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This Special Issue contains ten articles discussing a range of topics including the role of food certification in food product choice, information highlighted on food labels, selection of "free from" products, sustainability aspects in food services, food security, and consumer understanding of the food classification proposed by the food groups in the Food-based Dietary Guidelines [...].

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OBJECTIVES: The lipid fraction, fatty acid profile, and diameter of fat globules of infant formulas show great differences from human milk. These characteristics influence fat digestion and, consequently, the development and health of infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diameter of fat globules in infant formulas and compare them with those in human milk. METHODS: The diameter of fat globules of 10 infant formulas and human milk samples was determined using scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: The starter infant formula was the only one that showed a mean diameter value (3.52 ± 2.17 µm) similar to that obtained for human milk (3.44 ± 1.68 µm). The starter infant formula showed the highest values of volume-surface D3,2 (6.13 µm) and volume-weighted D4,3, (7.05 µm) mean diameters among the infant formulas analyzed, and close to those obtained for the human milk sample (5.16 and 5.98 µm, respectively). The infant formulas whey protein partially hydrolyzed, soy protein isolate-based, whey protein extensively hydrolyzed, and thickened with pregelatinized starch had the lowest mean diameters of fat globules 0.64 ± 0.22, 0.70 ± 0.19, 1.06 ± 0.34, and 1.22 ± 0.48 µm, respectively. CONCLUSION: The analysis of principal components showed that none of the analyzed infant formulas had similarity with the diameter of fat globules and the fatty acid profile of human milk.

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In the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs), food classification is based on food groups and nutrient sources. Much research has already investigated multiple aspects of consumer understanding of the information described in these documents. However, no study has evaluated consumer understanding of all food items contained in the groups described in the FBDGs. This study aimed to assess Brazilian consumers' understanding of food classification according to food groups in the concepts of the FBDGs. Therefore, an instrument, Consumer Understanding of Food Groups (UFG), was constructed and validated to assess consumer understanding of food groups. The instrument comprised 44 items approved by experts (agreement > 80%). A total of 894 Brazilians from all regions participated in this study. The results suggest that 48.9% of the participants believe it is easier to classify food according to food groups. The classification of food groups is based on the origin of the food (animal and vegetable). Although consumers easily recognize foods according to their origin, we still identify asymmetries regarding including food items from the animal kingdom and species from the plant kingdom. This exploratory study highlights important information that can contribute to improving the FBDGs. It is essential to consider consumers' understanding and guide them regarding choices from a technical point of view.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the dietary guidelines presented as the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). The FBDG classify foods according to their origin, nature, nutrient source, food group, and processing level. Food science and technology (FST) ranks food according to its origin, perishability, nutrient source, processing, food group, and formulation. This paper aimed to compare the convergence points for food classification according to the FBDG and FST. This study was carried out in two phases. The first step was identifying the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). For each of the FBDG, food items were grouped as fruits, vegetables, cereals, sugars, fat and oils, legumes, foods from animals, dairy products, and others. The second step aimed to identify and describe the different food classification systems. The search was performed on PubMed®, Science Direct, and Web of Science and websites of international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Codex Alimentarius. Our results show that the points of convergence between the classifications were the classification in terms of origin (animal and vegetable), nutrient sources, and food groups. However, inconsistencies were observed for the distribution of food items in each group in the 98 surveyed FBDG. As for nature, there was a convergence for in natura, minimally processed, and processed foods. However, the criteria adopted for minimally processed and processed foods described in the FBDG differ from those considered by the FST. FST also does not recognize the classification of foods concerning the level of processing.

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Negative impressions related to food processing can compromise consumer acceptance. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate a tool to assess consumer knowledge and acceptance of food processing. Semantic evaluation was performed with a lay public (n=13). Experts with experience in the area (n=9) participated in the content validation and semantic evaluation, using the Delphi Technique. Overall, there was strong agreement between the judges (Gwet's AC2 = 0.96 [clarity] and 0.81 [relevance]), with Fleiss Kappa equivalent to 0.78, indicating almost perfect agreement. After these phases, the instrument that totaled 37 items approved (W > 0.8) was applied for validation among Brazilian consumers (n = 200). An exploratory factor analysis offered a six-factor solution. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index found was 0.90. The Bartlett Sphericity Test was statistically significant (p<0.001). The final instrument contained 34 items. The calculated Cronbach's Alpha was 0.92, indicating an excellent reliability. The developed Consumers Knowledge of Food Processing and Acceptance of Processed Food (CKAFPAPF) was consistently validated and has proven to be a tool that can help identify information asymmetries, allowing the development of strategies that help consumers to have the correct information to make their food choices more consciously.

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Meat and meat products consumer behaviour is becoming less predictable. The objective of this review was to determine the attributes associated with the consumer's perception of quality and identify factors influencing the perception and consequent attitude. In conclusion, the findings showed that factors impacting nutritional quality, chemical and biological hazards, animal welfare, beliefs, and fraud could affect consumers' perception of how safe meat products are. Consumers positively perceive sensory attributes and recognize meat's nutritional value, still concerned with fat. Animal welfare and environmental impact have become significant drivers of consumer perception. The presence of chemical additives is a severe concern. Information received by consumers through media strongly influences perception and behaviour. The negative stigmatization of meat and meat products and beliefs often not scientifically-based shapes consumer perception. Their sensory impact and price frame the acceptance of animal production or processing modifications.

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Food guides are official documents that guide consumers' food choices. They inform the qualitative classification of food groups and messages on how to adopt a healthy diet. The classifications and nomenclatures adopted in these documents vary according to cultural, nutritional, and scientific criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the understanding of Brazilian consumers regarding food classification according to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population (FGBP) concepts. An instrument was constructed to assess consumer understanding. It was named "Understanding of the Level of Processing of Food" (ULPF) and validated according to the concepts of constructs presented by psychometrics such as the Delphi methodology. The instrument was composed of 36 items approved by experts (concordance > 80% and with good internal consistency). A total of 2333 Brazilians from all regions participated in the study. The results suggest that food classification according to the level of processing was difficult for participants to understand. About 85% of them did not understand or did not know the definitions and classification of food and preparations according to food and science technology (FST) and the FGBP. More than 50% of the participants believed that it was easier to classify food according to food groups.

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This study aimed to translate and validate the Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI2.0TM) from English to Brazilian Portuguese. The process included three steps: (i) translation and back-translation of the original ecSI2.0TM to Brazilian Portuguese; (ii) evaluation of its reproducibility; (iii) a pilot study to validate the Brazilian version of the Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI2.0TMBR) for a selected sample of the Brazilian adult population (internal consistency and factor validity). The reproducibility (test-retest reliability) was verified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) obtained by the responses of 32 Brazilian adults. All domains of the ecSI2.0TMBR and the total score showed ICC > 0.8. Considering the entire questionnaire, none of the domains presented significant divergences among the participants' responses (p < 0.001). In the pilot study with 662 individuals, 74.9% (n= 496) were female, mean age was 40.33 ± 12.55, and they presented a higher level of schooling and income. Analyses revealed Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.869 for the ecSI2.0TMBR total scale, 0.793 for Eating Attitudes, 0.527 for Internal Regulation, 0.728 for Food Acceptance, and 0.822 for Contextual Skills. In general, the ecSI2.0™BR presented good acceptability, showing total floor and ceiling effects of ≤0.6%. Factor validity was examined by confirmatory factor analysis. The four domains presented a good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis: RMSEA = 0.0123 (95% CI: 0-0.0266); CFI = 0.998; χ2 = 75.9; df = 69; p = 0.266. The ecSI2.0TMBR is the first tool designed to measure eating competence (EC) in the Brazilian population, showing good reproducibility and internal consistency. We expect the ecSI2.0TMBR will support innovative research to investigate the association of EC and health outcomes, as well as new strategies based on emerging behavioral theories to enhance nutritional education policy.

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BACKGROUND: Vegetarianism is an increasingly common practice worldwide. Despite good evidence from other countries regarding vegetarians' diet quality, data from the Brazilian population is still scarce. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the vegetarian Brazilian population and evaluate their diet quality compared to the general Brazilian population. METHODS: We performed a nationwide cross-sectional study using an online self-administered questionnaire, previously validated for the Brazilian population, to evaluate diet quality markers of vegetarians. The invitation to participate in the survey was spread nationwide, aimed at vegetarian communities. Individuals who considered themselves vegetarians and were at least 18 years old were eligible to participate. The results on regular intake and intake adequacy were compared among vegetarians and between genders using the Pearson's chi-square test. The body mass index (BMI) were analyzed by the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey post-hoc test. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test verified normality. All analyses considered bilateral hypotheses and a significance level of 5% (p <0.05). RESULTS: Brazilian vegetarians presented better diet quality markers, such as higher regular weekly intake and adequate daily intake of fruits and vegetables, and lower regular intake of soft drinks when compared to the general Brazilian population. Vegetarians also presented a proportionally higher consumption of natural foods and lower consumption of processed foods. Among vegetarians, a higher proportion of vegans showed positive results regarding diet markers analysis, when compared to vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians, and semi-vegetarians. CONCLUSIONS: Vegetarians showed better results of diet adequacy when compared to the general population in Brazil, and vegans fared better when compared with other vegetarians. Despite the good results found, a large proportion of the participants still did not achieve the fruits and vegetables daily intake, according to the World Health Organization recommendations.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the nutritional support team (NST) activities on the quality of enteral nutrition administration in intensive care units. METHODS: An observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study was performed in nine hospitals in the Brazilian Federal District through the administration of two questionnaires. One questionnaire focused on the activities of the NST and the other on the quality of enteral nutrition administration in intensive care units. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between the scores of the two questionnaires, which was confirmed by a linear regression model (R2 = 0.623; P = 0.007). The results suggest that high scores in the NST activities questionnaire predict a better performance in enteral nutrition administration. The sections of the NST activity questionnaire that most strongly affected enteral nutrition administration were the protocols (r = 0.895; P < 0.01), quality control (r = 0.779; P < 0.05), and continuing education (r = 0.753; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The NST has the potential to positively influence enteral nutrition management in intensive care units and investments could be directed to the areas of continuing education, protocols, and quality control to maximize the effect of NST in intensive care units.

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