Helen Göranzon

Composition of faeces from human subjects consuming diets based on conventional foods containing different kinds and amounts of dietary fibre.

The stool-bulking effect of dietary fibre (DF) is well-documented and believed to be important in the postulated beneficial effect of DF on human health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the digestibility of DF in relation to its stool-bulking properties and to study possible mechanisms for this effect. Four diets, based on conventional foods only, were studied in balance experiments on human subjects. Diet A contained DF mainly from whole-grain cereals while diets B1 and B2 contained DF mainly from pulses, vegetables and fruit. Diet C was a low-fibre diet. Faeces was fractionated into four fractions, each enriched in one of the following three components: undigested DF (fractions 1 + 2), faecal bacteria (fraction 3) and soluble components (fraction 4). The digestibility of DF in diets A, B1 and B2 was 0.62, 0.88 and 0.90 respectively. Subjects consuming diet A excreted slightly more fraction 3 than subjects consuming the other diets. Thus, the statement that DF of high digestibility stimulates microbial growth in the gut was not supported. The water-holding capacity of fraction 1 was studied in vitro and was found to be low. It is suggested that undigested soluble DF is important in the stool-bulking properties of DF.

Perceptions and Memories of the Free School Meal in Sweden

Abstract The aim of the present article was to gain a deeper understanding of the free school meal as an embedded phenomenon in the Swedish culture. This was achieved by studying perceptions and memories of the Swedish school meal. One hundred and ninety-two informants took part in the study by responding to an ethnological questionnaire. The results showed that the school meal was seen as a second-class meal with regard to the staff, environment and to some extent the food. The school meal was also seen as part of the Swedish welfare state, as it represents universal and equal social benefits for everyone. One interpretation of this is that the informants liked the idea of having a free public school meal, but that the meal does not live up to their expectations, that is, a meal with the same values as one served at home.

Adolescents’ sources for food safety knowledge and trust

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate where students in a Swedish compulsory school acquire their knowledge of food safety and how trustworthy they deem them to be. Design/methodology/approach A survey of students’ self-reported sources of and trust in food safety knowledge was performed. A student response system was used for data collection, and the students were asked to answer questions presented on a PowerPoint presentation using a small wireless handheld device: a clicker. A questionnaire with 24 questions was used, and the responses were collected at 18 different schools with a total of 529 participants attending school Year 9. Findings Mothers were reported as being the most important source of food safety knowledge (38 per cent), especially among girls, and were also given high credibility (36 per cent). Boys reported trusting home and consumer studies (HCS), fathers and media to a higher extent. Girls reported cooking at home more often but, for all students, it was more common to rarely or never cook at home, which is why HCS teaching can be seen as valuable for many students. HCS teaching needs to be improved in order to raise its credibility. About half of the students (51 per cent) reported to have the highest trust for their source of knowledge. Research limitations/implications The students could only choose one source of knowledge and trust, although it is usual to learn from many different sources. Practical implications HCS teaching needs to get higher credibility among students as a counterweight against other sources. Social implications Educated consumers could influence their health. Originality/value Limited research has been performed on food safety knowledge among adolescents.