Vedavalli Sachithananthan, Mohammad Buzgeia, Emberika Khalifa and Najwa Abdul Hamid
This paper aims to assess the nutritive value of Libyan airline meals in comparison with RDA.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the nutritive value of Libyan airline meals in comparison with RDA.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out using food samples collected from the catering department of Benina International Airport, Benghazi, Libya, for a period of two months. Different types of meals served for breakfast, lunch (beef meal, chicken meal and lamb meal) and snacks were collected in triplicate from the catering department of the airport prior to being loaded onto the aircraft. These samples were taken immediately to the university laboratory and weighed after removing the bones and separating the different dishes from the pre‐plated meal box. Rice, different vegetables and meat were weighed separately using a digital balance. Measuring cups were used to measure liquids. Chefs were consulted regarding the amount of different ingredients that went into the preparation of the different recipes to enable nutritive value computation using food composition tables. Finally the nutrient content of each meal and snack were compared with the RDA.
Findings
The results on the nutritive value of the dishes served for breakfast, lunch and snacks revealed higher amounts of energy, carbohydrates, saturated fat and sodium in comparison with the RDA in most of the meals, whereas the micronutrient content with respect to vitamins A, E and C, most B vitamins, and iron and calcium did not meet the RDA in respect of most of the meals.
Practical implications
The airline needs to look seriously into this issue and improve the micronutrient content of its meals, simultaneously reducing the total energy and sodium content and replacing the saturated fat present in the meals in the best interests of preventing health risks to frequent airline passengers.
Originality/value
The paper assesses the nutritional value of one airline's meals.
Details
Keywords
Helda Tutunchi, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Shiva Hoojeghani, Sirous Tabrizi, Nazila Farrin, Laleh Payahoo and Alireza Ostadrahimi
This paper aims to evaluate the prevalence of general obesity (GO) and abdominal obesity (AO) in the north-west of Iran and investigate the association with food choices and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the prevalence of general obesity (GO) and abdominal obesity (AO) in the north-west of Iran and investigate the association with food choices and socioeconomic status (SES).
Design/methodology/approach
In this cross-sectional study, 500 subjects aged ≥ 18 years were studied. Data on their basic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary habits and physical activity were collected. The authors examined the association between GO and AO with SES and food choices using multiple logistic regression analysis.
Findings
The prevalence of GO and AO was 26.6 and 43.4%, respectively. A positive association was observed between age and GO (p for trend <0.001) and AO (p for trend 0.005) in both sexes. However, a negative correlation was detected between education and income with GO and AO (p for trend <0.001). Two or more servings of fruit consumption a day were associated with lower odds of obesity. It was observed that the odds of GO and AO decreased by three or more servings of daily fruit. The consumption of dairy products in two or more servings a day led to a reduction in odds of GO and AO. The consumption of five or more servings of legumes, beans and nuts a week was associated with lower odds of GO and AO.
Originality/value
Educational attainment, greater income and a higher intake of some specific food groups were associated with lower odds of obesity in the area. More population-based investigations are required to develop effective preventive strategies to control the status of being overweight and obesity in different regions.