Seis estágios foram conduzidos: Tradução; Síntese da tradução; Retrotradução; Comitê de Juízes; Síntese da versão final; e Pré-teste (preenchimento do questionário online). Participantes responderam duas vezes ao questionário traduzido. Equivalências conceitual, do item, semântica, operacional e de mensuração foram avaliadas entre os questionários original e traduzido, bem como a consistência interna e a confiabilidade teste-reteste. Alcançaram-se as equivalências do item, conceitual e semântica entre as versões antes do Comitê de Juízes. Técnicas e termos culinários específicos foram adaptados. Quarenta e oito estudantes responderam o questionário no pré-teste, alcançando equivalências operacional e de mensuração, concordância kappa moderada a substancial, e correlações entre as medidas satisfatórias a excelentes. Duas escalas apresentaram baixa consistência interna. A combinação das abordagens dos estágios e equivalências usadas na adaptação transcultural do questionário proveu lições para futuras pesquisas em Nutrição, revelando a complexidade dos conceitos de habilidades culinárias.

The role of foodbanks in the context of food insecurity: Experiences and eating behaviours amongst users.

The study aim was to investigate the role of foodbanks in the context of food insecurity and explore food choices and eating behaviours amongst users. Food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality and obesity; however, the dimensions that influence food choices and eating behaviour remain unclear. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with individuals who had visited a faith-based foodbank in Perth, Western Australia. Participants were thirty-three service users who had collected a food hamper from the foodbank. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four main themes emerged: Ties you over until pay day; Food hamper supporting meals and fruit and vegetable consumption; Food choices supplementing hamper; Household gatekeeping and food control. Participants were complimentary about the content of the food hamper received which included a variety of fresh produce. A key new finding was the frequent purchase and consumption of meat and processed meat to supplement the food hamper provision. Future work and interventions to improve eating behaviour and reduce food-related financial pressure for those vulnerable to food insecurity include further exploration of the dimensions influencing food choices (i.e., cultural norms, habits, symbols); exposure to healthy and tasty plant-based meals, (i.e., tasting low-cost and tasty vegetable-based meals); parenting training focused on handling child/partner food choice influences, and, enforcing household rules governing food.

STRUGGLING FOR FOOD IN A TIME OF CRISIS: A comment on Caplan (see pp 8-10 in this issue).

This commentary sets Caplan's arguments about food banks and food poverty in the broader context of changes to the welfare state, the 'charitization' of state welfare and the need to address food poverty within a framework of dignity rather than charity.

Long-Term Food Insecurity, Hunger and Risky Food Acquisition Practices: A Cross-Sectional Study of Food Charity Recipients in an Australian Capital City.

Inadequate social protection, stagnant wages, unemployment, and homelessness are associated with Australian household food insecurity. Little is known about the recipients of food charity and whether their needs are being met. This cross-sectional study of 101 food charity recipients in Perth, Western Australia, measured food security, weight status, sociodemographic characteristics and food acquisition practices. Seventy-nine percent were male, aged 21-79 years, 90% were unemployed, 87% received social assistance payments, and 38% were homeless. Ninety-one percent were food insecure, 80% with hunger, and 56% had gone a day or more without eating in the previous week. Fifty-seven percent had used food charity for ≥1 year, and, of those, 7.5 years was the mode. Charitable services were the main food source in the previous week, however 76% used multiple sources. Begging for money for food (36%), begging for food (32%), stealing food or beverages (34%), and taking food from bins (28%) was commonplace. The omnipresence and chronicity of food insecurity, reliance on social security payments, and risky food acquisition suggest that both the social protection and charitable food systems are failing. Urgent reforms are needed to address the determinants of food insecurity (e.g., increased social assistance payments, employment and housing support) and the adequacy, appropriateness and effectiveness of food charity.

Modern Transference of Domestic Cooking Skills.

As the primary source of learning cooking skills; it is vital to understand what mothers think about the transference of cooking skills to their children. The current analysis aimed to highlight mothers' perceptions of children's involvement and cooking practices within the home setting. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland [UK]) with 141 mothers aged 20-39 years old. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim and an inductive thematic analysis using NVivo software was undertaken. Seven themes emerged from the dataset; (1) "How we learned to cook"; (2) "Who's the boss"; (3) "Children in the way"; (4) "Keep kids out"; (5) "Involvement means eating"; (6) "Intentions versus reality"; and (7) "Kids' 'interest' in cooking". These themes illustrate a lack of cooking skill transference in relation to everyday meal preparation in modern times. The culture of children in the kitchen has vastly changed; and opportunities for children to learn basic skills are currently limited. Further research is required to confirm the findings that emerged from this analysis.

Using Cross-Sectional Data to Identify and Quantify the Relative Importance of Factors Associated with and Leading to Food Insecurity.

Australian governments routinely monitor population household food insecurity (FI) using a single measure-'running out of food at least once in the previous year'. To better inform public health planning, a synthesis of the determinants and how they influence and modify each other in relation to FI was conducted. The analysis used data from the Health & Wellbeing Surveillance System cross-sectional dataset. Weighted means and multivariable weighted logistic regression described and modelled factors involved in FI. The analysis showed the direction and strength of the factors and a path diagram was constructed to illustrate these. The results showed that perceived income, independent of actual income was a strong mediator on the path to FI as were obesity, smoking and other indicators of health status. Eating out three or more times a week and eating no vegetables more strongly followed FI than preceded it. The analysis identified a range of factors and demonstrated the complex and interactive nature of them. Further analysis using propensity score weighted methods to control for covariates identified hypothetical causal links for investigation. These results can be used as a proof of concept to assist public health planning.

Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE: The present study explored recipients' perceptions of food charity and their suggested improvements in inner-city Perth, Western Australia. DESIGN: In-depth interviews were conducted with charitable food service (CFS) recipients. Transcripts were thematically analysed using a phenomenological approach. SETTING: Interviews were conducted at two CFS in inner-city Perth. SUBJECTS: Fourteen adults. RESULTS: The recipients' journeys to a reliance on CFS were varied and multifactorial, with poverty, medical issues and homelessness common. The length of time recipients had relied on food charity ranged from 8 months to over 40 years. Most were 'grateful yet resigned', appreciative of any food and resigned to the poor quality, monotony and their unmet individual preferences. They wanted healthier food, more variety and better quality. Accessing services was described as a 'full-time job' fraught with unreliable information and transport difficulties. They called for improved information and assistance with transport. 'Eroded dignity' resulted from being fed without any choice and queuing for food in public places, often in a volatile environment. 'Food memories and inclusion' reflected a desire for commensality. Recipients suggested services offer choice and promote independence, focusing on their needs both physical and social. CONCLUSIONS: Although grateful, long-term CFS recipients described what constitutes a voluntary failure. Their service improvement recommendations can help meet their nutritional and social needs. A successful CFS provides a food service that prioritises nutritious, good-quality food and individual need, while promoting dignity and social inclusion, challenging in the current Australian context.

Charitable Food Systems' Capacity to Address Food Insecurity: An Australian Capital City Audit.

Australian efforts to address food insecurity are delivered by a charitable food system (CFS) which fails to meet demand. The scope and nature of the CFS is unknown. This study audits the organisational capacity of the CFS within the 10.9 square kilometres of inner-city Perth, Western Australia. A desktop analysis of services and 12 face-to-face interviews with representatives from CFS organisations was conducted. All CFS organisations were not-for⁻profit and guided by humanitarian or faith-based values. The CFS comprised three indirect services (IS) sourcing, banking and/or distributing food to 15 direct services (DS) providing food to recipients. DS offered 30 different food services at 34 locations feeding over 5670 people/week via 16 models including mobile and seated meals, food parcels, supermarket vouchers, and food pantries. Volunteer to paid staff ratios were 33:1 (DS) and 19:1 (IS). System-wide, food was mainly donated and most funding was philanthropic. Only three organisations received government funds. No organisation had a nutrition policy. The organisational capacity of the CFS was precarious due to unreliable, insufficient and inappropriate financial, human and food resources and structures. System-wide reforms are needed to ensure adequate and appropriate food relief for Australians experiencing food insecurity.

Critical review of behaviour change techniques applied in intervention studies to improve cooking skills and food skills among adults.

BACKGROUND: Cooking and food skills interventions have grown in popularity; however, there is a lack of transparency as to how these interventions were designed, highlighting a need to identify and understand the mechanisms of behavior change so that effective components may be introduced in future work. This study critiques cooking and food skills interventions in relation to their design, behavior change techniques (BCTs), theoretical underpinnings, and outcomes. METHODS: A 40-item CALO-RE taxonomy was used to examine the components of 59 cooking and food skills interventions identified by two systematic reviews. Studies were coded by three independent coders. RESULTS: The three most frequently occurring BCTs identified were #1 Provide information on consequences of behavior in general; #21 Provide instruction on how to perform the behavior; and #26 Prompt Practice. Fifty-six interventions reported positive short-term outcomes. Only 14 interventions reported long-term outcomes containing BCTs relating to information provision. CONCLUSION: This study reviewed cooking and food skills interventions highlighting the most commonly used BCTs, and those associated with long-term positive outcomes for cooking skills and diet. This study indicates the potential for using the BCT CALO-RE taxonomy to inform the design, planning, delivery and evaluation of future interventions.

The development and validation of measures to assess cooking skills and food skills.

BACKGROUND: With the increase use of convenience food and eating outside the home environment being linked to the obesity epidemic, the need to assess and monitor individuals cooking and food skills is key to help intervene where necessary to promote the usage of these skills. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and validate a measure for cooking skills and one for food skills, that are clearly described, relatable, user-friendly, suitable for different types of studies, and applicable across all sociodemographic levels. METHODS: Two measures were developed in light of the literature and expert opinion and piloted for clarity and ease of use. Following this, four studies were undertaken across different cohorts (including a sample of students, both 'Food preparation novices' and 'Experienced food preparers', and a nationally representative sample) to assess temporal stability, psychometrics, internal consistency reliability and construct validity of both measures. Analysis included T-tests, Pearson's correlations, factor analysis, and Cronbach's alphas, with a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: Both measures were found to have a significant level of temporal stability (P < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed three factors with eigenvalues over 1, with two items in a third factor outside the two suggested measures. The internal consistency reliability for the cooking skills confidence measure ranged from 0.78 to 0.93 across all cohorts. The food skills confidence measure's Cronbach's alpha's ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. The two measures also showed a high discriminate validity as there were significant differences (P < 0.05 for cooking skills confidence and P < 0.01 for food skills confidence) between Food preparation novices' and 'Experienced food preparers.' CONCLUSIONS: The cooking skills confidence measure and the food skills confidence measure have been shown to have a very satisfactory reliability, validity and are consistent over time. Their user-friendly applicability make both measures highly suitable for large scale cross-sectional, longitudinal and intervention studies to assess or monitor cooking and food skills levels and confidence.

Increasing intention to cook from basic ingredients: A randomised controlled study.

The promotion of home cooking is a strategy used to improve diet quality and health. However, modern home cooking typically includes the use of processed food which can lead to negative outcomes including weight gain. In addition, interventions to improve cooking skills do not always explain how theory informed their design and implementation. The Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) taxonomy successfully employed in other areas has identified essential elements for interventions. This study investigated the effectiveness of different instructional modes for learning to cook a meal, designed using an accumulating number of BCTs, on participant's perceived difficulty, enjoyment, confidence and intention to cook from basic ingredients. 141 mothers aged between 20 and 39 years from the island of Ireland were randomised to one of four conditions based on BCTs (1) recipe card only [control condition]; (2) recipe card plus video modelling; (3) recipe card plus video prompting; (4) recipe card plus video elements. Participants rated their enjoyment, perceived difficulty, confidence and intention to cook again pre, mid and post experiment. Repeated one-way factorial ANOVAs, correlations and a hierarchical regression model were conducted. Despite no significant differences between the different conditions, there was a significant increase in enjoyment (P < 0.001), confidence (P < 0.001) and intention to cook from basics again (P < 0.001) and a decrease in perceived difficulty (P = 0.001) after the experiment in all conditions. Intention to cook from basics pre-experiment, and confidence and enjoyment (both pre and post experiment) significantly contributed to the final regression model explaining 42% of the variance in intention to cook from basics again. Cooking interventions should focus on practical cooking and increasing participants' enjoyment and confidence during cooking to increase intention to cook from basic ingredients at home.