Antibiotic residues in water a threat to human health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET

Antibiotic residues in wastewater and wastewater treatment plants in the regions around China and India risk contributing to antibiotic resistance, and the drinking water may pose a threat to human health, according to a comprehensive analysis from Karolinska Institutet published in The Lancet Planetary Health. The researchers also determined the relative contribution of various sources of antibiotic contamination in waterways, such as hospitals, municipals, livestock, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

”Our results can help decision-makers to target risk reduction measures against environmental residues of priority antibiotics and in high-risk sites, to protect human health and the environment,” says Nada Hanna, researcher at the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and the study’s first author. “Allocating these resources efficiently is especially vital for resource-poor countries that produce large amounts of antibiotics.”

Bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics are a global threat that can lead to untreatable bacterial infections in animals and humans.

Antibiotics can enter the environment during their production, consumption and disposal. Antibiotic residues in the environment, such as in wastewater and drinking water, can contribute to the emergence and spread of resistance.

Among the largest producers of antibiotics

The researchers have examined the levels of antibiotic residues that are likely to contribute to antibiotic resistance from different aquatic sources in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) and the South-East Asia Region (SEAR), regions as defined by the World Health Organization. These regions include China and India, which are among the world’s largest producers and consumers of antibiotics.

This was done by a systematic review of the literature published between 2006 and 2019, including 218 relevant reports from the WPR and 22 from the SEAR. The researchers also used a method called Probabilistic Environmental Hazard Assessment to determine where the concentration of antibiotics is high enough to likely contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Ninety-two antibiotics were detected in the WPR, and forty five in the SEAR. Antibiotic concentrations exceeding the level considered safe for resistance development (Predicted No Effect Concentrations, PNECs) were observed in wastewater, influents and effluents of wastewater treatment plants and in receiving aquatic environments. The highest risk was observed in wastewater and influent of wastewater treatment plants. The relative impact of various contributors, such as hospital, municipal, livestock, and pharmaceutical manufacturing was also determined.

Potential threat to human health

In receiving aquatic environments, the highest likelihood of levels exceeding the threshold considered safe for resistance development was observed for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in drinking water in China and the WPR.

”Antibiotic residues in wastewater and wastewater treatment plants may serve as hot spots for the development of antibiotic resistance in these regions and pose a potential threat to human health through exposure to different sources of water, including drinking water,” says Nada Hanna.

Limitations to be considered when interpreting the results are the lack of data on the environmental occurrence of antibiotics from many of the countries in the regions and the fact that only studies written in English were included.

The research has been funded by the Swedish Research Council. The researchers declare no competing interests. 

Publication: ”Antibiotic concentrations and antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments of the Western Pacific and South-East Asia Regions: a systematic review and probabilistic environmental hazard assessment”, Nada Hanna, Ashok J. Tamhankar and Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg. The Lancet Planetary Health, online January 4, 2023.     

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Planetary Health

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

”Antibiotic concentrations and antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments of the Western Pacific and South-East Asia Regions: a systematic review and probabilistic environmental hazard assessment”

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2023

NIH study links specific outdoor air pollutants to asthma attacks in urban children

Researchers focused on asthma attacks not caused by respiratory viruses

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

 

IMAGE: AIR EMISSIONS AT A MANUFACTURING COMPLEX IN TORONTO, CANADA. view more 

CREDIT: UN PHOTO/KIBAE PARK

Moderate levels of two outdoor air pollutants, ozone and fine particulate matter, are associated with non-viral asthma attacks in children and adolescents who live in low-income urban areas, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health has found. The study also identifies associations between exposure to the two pollutants and molecular changes in the children’s airways during non-viral asthma attacks, suggesting potential mechanisms for those attacks. The observational study is one of the first to link elevated levels of specific outdoor air pollutants in particular urban locations to distinct changes in the airways during asthma attacks not triggered by respiratory viruses, according to the investigators. The findings were published today in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. 

“The strong association this study demonstrates between specific air pollutants among children in impoverished urban communities and non-viral asthma attacks further augments the evidence that reducing air pollution would improve human health,” said Hugh Auchincloss, M.D., acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH. 

The study was conducted by the NIAID-funded Inner City Asthma Consortium under the leadership of Matthew C. Altman, M.D., M.Phil., and Daniel J. Jackson, M.D. Dr. Altman is an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and an associate scientist at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason in Seattle. Dr. Jackson is a professor of pediatrics and medicine in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Asthma is caused by chronic inflammation of the airways. During an asthma attack, the airway lining swells, muscles around the airways contract, and the airways produce extra mucus, substantially narrowing the space for air to move in and out of the lungs. Children who live in low-income urban environments in the United States are at particularly high risk for attack-prone asthma. Asthma attacks provoked by respiratory virus infections—a common trigger—have been studied extensively, but those that occur independently of such infections have not.

In the current study, investigators examined the relationship between air pollutant levels and asthma attacks occurring in the absence of a respiratory virus among 208 children ages 6 to 17 years who had attack-prone asthma and lived in low-income neighborhoods in one of nine U.S. cities. Then the researchers validated the associations they found between air pollutant levels and non-viral asthma attacks in an independent cohort of 189 children ages 6 to 20 years with persistent asthma who also lived in low-income neighborhoods in four U.S. cities. 

The investigators followed the children prospectively for up to two respiratory illnesses or approximately six months, whichever came first. Each illness was classified as viral or non-viral and as involving an asthma attack or not. The researchers matched each illness with air quality index values and levels of individual air pollutants recorded by the Environmental Protection Agency in the relevant city on the dates surrounding the illness. The investigators subsequently adjusted their data for city and season to decrease the impact of these variables on the findings.

The scientists found that asthma attacks had a non-viral cause in nearly 30% of children, two to three times the proportion seen in non-urban children, according to previously published reports. These attacks were associated with locally elevated levels of fine particulate matter and ozone in outdoor air. The investigators linked changes in the expression of specific sets of genes that play a role in airway inflammation to elevated levels of these two pollutants by analyzing nasal cell samples obtained from the children during respiratory illnesses. Some of the identified gene-expression patterns suggest that unique biological pathways may be involved in non-viral asthma attacks.

Given the study findings, it will be important to develop and test different strategies to see if they prevent or reduce pollution-associated asthma attacks in urban children. These strategies may include treatments designed to counteract the harmful effects of elevated levels of outdoor air pollutants on airway inflammatory responses linked to non-viral asthma attacks, and devices for personalized monitoring of local outdoor air pollutant levels to inform asthma management.

Reference: MC Altman, et al. Relationships of outdoor air pollutants to non-viral asthma exacerbations and airway inflammatory responses in urban children and adolescents: a population-based study. The Lancet Planetary Health (2023). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00302-3/fulltext 

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NIAID conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website. 

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. 

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Planetary Health

Generous parental leave is protective against poorer mental health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: AMY HESHMATI, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH, KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET, SEATED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES, STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: NIKLAS BJÖRLING

Being on parental leave is protective against poorer mental health particularly among mothers, with evidence of this beneficial effect continuing in later life, according to a systematic review in The Lancet Public Health.

Researchers from the Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University and the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet have conducted a systematic review investigating the relationship between parental leave and mental health in parents from an international perspective.

“Becoming a parent can be stressful for both parents. We tend to just think about the enormous hormonal and physical changes experienced by the mother, but we must also think the transition to parenthood is stressful for couples”, says Sol P Juárez, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, and Principal Investigator of the study.

For example, parents face challenges related to child-care, career uncertainties and financial pressures due to reduced income.

“This is perhaps why mental disorders after childbirth are relatively common, it is usually said that 10 to 20 percent of the mothers and up to 10 percent of the fathers are affected. Therefore, we wanted to systematically examine all the published scientific evidence to see whether parental leave may help alleviate mental health symptoms among parents”, says Sol P Juárez.

The review concludes that parental leave was protective against poorer mental health including depressive symptoms, general mental health, psychological distress, burnout and mental healthcare use, particularly for mothers.

“However, the beneficial effects are associated with more generous parental leave schemes, for example with longer duration of leave”, highlights Amy Heshmati, doctoral candidate and the first author of the study.

The researchers searched five online databases until August 29, 2022. A total of 45 studies were included in the study.

“This is the most comprehensive systematic review on this topic to date. We have looked for a connection between different aspects of parental leave, such as length of leave and whether leave was paid or unpaid, and their associations with mental health in both mothers and fathers. We even investigated the indirect effect of one parent taking parental leave on their partner’s mental health”, says Amy Heshmati.

“An interesting finding is that the beneficial effects are not only observed shortly after childbirth, but that these protective effects of parental leave can continue into later life for mothers,” say Helena Honkaniemi, postdoctoral researcher and author of the review.

Findings among fathers were inconclusive. 
“Less research has been done on fathers and still this research suggests that fathers have improved mental health with parental leave policies that offer adequate wage replacement or incentives, such as uptake quotas”, adds Helena Honkaniemi.  

The review demonstrates that generous parental leave may help to alleviate or prevent mental health symptoms, especially for mothers, a finding that is highly relevant from a policy perspective.

More information
“The effect of parental leave on parents’ mental health: a systematic review” is published in The Lancet Public Health https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00311-5/fulltext

The systematic review summarised the findings of 45 studies that were conducted in the following countries or regions:
Europe: Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Germany.
North America: Canada, USA.
Other countries: Australia, Chile and Japan.

Contact
Amy Heshmati, doctoral candidate at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, seated at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.
E-mail: amy.heshmati@su.se

The study’s co-authors:
Sol P Juárez, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.
Email: sol.juarez@su.se
Helena Honkaniemi, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.
Email: helena.honkaniemi@su.se

Research grant: Swedish Research Council (2018–01825)
Research project: The unintended consequences of Swedish parental leave policy (ParLeHealth): A health perspective www.su.se/publichealth/ParLeHealth

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JOURNAL

The Lancet Public Health

ARTICLE TITLE

The effect of parental leave on parents’ mental health: a systematic review

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jan-2023

Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: WHEN THE H5N1 HPAI VIRUS (ORANGE) AFFECTED A FLOCK OF CROWS IN A PUBLIC GARDEN, IT CAUSED A MASS DIE-OFF OF CROWS. AN EZO RED FOX AND A JAPANESE RACCOON DOG WERE ALSO INFECTED BY THE H5N1 HPAI VIRUS, THE FORMER LIKELY BY CONSUMING CORPSES OF THE CROWS, AND THE LATTER DUE TO CLOSE CONTACT WITH CROW CORPSES (ILLUSTRATION: TAKAHIRO HIONO). view more 

CREDIT: TAKAHIRO HIONO

Researchers at Hokkaido University have revealed the effects of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection on an Ezo red fox and a Japanese raccoon dog, linking their infection to a recorded die-off of crows.

High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as a type of bird flu, is caused by a group of influenza viruses that affect birds. Humans are very rarely infected by this virus. The most well-known HPAI viral subtype is H5N1, first reported in 1996 for its infection in geese, and then found in humans since 1997. A great amount of time and resources are devoted to monitoring and tracking the spread of HPAI across the globe, due to its disruptive potential on poultry farming—outbreaks are contained by culling exposed and infected flocks.

In the winter and spring of 2021-2022, wild bird monitoring programs revealed that H5N1 HPAI viruses were present across a wide swathe of habitats in Eurasia, Africa and the Americas. On March 29, 2022, a die-off of crows was reported in a public garden in the northern city of Sapporo, Japan. A dead Ezo red fox and an emaciated Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki) were also found in the same park shortly afterwards.

A team of researchers led by Professor Yoshihiro Sakoda at Hokkaido University performed post-mortem diagnosis and microbiological examinations of the crows, the fox and the raccoon dog to understand the cause of death. Their discoveries, which were published in the journal Virology, showed that it was highly likely that the fox and raccoon dog had become infected with the HPAI virus via contact with the diseased crows. However, as the route of contact was different, the effects of HPAI on the two canids were also different.

"The susceptibility of crows to HPAI viruses varies depending on the strain, but the current HPAI virus strain appears to thrive in crows. As a result, carnivorous mammals such as foxes are at risk of infection with HPAI if they consume crow carcasses. On the other hand, raccoon dogs primarily consume fruits, plant seeds, and insects, so it is believed that he was infected due to close contact with crow carcasses," explained Takahiro Hiono, the first author of the paper.

The crows, fox and raccoon dog all tested positive for isolation of the H5N1 HPAI virus. Further analysis revealed that the viruses from all three sources were closely related to each other, although they were not completely identical.

The fox and raccoon dog then underwent necropsies and their tissues were investigated under the microscope. The investigations revealed that the virus had infected the upper respiratory tracts of both the fox and the raccoon dog. The virus was also detected in the brain of the fox, consistent with reports from other studies. Interestingly, the raccoon dog had survived the acute HPAI virus infection, but the virus damaged its eyes—which resulted in a drastic reduction in its quality of life. A study of the cell receptors for influenza viruses in the respiratory system of the fox and raccoon dog also suggested that they may be intrinsically susceptible to HPAI virus infection.

"Recently, there has been an increasing number of cases of HPAI virus infections in wild carnivorous mammals. The expansion of HPAI viruses in nature is now having a detrimental effect on the ecosystem," stated Hiono. "We need to expand our monitoring programs in order to gain a more detailed understanding of the ecology of HPAI viruses and identify potential risk factors for the spread of this virus in nature."

The study did have some limitations, the most definitive of which was that only one individual from each species was studied. In addition, the intestines were not investigated as there was a risk of exposure to other pathogens.

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JOURNAL

Virology

DOI

10.1016/j.virol.2022.11.008 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Virological, pathological, and glycovirological investigations of an Ezo red fox and a tanuki

Breakthrough as scientists sequence the genomes of endangered sharks

Scientists have sequenced the genomes of two endangered sharks. Low genetic diversity and signs of inbreeding ring alarm bells for great hammerheads, but there may be hope for shortfin makos that showed higher genetic diversity and limited inbreeding.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAVE OUR SEAS FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: SCIENTISTS HAVE SEQUENCED TO CHROMOSOME LEVEL THE GENOMES OF GREAT HAMMERHEAD AND SHORTFIN MAKO SHARKS, SHOWING THAT THEIR POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED OVER 250,000 YEARS. view more 

CREDIT: © CHRIS VAUGHAN-JONES

‘With their whole genomes deciphered at high resolution we have a much better window into the evolutionary history of these endangered species,’ says Professor Mahmood Shivji.

It’s a startling image that describes a milestone in conservation science for sharks. Professor Shivji, Professor Michael Stanhope and their collaborators have glanced back in history by sequencing to chromosome level the genomes (entire genetic blueprint) of great hammerhead and shortfin mako sharks. Their DNA timeline shows that their populations have declined substantially over 250,000 years. What the scientists have also found is worrying: great hammerhead sharks have low genetic variation, which makes them less resilient to adapting to our rapidly changing world. The species also shows signs of inbreeding, an issue that can lower the ability of its populations to survive. The shortfin mako shark, however, showed higher diversity and limited inbreeding, a hopeful glint in the gloomy conservation climate. Understanding change over such a large timescale can put into context the current conservation status of these endangered animals. The results can help direct us towards much more nuanced management strategies for sharks. 

The findings are published in a paper in iScience: ‘Genomes of endangered great hammerhead and shortfin mako sharks reveal historic population declines and high levels of inbreeding in great hammerhead’, led by Professor Stanhope from Cornell University and Professor Shivji, director of the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center and Guy Harvey Research Institute, Nova Southeastern University, with collaborators from Cornell University, Nova Southeastern University, Temple University, Governors State University, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The scientists acquired and assembled entire genome sequences for great hammerhead and shortfin mako sharks and compared their genomes with genome information available for the whale shark, white shark, brownbanded bamboo shark and cloudy catshark. Their methods read like complex puzzle-building by scientific sleuths: successively assembling from tiny fragments of DNA different sequences like a great patchwork tapestry that details the blueprint of life. Reaching chromosome level represents the latest in high-quality whole genome sequence research - and a tricky feat to achieve for species like sharks that have enormous genomes. 

Shortfin mako sharks showed higher diversity and limited inbreeding, a hopeful glint in the gloomy conservation climate.

CREDIT

Simon Hilbourne

The application of advancing techniques comes amidst bleak reports for sharks and rays.

“Technical advances in the study of genomes mean that DNA sequencing approaches are much more powerful and efficient now”, says Professor Stanhope. “We can apply these new technologies to gain insights about the organism, information that we hope can be leveraged to protect sharks and rays”.

While we don’t know exactly the effects of inbreeding in sharks, findings from wolves and cheetahs show that problematic traits can creep in over time. The result is often lowered survival of the species. The picture for great hammerhead sharks - overfished and traded for their fins – is worrying. But without these critical genetic insights, we would be unable to modify how their vulnerable populations are currently managed.  

The researchers are cautious about overstating results.

‘Genetics has advanced such that chromosomal level genomes are the expectation for a reference quality genome for species. However, conservation research presents its own challenges to achieving this consistently and at the resolution expected in other fields’. Professor Shivji adds that: ‘Obtaining tissue samples from endangered marine vertebrates is a major hurdle. You can assemble the genome with a single tissue sample from a single shark, but the ideal circumstance would be to sequence genomes from multiple individuals from different parts of their ocean range, an ethically difficult and costly endeavour.’

Indeed, the researchers state this as a limitation of their current study. The ethical limitations to working with endangered species means that conservation geneticists must balance the latest advances with respect for the fragile populations they study. In addition to revealing the genetic diversity and fragile status of two endangered shark species, the researchers hope that their results will provide what they term reference-quality genomes, from which future foundational science can build to improve what we know about sharks. Certainly, as new possibilities arise, our insights into the blueprint of sharks will help strengthen the way we understand these ecologically important species and conserve their vulnerable populations.  

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JOURNAL

iScience

DOI

10.1016/j.isci.2022.105815 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Genomes of endangered great hammerhead and shortfin mako sharks reveal historic population declines and high levels of inbreeding in great hammerhead

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2023

Primary language of mothers linked to continued breastfeeding during NICU hospitalization

Interventions must consider social and cultural factors that influence breastfeeding continuation including language

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

(Boston)—Very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants are at substantially higher risk for chronic health problems and neurodevelopmental disabilities compared with full term infants. It is well- established that providing mother’s milk to an infant (also known as provision of mother’s milk) during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is associated with the reduced risk of multiple premature birth-related morbidities. Although the overall rate of provision of mother’s milk in the U.S. has increased in the last decade, racial/ethnic inequities persist.

 

Because the majority of non-English-speaking adults in Massachusetts are Hispanic, researchers believe that maternal language other than English could account for the large Hispanic/White difference in provision of mother’s milk observed in the state and potentially contribute to the Black/White difference as well. However, the relationship between maternal non-English primary language speakers and breastfeeding in the preterm population is complex.

 

“Understanding the key contributing factors that underlie the observed racial/ethnic inequities in mother’s milk provision is needed to devise and implement tailored interventions,” said Erika Cordova Ramos, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, in a new study.

 

To better understand this issue, researchers at the School and Boston Medical Center (BMC) examined the association of maternal race/ethnicity and language with any and exclusive mother’s milk given to infants at NICU discharge. They also studied the time to cessation of mother’s milk during the course of the NICU hospitalization among racial/ethnic and language groups. They found maternal primary language was associated with breastfeeding continuation over the course of the NICU hospitalization.

 

“Notably, we found opposite associations for Hispanic and Black mothers in our state. Among Hispanic mothers, non-English versus English-speaking mothers had lower rates of milk provision. Among Black mothers, non-English versus English-speaking Black mothers had higher rates of milk provision. These differences likely reflect the complex interplay of social and cultural factors that influence continuation of mother’s milk provision among racial/ethnic minority mothers of VLBW infants,” adds Cordova Ramos, who also is a neonatologist at BMC.

 

According to the researchers, this study highlights the important heterogeneity that exists among racial/ethnic groups that is often overlooked in observational and interventional studies. They hypothesize that the differences they found for Hispanic and Black mothers in the state includes geographic makeup and acculturation of non-English speaking populations, cultural norms, socioeconomic factors and structural racism that contribute to maternal breastfeeding continuation.

 

These findings appear online in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine.

 

Dr. E.G.C.-R. is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through BU-CTSI Grant Number 1KL2TR001411.

 

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JOURNAL

Breastfeeding Medicine

DOI

10.1089/bfm.2022.0150 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Association of Primary Language with Provision of Mother's Milk Among Very-Low-Birthweight Infants in Massachusetts

Study finds climate impact labels on sample fast food menu had strong effect on food selection

‘High climate impact’ label on burgers increased non-beef choices by 23 percent; findings highlight potential of promoting sustainable food choices

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A new study has found that including climate impact labels on a sample fast food menu influenced participants’ food choices in favor of more climate-friendly items. The study was led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For the study, more than 5,000 online participants were shown a sample menu resembling a fast food menu and asked to choose a single item for dinner. One group of participants received a menu with non-red meat menu items such as chicken sandwiches labeled “low climate impact.” Another group received a menu with red meat items—burgers—labeled “high climate impact.” A third control group received menus with QR codes on all items and no climate labels.

Both the high and low climate impact labels markedly reduced red meat selections compared to the control group, with the high impact labels having a strong effect. Menus with a “high climate impact” label on burgers increased non-beef choices by 23 percent compared to the control group. Menus that included “low climate impact” labels increased non-beef choices, such as a chicken sandwich or a salad, by about 10 percent more participants than those in the control group.

The study was published online December 27 in JAMA Network Open.

“These results suggest that menu labeling, particularly labels warning that an item has high climate impact, can be an effective strategy for encouraging more sustainable food choices in a fast food setting,” says study lead author Julia Wolfson, PhD, associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School.

Using labels on menus has long been seen as a potential approach for promoting healthful and sustainable food options. 

For their study, Wolfson and her co-authors wanted to test how signaling climate change impacts of fast food menu items might prompt people to opt for less red meat. Red meat consumption has been linked to health problems such as colorectal cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses. Less consumption of red meat also would also help to lower greenhouse gas emissions which would help reduce climate change because beef production is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the food and agriculture sector.

The study was fielded from March 30 to April 13, 2022, and included 5,049 nationwide participants. The “low climate impact” labels for vegetarian, chicken, or fish menu items were green. The “high climate impact” labels for all beef burger choices were red. The authors based the high/low impact climate categories on evidence that beef has high climate impact compared to other proteins. 

In addition to being asked to choose an item for dinner, participants were asked to rate how healthy they thought the item they ordered was. No matter which type of label was on the menu viewed, participants who selected a more sustainable (i.e., non-beef) item perceived their choice to be healthier compared to those who selected a beef item.

To assess the healthfulness of the sample menu items, the researchers applied a widely used measure called the Nutritional Profiling Index. The Index measures the healthfulness of foods on a 100-point scale, with 64 and lower considered healthful. The researchers found that the choices of the “high climate impact” label group scored slightly better than those of the control group and the “low climate impact” group. However, none of the items on the menu scored high enough to be considered optimally healthful.

While encouraging on the whole, the results suggest that positively framed “low climate impact” labels are less effective in encouraging sustainable food choices compared to “high climate impact” labels. At the same time, climate labels may have the unwanted side effect of making a choice seem healthier than it actually is.

“An undeserved health halo conferred to unhealthy menu items could encourage their overconsumption,” Wolfson says. “So we have to look for labeling strategies that create ‘win-wins’ for promoting both more sustainable and healthy choices.”

Wolfson and her colleagues aim to do similar studies in more real-world food-choice settings.

“Effect of climate change impact menu labels on fast food ordering choices among US adults: a randomized clinical trial” was co-authored by Julia Wolfson, Aviva Musicus, Cindy Leung, Ashley Gearhardt, and Jennifer Falbe.

Support for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (K01DK119166, 2T32CA057711, K01DK113068) and the National Science Foundation (0818839).

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DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.48320 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Effect of Climate Change Impact Menu Labels on Fast Food Ordering Choices Among US Adults

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Dec-2022

Consumer preferences for sustainably

produced meat and meat substitutes in

Japan

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: - view more 

CREDIT: TOKYO TECH

Meat has multiple nutritional benefits and is consumed as the primary source of protein by an increasing segment of the world’s population. However, there have been significant environmental costs associated with the growing demand for meat. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported in 2013 that livestock production accounts for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity.

To reduce the environmental impact of meat production and meet the increasing demand for protein sustainably, there have been efforts to switch to alternative livestock farming practices and protein sources such as plant-based protein and lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat.

To understand consumer preferences and attitudes towards these alternative protein sources, researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Shinshu University in Japan conducted a survey involving 4,421 beef consumers and shoppers in Japan.

“To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to explore and give insights on beef and meat substitutes in Japan, where there have been fewer reports than in other markets,” says Associate Professor Takumi Ohashi from Tokyo Tech. The results of this survey are discussed in their study, which was published in Meat Science and was made available online on 24 November 2022. 

Most of the respondents preferred domestic beef, but their choices of production methods and preference for meat substitutes were influenced by a wide range of factors such as cost, familiarity, and various sociodemographic characteristics. 

“Five segments could be identified according to the respondents’ choice preferences in each segment: novelty accepters, generous customers, attribute–economy balancers, price–conscious, and conservatives,” says Prof. Ohashi.

The largest group, comprising 32% of respondents, were generous customers who were willing to pay a premium for organic beef mince. The second largest group, comprising over 19% of the respondents were conservative consumers who preferred beef mince produced by conventional methods. 18.3% of respondents were attribute-economy balancers and 18.1% were price-conscious customers, who shared similar preferences with the generous customers but were more influenced by the price of meat when making their decisions.

In these four segments, plant-based substitutes and cultured meat were the least preferred. However, novelty accepters, who made up the smallest group of respondents at 13%, stood out in the survey due to their high preference towards sustainably grown meat and meat substitutes. This group was characterized by their willingness to try new and innovative products.

Overall, the survey found that 80% of respondents preferred Japanese-origin organic beef and were willing to pay a premium for the same.. However, most of the respondents were unlikely to switch to plant-based meat or cultured meat.

The results of the survey suggest that there is a diverse range of preferences and behaviors among consumers in Japan when it comes to the types of beef production and meat substitutes. Taking into consideration the values and preferences of each consumer segment can help incentivize the use of alternative and sustainable protein sources.

 

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JOURNAL

Meat Science

DOI

10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.109047 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Meat the challenge: Segmentation and profiling of Japanese beef mince and its substitutes consumers

A downward spiral: When subsistence communities struggle, forests do too

Deforestation is being driven by changing socioeconomic circumstances

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE ALLIANCE OF BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

 

IMAGE: HOUSEHOLDS LIKE THIS ONE IN THE AMAZON OFTEN RELY ON FORESTS FOR BASIC NEEDS AND LIVELIHOODS. view more 

CREDIT: N.PALMER

Subsistence communities often rely on natural resources to meet their basic needs. 90 percent of people globally living in extreme poverty depend on forests for at least part of their livelihoods, according to the FAO. These groups are generally not viewed as drivers of forest loss and degradation; in fact, they are traditionally linked with low environmental and carbon footprints.

However, new assessments suggest that this is changing due to socioeconomic factors that spur demands for natural resources. 

What turns ‘sustainable livelihoods’ into a deforestation driver?

In the review “Carbon footprints of forest degradation and deforestation by 'basic-needs populations'”, published in October 2022 in the journal Carbon Footprints, researchers assessed 161 basic needs communities across 101 scientific studies and found that livelihood activities by basic needs populations can become unsustainable via changes in context and socioeconomic factors, leading to “environmental downward spirals”, which in turn increase carbon footprints through deforestation and forest degradation.

Wendy Francesconi, the paper’s first author, is a Senior Environmental Scientist (leading research on Ecosystem Services and Environmental Impact) at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, an international research center.

She explains that this study aimed to identify what livelihood practices are more often associated with forest loss and degradation: “This review covered some of the most commonly known livelihood and economic activities carried out by rural and traditional communities; from animal husbandry, crop production, and fishing; to illegal practices, non-timber forest products, and wood harvesting.”

These practices should be recognized for both their global and community level effects, Francesconi says:

“We do not know the true extent of poverty-driven deforestation and forest degradation. While it is well understood that the industrial and commercial sectors are the main contributors to the climate and biodiversity crisis, subsistence communities will be directly impacted by immediate changes in the provision of ecosystem services, as they heavily depend on these.”

Filling in the gaps with context-based solutions

Poverty-driven deforestation and degradation is a complex, hard to measure issue.  But by better understanding unsustainable triggers and practices, researchers can also identify market-driven, inclusive, and targeted solutions to help slow or reverse this potentially significant source of land cover change and increasing carbon emissions.

Building on the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT’s longstanding research with subsistence communities to understand the relationship between agriculture, land cover changes, and resource extraction, Francesconi says that solutions will be as varied as the number of subsistence communities: they should be adapted to a community’s culture and customs, geographic context, food and production systems, and include market-based transformations that promote sustainable livelihood activities.

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JOURNAL

Carbon Footprints

DOI

10.20517/cf.2022.10 

ARTICLE TITLE

Carbon footprints of forest degradation and deforestation by “basic-needs populations”: a review