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\"A guide offering concise, authoritative advice on understanding, buying, and enjoying the six classes of tea, with identification and location photography throughout\"--Provided by publisher.

•This study involved representative samples of students and staff of a Spanish public university.•Most of the participants purchased food on campus, especially for lunch and as a snack.•Hot drinks, bottled water, and hot foods were the most purchased items, and taste was the most important determinant in its choice.•The most recommended changes to the campus food availability were related to sustainability, the offer of products of high nutritional quality, price, and allergen information on labeling.•These findings are relevant for planning interventions to improve the food environment in this and similar tertiary education settings. The aim of this study was to investigate food purchasing behaviors, choice determinants, and opinions about on-campus food availability by a university community and to analyze differences in these aspects between students, education and/or research staff (ERS), and administrative and services staff (ASS), and between males and females. This was a cross-sectional study that involved a representative sample of students (n = 1089), ERS (n = 396), and ASS (n = 300) who completed an anonymous online survey. A previously adapted version of the questionnaire was administered. The results were weighted to ensure representativeness of this community population using weighted coefficients. The results showed that most of the participants purchased food on campus (91.6%), especially for lunch (67.4% of foods and 37.4% of drinks) and snack (65.4% of foods and 45.4% of drinks). Hot drinks (i.e., coffee, tea, hot chocolate etc.; 60.5%), bottled water (49.2%), and hot foods (i.e., small servings [38.2%] and sandwiches/hamburgers [31.7%]) were the most purchased items. Taste (98.6%) was the most important determinant in choice, followed by price for students, nutritional value for ASS, and health value for ERS. The “top 5” opinions suggested for the campus food environment and potential changes were “greater capacity to access free filtered drinking water”, “greater capacity to recycle food packaging,” “more healthy options in vending machines”, “discounts for healthy choices,” and “allergen labeling.” Interventions that improve sustainability and the affordability of products with high nutritional quality, price-manipulation directives, and allergen information on labeling would be well received among this community.

Objectives. To evaluate the impact of the excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in Berkeley, California, which became the first US jurisdiction to implement such a tax ($0.01/oz) in March 2015. Methods. We used a repeated cross-sectional design to examine changes in pre- to posttax beverage consumption in low-income neighborhoods in Berkeley versus in the comparison cities of Oakland and San Francisco, California. A beverage frequency questionnaire was interviewer administered to 990 participants before the tax and 1689 after the tax (approximately 8 months after the vote and 4 months after implementation) to examine relative changes in consumption. Results. Consumption of SSBs decreased 21% in Berkeley and increased 4% in comparison cities (P = .046). Water consumption increased more in Berkeley (+63%) than in comparison cities (+19%; P < .01). Conclusions. Berkeley’s excise tax reduced SSB consumption in low-income neighborhoods. Evaluating SSB taxes in other cities will improve understanding of their public health benefit and their generalizability.

This study explores the influence of government support and risk cognition on tea planters’ purchasing behavior regarding planting insurance, with a particular emphasis on the mediating roles of perceived value and environmental concern. Data were collected from 550 tea planters in Guizhou Province, China, using a structured questionnaire and convenience sampling method. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted using AMOS 28.0 to analyze the data. The results indicate that both government support and risk cognition significantly and positively impact the perceived value of planting insurance. To promote the uptake of planting insurance among tea farmers, government agencies should strengthen policy advocacy and provide business guidance. Such efforts would help tea farmers recognize the value and psychological significance of planting insurance, thereby better safeguarding their agricultural interests. This study enhances the understanding of how government support and risk cognition can facilitate the adoption of planting insurance among tea farmers.

Coffee is popular worldwide and consumption is increasing, particularly in non-traditional markets. There is evidence that coffee consumption may have beneficial health effects. Consumers’ beliefs in the health benefits of coffee are unclear. The study aimed at analyzing consumers’ perceptions of coffee health benefits, consumption and purchasing motives of coffee consumers with positive perceptions of coffee health benefits, and willingness to pay for coffee with associated health claims. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey with consumers, resulting in a convenience sample of 250 questionnaires valid for data elaboration. Results were elaborated with factor analysis and logistic regression analysis. Findings revealed that a relevant minority of consumers believed that coffee could have positive health effects. The consumer with a positive perception of coffee health benefits is mostly male, young, works, is familiar with non-espresso-based coffee, consumes a limited amount of coffee (generally not for breakfast and often in social settings), and buys coffee at retail outlets. Consumers drink coffee for its energetic and therapeutic effects. Coffee consumption is still price-driven, but consumers are interested in purchasing coffee with associated health claims. There is the opportunity to improve the perception of coffee health benefits in consumers’ minds.

Dietary intake assessment is often complicated by intrinsic bias. This study investigated whether food purchase data could constitute a valid indication of dietary intake, by evaluating the extent to which diet quality as measured by supermarket food purchases is correlated with diet quality as measured by reported dietary intake. We used data from the Supreme Nudge cluster-randomised controlled supermarket trial (n 227). Data were collected at baseline from supermarket purchases (loyalty cards) and a dietary questionnaire (short forty-item FFQ) to compute two scores reflecting diet quality from purchasing data (purchased diet quality) and FFQ (consumed diet quality). Both scores constituted thirteen food groups and could theoretically range from 0 (low diet quality) to 130 (high diet quality). The relationship between purchased diet quality and consumed diet quality was assessed using correlation coefficients and the Bland–Altman limits-of-agreement method. Multiple linear regression was fitted between purchased diet quality and consumed diet quality, adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, educational level and household size. Consumed and purchased diet qualities were modestly positively correlated (Pearson’s ρ = 0·31, 95 % CI 0·18, 0·42). A positive association from linear regression was found after confounding adjustments (βbaseline = 0·22, 95 % CI 0·10, 0·34). The purchased diet quality was systematically lower than the consumed diet quality. This study found that diet quality as measured by supermarket purchases provided a reasonable indication of diet quality as reported by short-FFQ, albeit modest.

In view of global warming issues, the Taiwan government has implemented environmental-related policies and measures for sustainable development through promoting “carbon labeling” in recent years. Many studies related to carbon labeling have been conducted after its promotion, but the studies on the relationship of subjective knowledge or perceived knowledge on carbon labeling, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), and willingness to buy the products are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship of subjective knowledge on carbon labeling, consumer perception, and willingness to buy carbon label products, with a case study of packaged tea products in Taiwan. The respondents were Taiwanese adults aged 18 years old and over, who have experience of buying packaged tea. The research was conducted by survey method using non-probability sampling method at convenience retail stores i.e., 7-Eleven and Family Mart. The result showed that (1) the consumers with high subjective knowledge have high willingness to purchase packaged tea products with carbon labels, consumers with high PCE have high subjective knowledge of carbon labeling, and consumers with high PCE have high willingness to buy carbon-labeled packaged tea products; (2) there is a positive linear relationship of subjective knowledge and PCE toward purchase intention of carbon label; and (3) a significant positive correlation between subjective knowledge, PCE, and willingness to buy packaged tea beverage products with carbon labels for the female respondents.

Background Cardiovascular health is linked to sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages (SSBs and ASBs). Prior studies document declines in SSB purchases. However, it is unclear if similar trends exist at convenience and other small food outlets, which often serve lower-income communities and where objective point-of-sales data are difficult to obtain. We examined trends (2014–2017) in observed SSB, ASB, and water purchases at convenience and other small stores as well as differences in purchasing by customer characteristics. Methods We used observational purchase data collected annually (2014–2017) from 3010 adult customers at 147 randomly-sampled stores in Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA. SSB sub-types included any ready-to-drink sweetened soda, fruit, sport, energy, tea, or other drink, and ASBs included artificially-sweetened versions. Unsweetened water included ready-to-drink water. Mixed regression models examined trends over time and associations with customer characteristics, accounting for customers nested within stores and stores repeatedly measured over time. Results Nearly 50% of purchases included an SSB. Approximately 10% included an ASB. There was no evidence of change over time in SSB or ASB purchasing. Customer purchasing of unsweetened water significantly increased over time (5.7 to 8.4%; P for trend = 0.05). SSB purchasing was highest among men, young adults, customers with lower education/ income, and customers that shopped frequently. ASB purchasing was highest among women, those 40–59 years, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and customers with higher education/ income. Conclusions Despite research suggesting previous declines in SSB consumption and purchasing in the US, we identified a persistent, high trend of SSB purchasing overtime at convenience and other small food stores. Consumption of SSBs and water are growing targets for public policy and health campaigns. Results demonstrate additional work is needed curb sweetened beverage purchasing and promote water purchasing at convenience and other small food stores, which are often prevalent in low-income and marginalized communities.

(1) Background: Although China is one of the largest tea-producing countries in the world, the Chinese tea industry is facing a decline in profits. However, an explosive market, namely milk tea, has garnered the attention of certain famous tea companies, several of which have launched milk tea products through sub-branding or co-branding. However, there is a scarce amount of literature on consumers’ attitudes toward these marketing strategies of the milk tea market. (2) Methods: Utilizing the choice experiment (CE) approach, the aim of this study was to explore consumer preferences for milk tea and investigate consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics regarding the preference for milk tea. (3) Results: Firstly, although consumers show positive attitudes toward tea bases that come from famous tea companies, they barely pay attention to the types of tea bases of milk tea products. As for ingredients, consumers show significantly negative attitudes toward non-dairy creamers when compared with fruit bases. Moreover, new brands could undermine consumers’ evaluations of milk tea. Secondly, education, the weekly frequency of drinking milk tea, and monthly allowance have a significant influence on consumer preferences. (4) Conclusions: Tea bases from famous tea companies can enhance consumer utility and promote consumer preference for milk tea. Thus, famous tea companies could seek cooperation with milk tea manufacturers, which would be a win–win strategy for both sides. On the other hand, tea companies should make use of their established reputations to gain consumers in the milk tea market, and co-branding or sub-branding strategies could be cost-effective methods to achieve this goal in the highly competitive milk tea market.

About the Authors: John S. Tregoning * E-mail: john.tregoning@imperial.ac.uk (JST); Jason.McDermott@pnnl.gov (JEM) Affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, St Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8093-8741 Jason E. McDermott * E-mail: john.tregoning@imperial.ac.uk (JST); Jason.McDermott@pnnl.gov (JEM) Affiliations Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, United States of America, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-2572 Introduction The biggest choke point in an academic career is going from postdoc to principal investigator (PI): moving from doing someone else’s research to getting other people to do yours. In the United Kingdom, this tends to be either an individual fellowship or a lecturer position, and in the United States, it generally starts with an independent position with associated funding—either as a start-up package or funded grant. Even if the net product from the day is a waste bin full of paper and some tea-stained scribbles—having a creative process, whatever that is, is very important (Fig 2). Be aware that if you are viewed as successful, you will be asked to take on even more. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007448.g004 As the head of a lab, you are responsible for fundraising, fund managing, purchasing materials and equipment (some of which is extremely specialist, even unique), training and managing staff working with dangerous materials, publicizing the current research, and planning future research.