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Welcome to the April edition of AFICNews.

AFICNews is a free monthly e-bulletin, providing updates on current food safety, health and nutrition news trends around the Asia Pacific region. If you are not already subscribed, but would like your own monthly copy, please send a blank email to aficnews-subscribe@afic.org. If you do not wish to receive AFICNews, simply send a blank email to aficnews-unsubscribe@afic.org, and your name and address will be automatically removed from the list. In case of difficulties email info@afic.org with your request to subscribe or unsubscribe, and we can do the rest.

Dates for Your Diary

New from AFIC

A roundtable discussion on Children’s Diet and Health and Regulations on Marketing Food to Children will be held on April 29^th, 2008, commencing 3:30 pm at Saladang Room of Dusit Thani Hotel (www.bangkok.com/dusitthani/) as a part of AFIC 2008/9 Annual General Meeting, in Bangkok, Thailand. Journalists are welcome to attend. Please contact info@afic.org.  

The roundtable discussion, with representatives from WHO, media, public institutions and private companies from Asia-Pacific countries, will focus on knowledge gaps and AFIC’s role in consumer research and education. Two Keynote speakers include Dr. Kunal Bagchi, World Health Organization South East Asia, presenting ‘Food marketing to children and adolescents in the South-East Asia Region: Implications for public health’, and Dr. Yuexin Yang, Chairperson drafting Nutrition Labeling Regulation for Ministry of Health in China, presenting ‘Nutrition labeling and functional food regulations in China’.  

There is limited research in Asia looking at consumer understanding of food labels and the influences of labels on food choice and behavior. Most of the research findings are from Europe or US, and it is unknown whether or not these learnings can be applied in the Asian context. To understand more about Asian consumers, AFIC has conducted a study on nutrition labeling in Bangkok, Thailand and Shanghai, China, and during this event, AFIC will disclose the research findings on consumer understanding on nutrition labeling. The main findings from the research conducted in Thailand can be read in the press release ‘Grocery shoppers in Bangkok rank the freshness of food as the most important factor in their grocery buying decisions’ English, ภาษาไทย and more to come…

Food in the News: Survey of Nutrition and Food Safety Features in

Thai Magazines for Sale in January 2008

Note: These figures are based on simple counting method of topic headings and do not allow for

differences in length or depth of articles.

Comments on Most Frequently Reported Topics

Healthy Eating/Lifestyle (31% of total coverage)  

Articles loaded with nutrition and health messages are by far the most popular topic among the tracked coverage in the Thai lifestyle magazines. General tips for a good health and well being include dietary guidelines -with focus on reduced fat intake, increased intake of fiber, moderate consumption of alcohol- and recommendations to exercise regularly. The benefits of physical activity to prevent the development of non communicable diseases, such as obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease, are increasingly reported. Several articles do also focus on the importance to reduce salt intake to prevent high blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. For more information about the prevention of cancer with a healthy diet and exercise, read AFIC’s article, ‘Diet and Cancer - What's New?’ - English, ภาษาไทย or 中文

Functional Foods (26% of total coverage)

Functional foods remain a broadly covered topic in the lifestyle press in Thailand, confirming the high interest in dietary approaches for improving overall health or offering disease prevention. Fruit and vegetables, including avocado, seaweed, pomegranate and citrus fruit, were the most frequently featured foods. Also popular are fish oil, tea and garlic. The range of health benefits mentioned is large, with an increasing number of articles reporting on the role of certain nutrients to improve brain health. Some of the information may be misleading due to the lack of scientific evidence justifying the health claims. The following article from AFIC includes several tips a reader could use to decide if a study is relevant, useful or credible, ‘Science is Evolutionary, not Revolutionary!’ in English, ภาษาไทย or 中文. For more information on ‘Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health’, click on the communication guidelines developed by AFIC’s sister organization in the US.

Overweight/Obesity/Weight Control (11% of total coverage)

Several articles report the rapidly increasing obesity rates among Thai children and warn for the many health risk this may bring in adulthood. The articles include tips for parents dealing with overweight children to encourage them to adopt healthy eating habits. Another common theme among the articles tracked under this category is weight loss. The number of fad diets proposed is however limited and weight loss tips focus on moderation, eating at home and regular exercising. To access AFIC’s information resources to help you determine the best approach for you to achieve your own individual weight management goals, click ‘What You Should Know About Weight Management’, PDF in English, 中文, ภาษาไทย and Bahasa (Malay)

Infant Feeding (7% of total coverage)

Articles tracked under this category focus on two topics: the importance of the maternal diet during pregnancy and breast feeding. A healthy diet during pregnancy is beneficial for the mother and the unborn infant and diet recommendations change in function of the stage of physical development of the baby. Articles emphasizing the benefits of breast feeding were found informative. For more information about infant feeding, please read ‘WHO Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding’.

Calcium/Dairy Products (6% of total coverage)