This pilot study explored farmer motivations for participating in a farmers’ market in ACT to shed light on whether it contributes to a more socially sustainable food system. An adaptation of ...ethnography including interviews, observations, and document analyses found three main themes—authentic, fresh, high quality food defines this farmers' market; desire for re-connections; and strengthening community—which were evaluated against a social sustainability framework. Findings showed that the Capital Region Farmers Market is a socially just and equitable food system where social capital can thrive. The study provides preliminary evidence that farmers’ markets can play a role in improving sustainability from a social perspective.
Although the globalised food system delivers unparalleled food variety and quantity to most in the developed world it also disconnects consumers from where, how and by whom food is grown. This change ...in the food system has resulted in an acceptance of an anonymous and homogeneous food supply, which has contributed to over-consumption and the rise in diet-related diseases. ‘Nutritionism’ responds to this issue by maintaining that a ‘healthy diet’ can be achieved by consuming the correct balance of energy and nutrients, but with limited success. Yet, some food cultures can moderate the effects of the environmental drivers of increasing global obesity rates. This paper draws on this premise and presents an alternative eco-dietetic response, exploring people’s meaning-making of food and food culture through local food networks.
This research used narrative inquiry methodology and purposive sampling to gather stories through focus group conversations. Twenty people attended focus groups comprised of food procurers from one of three local food networks in the Canberra region: community gardens, a modified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farmers’ markets.
The findings showed that those using local food networks enjoyed a ‘contemporary relational food culture’ that highlighted the importance of people, place and time, in their visceral experiences of food. The community gardeners made meaning of food through their connections to the earth and to others. The farmers’ market and CSA food procurers valued the seasonal, local and ethical food produced by their beloved farmer(s). This paper provides qualitative evidence that local food networks enable people to enjoy multi-dimensional relationships to food. Further research is required to examine whether experiencing a contemporary relational food culture can lead to improved health outcomes for people and the planet.
Although seafood is considered to be an important part of a healthy and balanced diet, many Australians still do not consume the recommended amounts for good health. Fish is an excellent source of ...protein, omega‐3 fatty acids and other nutrients, and studies have shown that seafood‐rich diets can have a lower impact on the environment than diets high in other animal proteins. Concerns about health and sustainability have led to an increased interest in understanding consumers' attitudes toward seafood. This review aims to assess the current knowledge on drivers and barriers to seafood consumption in the Australian context. Systematic search strategies were used to identify relevant peer‐reviewed journal articles from three electronic databases (SCOPUS, Web of Science and Science Direct) and grey literature reports from targeted government and industry websites. Accepted studies investigated drivers and/or barriers to seafood consumption in Australia through qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method designs. Initial searches identified 504 publications from which fourteen met the criteria for the review process. The reviewed studies revealed that influences on seafood consumption in Australia are similar to those identified in other developed countries. The leading drivers of seafood consumption are health, taste, and convenience, while the main barriers are price, availability, concerns about quality, and a lack of confidence in selecting and preparing seafood. Some possible intervention strategies targeted toward these factors are explored in the discussion. Future research should focus on designing and implementing specific interventions so that their effectiveness in increasing seafood consumption in Australia can be assessed.
This paper focusses on the supermarket shopper, who makes both reflexive and routine decisions while undertaking his or her regular shopping and cooking practices. The research used narrative inquiry ...methodology and convenience sampling to gather stories about a group of supermarket shoppers' perceptions of, and engagement with their chosen food retail environment and their attitudes towards making more sustainable food choices. The analysis drew on theories of practice and a food choice model showing that this group of shoppers were aware of the challenges of the modern food system and held ideals about purchasing Australian-grown, ethically produced food, eating seasonally and devoting more time to shopping and cooking, but the intangible resource of time dominated their dynamic value negotiations.
Despite the ability of the globalised food system to deliver varied and plentiful food supplies to most in the developed world it also disconnects consumers from where, how and by whom food is grown, ...which discourages food citizenship. This paper uses an ecological framework to examine the individual, social, physical and macro-level environments that can positively or negatively influence peoples’ engagement with food citizenship.
This research used narrative inquiry methodology and purposive sampling to gather stories through focus group conversations. Fifty-two people voluntarily attended focus groups comprised of food procurers from one of five sources: community gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmers’ markets, fresh food markets or supermarkets. A narrative was constructed for each of these groups of food procurers; their commonalities and particularities were illuminated through a final interpretive narrative.
The findings showed that the community gardeners exhibited a range of personal characteristics that prioritised engagement with local food systems. The physical setting of the community garden enabled the gardeners to make connections to the earth and the people within their social networks. The CSA and farmers’ market groups were cognisant of the implications of their food choices and usually proved to be food citizens, as they selected seasonal, local and ethically produced food from their farmer(s). The fresh food market shoppers were ambivalent towards organic and seasonal food and the market setting did not connect them directly to the provenance of their food. The supermarket shoppers’ disconnection from those who grew their food and where it was grown disempowered them from making sustainable food choices. Adjustments to the macro-level food environment are needed to enable people to have a greater commitment to food citizenship.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a common, costly, yet largely preventable complication impacting patients in healthcare settings globally. Improving routine cleaning and disinfection of ...the hospital environment has been shown to reduce the risk of HAI. Contaminated shared medical equipment presents a primary transmission route for infectious pathogens, yet is rarely studied. The CLEEN study will assess how enhanced cleaning and disinfection of shared medical equipment affects the rate of HAIs in a tertiary hospital setting. The initiative is an evidence-based approach combining staff training, auditing and feedback to environmental services staff to enhance cleaning and disinfection practices.
The CLEEN study will use a stepped wedge randomised controlled design in 10 wards of one large Australian hospital over 36 weeks. The intervention will consist of 3 additional hours per weekday for the dedicated cleaning and disinfection of shared medical equipment on each ward. The primary outcome is to demonstrate the effectiveness of improving the quality and frequency of cleaning shared medical equipment in reducing HAIs, as measured by a HAI point prevalence study (PPS). The secondary outcomes include the thoroughness of equipment cleaning assessed using fluorescent marker technology and the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.
Evidence from the CLEEN study will contribute to future policy and practice guidelines about the cleaning and disinfection of shared medical equipment. It will be used by healthcare leaders and clinicians to inform decision-making and implementation of best-practice infection prevention strategies to reduce HAIs in healthcare facilities.
Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12622001143718.
The current, globalised food system supplies ‘cheap’ food to a large proportion of the world's population, but with significant social, environmental and health costs that are poorly understood. The ...present paper examines the nature and extent of these costs for both rural and urban communities, by illustrating the financial pressures on food producers and manufacturers to produce cheap food, the disconnection people experience with how and where their food is produced, and the rise in obesity levels that plague the globe. The paper then proposes that community food systems may play an important role in mitigating the adverse environmental, economic and social effects of the dominant food system, by the use of more sustainable food production methods, the development of local economies and enabling closer connections between farmers and consumers. There are many opportunities for public health nutritionists to contribute to the local food system literature to ascertain whether these systems improve inequities, provide better access to healthy food and help stem the tide of rising global obesity levels. Public health nutritionists can play a key role in supporting people to become food citizens and to advocate for democratic and sustainable food systems.
In Australia, many people fail to meet the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables for good health, frequently citing price, limited availability, and poor quality as barriers to eating more of ...these core foods. The purpose of the present study was to compare key attributes of fruit and vegetables between farmers' markets and three other retail streams. The four attributes compared were price; availability of types of fruit and vegetables; number of cultivars for each type of fruit and vegetable; and quality based on visual appearance. Prices and quality of individual items at farmers' markets compared satisfactorily with other retail streams, as did cultivar variety for some fruit, but not availability of types of fruit and vegetables. Further research is needed to determine whether contextual features of farmers' markets and alternative assessments of quality, such as taste and freshness, affect consumers' fruit, and vegetable consumption.
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