1. |
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2. |
- Lange, Maria, et al.
(författare)
-
För lite hemkunskap ökar risken för matförgiftningar
- 2017
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Ingår i: Dagens Nyheter. - Stockholm : AB Dagens nyheter. - 1101-2447. ; Tisdag 15 augusti, s. 6-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- DN.DebattRunt 500 000 människor drabbas enligt beräkningar av matförgiftning i Sverige varje år. Bristande hygienkunskaper i hushållen är en av orsakerna. Nu är det dags för en utökad timplan i hemkunskap för att Sverige skall få medvetna konsumenter, minskat matsvinn och färre fall av matförgiftningar, skriver en grupp experter inom området.
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3. |
- Mogren, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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The hurdle approach-A holistic concept for controlling food safety risks associated with pathogenic bacterial contamination of leafy green vegetables. A review
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 9:AUG
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Consumers appreciate leafy green vegetables such as baby leaves for their convenience and wholesomeness and for adding a variety of tastes and colors to their plate. In Western cuisine, leafy green vegetables are usually eaten fresh and raw, with no step in the long chain from seed to consumption where potentially harmful microorganisms could be completely eliminated, e.g., through heating. A concerning trend in recent years is disease outbreaks caused by various leafy vegetable crops and one of the most important foodborne pathogens in this context is Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Other pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes should also be considered in disease risk analysis, as they have been implicated in outbreaks associated with leafy greens. These pathogens may enter the horticultural value network during primary production in field or greenhouse via irrigation, at harvest, during processing and distribution or in the home kitchen/restaurant. The hurdle approach involves combining several mitigating approaches, each of which is insufficient on its own, to control or even eliminate pathogens in food products. Since the food chain system for leafy green vegetables contains no absolute kill step for pathogens, use of hurdles at critical points could enable control of pathogens that pose a human health risk. Hurdles should be combined so as to decrease the risk due to pathogenic microbes and also to improve microbial stability, shelf-life, nutritional properties and sensory quality of leafy vegetables. The hurdle toolbox includes different options, such as physical, physiochemical and microbial hurdles. The goal for leafy green vegetables is multi-target preservation through intelligently applied hurdles. This review describes hurdles that could be used for leafy green vegetables and their biological basis, and identifies prospective hurdles that need attention in future research.
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4. |
- Söderqvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Season and Species: Two Possible Hurdles for Reducing the Food Safety Risk of Escherichia coli O157 Contamination of Leafy Vegetables
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Journal of Food Protection. - 0362-028X. ; 82, s. 247-255
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The food safety risk of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection per serving of leafy vegetables was investigated using a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach. The estimated level of E. coli O157 contamination was based on observed numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli on leafy vegetables grown and processed in southern Sweden from 2014 to 2016. Samples were collected before harvest, after washing, and at the end of shelf life. The observed counts were combined with data on the ratio of E. coli to E. coli O157 taken from earlier studies to estimate the probability of illness. The risks of STEC infection associated with species, either spinach (Spinacia oleracea) or rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia), growing season (spring or autumn), and washing (washed or not washed) were then evaluated. The results indicated that leafy vegetable species and growing season could be possible hurdles for reducing the food safety risk of STEC infection. At harvest, the probability of infection was 87% lower when consuming rocket compared with spinach and 90% lower when consuming leafy vegetables grown in spring compared with autumn. These relative risk reductions remained consistent even with other serving sizes and dose-response models. The lowest risk of STEC infection was associated with leafy vegetables early in the production chain, i.e., before harvest, while the risk increased during storage and processing. Consequently, the highest risk was observed when leafy vegetables were consumed at the end of shelf life. Washing had no effect on the food safety risk of STEC infection in this study. To improve the quality of QMRA, there is a need for additional data on the relationship between indicator organisms that can be easily enumerated (e.g., E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae) and E. coli strains that can cause STEC infection (e.g., E. coli O157) but are difficult to identify in food samples such as leafy vegetables.
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5. |
- Boqvist, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Food safety challenges and One Health within Europe
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 60
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This review discusses food safety aspects of importance from a One Health perspective, focusing on Europe. Using examples of food pathogen/food commodity combinations, spread of antimicrobial resistance in the food web and the risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens in a circular system, it demonstrates how different perspectives are interconnected. The chosen examples all show the complexity of the food system and the necessity of using a One Health approach. Food safety resources should be allocated where they contribute most One Health benefits. Data on occurrence and disease burden and knowledge of source attribution are crucial in assessing costs and benefits of control measures. Future achievements in food safety, public health and welfare will largely be based on how well politicians, researchers, industry, national agencies and other stakeholders manage to collaborate using the One Health approach. It can be concluded that closer cooperation between different disciplines is necessary to avoid silo thinking when addressing important food safety challenges. The importance of this is often mentioned, but more proof of concept is needed by the research community.
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6. |
- Cassi, Xavier Fernandez, et al.
(författare)
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Microbial communities and Food safety aspects of crickets (Acheta domestica) reared under controlled conditions
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of insects as food and feed. - 2352-4588. ; 6, s. 429-440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In an approach combining microbiological culture methods with high-throughput sequencing, this study investigated the microbial communities (bacteria, moulds and yeasts) in Swedish-produced edible crickets (Acheta domesticus) reared in a controlled environment. The effects of different feeds on microbial loads and populations in crickets were also studied. The crickets used were third-generation offspring from wild-caught individuals from Sweden, which are adapted to grow in a laboratory environment. The efficiency of rinsing to decrease microbial load was evaluated not obtaining a significant decrease of plating counts for total aerobic counts (TAC) and Enterobacteriaceae. Crickets were divided into three batches and fed different diets (control feed, early-cut red clover hay (ECH), late-cut fresh red clover (LCF)) for 62 days. Bacterial numbers (TAC and Enterobacteriaceae) on whole raw crickets ranged between 7 and 8 log cfu/g. Pre-rinsing in water did not reduce these levels (P=0.19). All batches tested negative for the food-borne bacteria Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens. The mean mould count for crickets fed control feed was 2.8 log cfu/g, while the values for crickets fed ECH and LCF were 4.2 and 4.5 log cfu/g, respectively. The dominant bacterial communities were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, with Firmicutes and Proteobacteria dominating in crickets fed control feed, Firmicutes dominating in crickets fed LCF and Proteobacteria dominating in crickets fed ECH. Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that is capable of producing mycotoxins, was detected in control feed and ECH reared crickets. More work is needed to identify specific food-borne pathogens in edible crickets and establish possible bacterial quality reference values, as an important step in developing microbial quality and safety parameters to ensure consumer safety.
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7. |
- Corneus, Allyson, et al.
(författare)
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Food safety risk perceptions and mitigation techniques in the dumpster diving community in Sweden
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Food Protection. - : Elsevier BV. - 0362-028X. ; 86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An online questionnaire was used to investigate behaviors and habits relating to food retrieval by Swedish dumpster divers. Respondents were also asked to share information on their background, reasons for engaging in dumpster diving, and perceptions of potential bacterial hazards associated with the consumption of dis-carded foods. The questionnaire was mainly distributed to Swedish social media groups focusing on dumpster diving, and a total of 92 responses were received. The most common reason given for engaging in dumpster diving was to reduce food waste and associated negative environmental impacts (60%, n = 55). Many of the respondents (65%) had completed university education, and around three-quarters (73%) had some form of employment or were enrolled in studies. Half the respondents (52%, n = 48) perceived a risk of falling ill after consuming food obtained through dumpster diving, but very few (2%) reported they had been made ill by food they had picked up from dumpsters. Around one-fifth (22%) of the respondents did not know of any bac-teria that could cause foodborne infections or food poisoning. Salmonella was mentioned by 35% of the respon-dents, while Listeria was mentioned by 18%. The respondents reported employing various techniques to reduce the risk of encountering harmful microbiological agents, for example, rinsing their food retrievals or discarding food that appeared spoiled. These are novel findings on dumpster divers' perceptions of perceived health risks and the strategies they use to mitigate such risks with food obtained through dumpster diving.
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8. |
- Hansen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Integrating ecosystem services in Swedish environmental assessments : an empirical analysis
- 2018
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Ingår i: Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. - : Routledge. - 1461-5517 .- 1471-5465. ; 36:3, s. 253-264
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Given the growing number of policies and laws that encourage inclusion of ecosystem services (ES) in processes, we have investigated environmental impact assessments (EIA) and strategic environmental assessments (SEA) conducted in Sweden in order to analyse whether ES maybe integrated to enhance and improve environmental assessment of today. Representative Swedish environmental projects were reviewed. Three cases with different geographic and environmental settings were selected to allow us to study consideration of a wide range of different ES. We investigated the processes and discussions taking place using documentation from the cases. We formalized and labelled the expected impacts into an ES framework. Summarizing each case, we described conformities and divergences in explicit and implicit prioritizations between the actors. We discussed the benefits of integrating ES into current practices and possible improvements in the processes and methodologies. When ES could be integrated into EIAs and SEAs more aspects would be visualized and a larger stakeholder engagement stimulated leading to improved support for decision-making.
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9. |
- Hardell, Lennart, et al.
(författare)
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Increased concentrations of certain persistent organic pollutants in subjects with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity : a pilot study
- 2008
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Ingår i: Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1536-8378 .- 1536-8386. ; 27:2, s. 197-203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is used for a variety of subjective symptoms related to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the concentrations of certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in subjects with self-reported EHS. In total, 13 EHS subjects and 21 controls were included, all female. The concentration of several POPs was higher in EHS subjects than in controls. Lower concentrations were found for hexachlorobenzene and two types of chlordanes. The only significantly increased odds ratios (ORs) were found for polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) #47 yielding OR=11.7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.45-94.7 and the chlordane metabolite MC6 with OR=11.2, 95% CI=1.18-106. The results were based on low numbers and must be interpreted with caution. This hypothesis generating study indicates the necessity of a larger investigation on this issue.
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10. |
- Malmaeus, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Ekosystemtjänster i miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar och samhällsekonomiska konsekvensanalyser : Slutrapport
- 2015
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Att uppmärksamma de ekosystemtjänster som naturen erbjuder innebär ett perspektiv där relationen mellan människa och natur står i centrum och där ekosystemens värde för människan synliggörs på ett effektivt sätt. I denna studie undersöker vi hur ekosystemtjänster kan användas i samband med miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar (MKB) och samhällsekonomiska konsekvensanalyser (SKA). Både MKB och SKA utgör viktiga beslutsunderlag rörande projekt, planer och program där naturen och ekosystemen på olika sätt påverkas.Vår bedömning är att ekosystemtjänster kan hjälpa till att skapa en bättre helhetssyn och att synliggöra ett flertal aspekter som idag inte kommer fram tillräckligt i MKB och SKA. Detta kan exempelvis gälla värden knutna till vardagslandskapet och fler sammanhang i tid och rum. Genom detta kan potentiellt också fler människor komma till tals och känna sig delaktiga i beslutsprocesser. Ekosystemtjänster kan därmed även bidra till att identifiera viktiga frågor som bör hanteras i beslutsprocesser.Detta kan komma att innebära att MKB och SKA behöver innehålla mer information. Men det kan också medföra att betydelsefulla frågor identifieras tidigare i processen och att mindre tid för kompletteringar och besvärliga förhandlingar går åt i slutändan. Ett ekosystemtjänstperspektiv kan innebära att beslut baseras på nya avvägningar och andra prioriteringar, vilket i vissa fall troligen också leder till ett annat utfall. Det är inte självklart att ekosystemen i och med detta generellt sett kommer att skyddas eller förvaltas bättre. Vad som skyddas eller bevaras kommer i högre grad att bero på vilka värden detta skapar för människor. Samtidigt skapas en begreppsapparat som synliggör vårt beroende av ekosystemen som också ger en grund för ett hållbart nyttjande.Våra slutsatser baseras till stor del på tre relativt utförliga fallstudier där vi undersökt miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar, samråds- och yttrandematerial.Kallak Norra – riksintressen i konfliktDen första fallstudien gäller en ansökan om koncession för gruvdrift i Kallak, Jokkmokks kommun. I området finns stora naturvärden, inte minst världsarvet Laponia fyra mil från den tilltänkta gruvan. Platsen är också viktig för rennäringen vintertid och en gruvetablering skulle skära av en viktig flyttled för renarna. Förekomsten av två motstående riksintressen – för rennäringen och för mineralresurser – gör att konflikter varit svåra att undvika. Ett ekosystemtjänstperspektiv skulle kunna förbättra kommunikationen mellan olika aktörer och därmed underlätta för en konstruktiv dialog. Kattegatt Offshore – ökad betydelse av rekreationsvärden Vår andra fallstudie handlar om en vindkraftsetablering till havs i Kattegatt utanför Falkenberg. Den tilltänkta platsen för vindkraftparken ligger inom ett lekområde för torsk och det finns en risk för att vindkraftverken kommer att inverka negativt på det redan hotade torskbeståndet. Dessutom påverkas landskapsbilden både till havs och på land. Samtidigt bidrar vindkraften till produktionen av förnybar energi, vilket skulle ha en positiv effekt på klimatet. Det är troligt att ett ekosystemtjänstperspektiv skulle leda till en annan avvägning i den komplicerade tillståndsprocessen där förekomsten av torsk och tumlare inte nödvändigtvis skulle ses som den viktigaste aspekten att väga mot nyttan av en exploatering, utan att påverkan på rekreation och landskapsbild skulle tillmätas större eller åtminstone likvärdig betydelse.Översiktsplan i Storvreta – lågprioriterade ekosystemtjänster från jord- och skogsbruksmarkDen tredje fallstudien behandlar en fördjupad översiktsplan i Storvreta utanför Uppsala. Området utgörs av en bostadsort med villabebyggelse samt angränsande skogs- och jordbruksmark. I MKB:n och yttrandematerial har vi kunnat identifiera ekosystemtjänster kopplade till jordbruk men också till den värdefulla natur- och kulturmiljö som finns i området. Medan bevarandet av kulturmiljö och rekreationsområden vägt tungt i planeringen bedöms byggnation på jord- och skogsbruksmark endast ha ”små konsekvenser” på naturmiljön. Med andra ord ges liten prioritet åt de ekosystemtjänster som icke skyddade miljöer inom jordbruksmark, ängar, skog och våtmarker levererar i form av bland annat biodiversitet, habitat, kolinlagring, vattenrening och översvämningsreglering. I rapporten har vi också analyserat hur bedömningsprocesser, SKA och ekosystemtjänstanalyser kan kopplas ihop och tillsammans bidra till att ett så bra beslutsunderlag som möjligt kan tas fram för projekt, planer och program. Vår slutsats är att SKA och ekosystemtjänstanalys utgör ett värdefullt komplement till de analyser som normalt ingår i MKB, och att det går att utnyttja synergieffekter mellan dem för att stärka helheten och därmed få fram ett så bra underlag som möjligt för en samlad bedömning av projekt, planer och program. För att genomföra dessa analyser inom ramen för dagens bedömningsprocesser kommer delvis nya metoder att behöva utvecklas för att identifiera, analysera och kommunicera miljöpåverkan. Ett första steg för att få till stånd detta kan vara att ta fram vägledningar från myndigheternas sida.
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11. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-Benefit Analysis for Supporting Intermunicipal Decisions on Drinking Water Supply
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management - ASCE. - 0733-9496 .- 1943-5452. ; 145:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several countries promote a regionalization of the drinking water sector; however, few decision support tools are adapted to the intermunicipal level to aid in regional decisions. The aim of this paper is to describe and demonstrate a probabilistic cost-benefit analysis approach to assess the societal effects of regional water supply interventions to constitute support for decision makers. A special focus is given to the quantification of effects on consumers’ health, water supply reliability, and operation and maintenance costs. The uncertainties of the quantified values are represented by probability distribution functions and analyzed by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed approach was demonstrated in the Göteborg region in Sweden, for which five alternative interventions were evaluated. In conclusion, the proposed approach facilitates the identification and prioritization of societal effects so that costs and benefits normally overlooked in evaluation processes can be explicitly considered and addressed. The paper provides a transparent handling of uncertainties and enables a structured approach to improve decision makers’ ability in making informed choices on regional water supply alternatives.
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12. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Input data report for economic assessments of water supply interventions in the Göteborg region
- 2018
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This report is part of a research project funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas with support from RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, The Göteborg Region Association of Local Authorities (GR) and the City of Göteborg. The study was performed at the centre for drinking water research (DRICKS). The research project aims to develop a decision support model for sustainability assessments of regional water supply interventions and cooperations based on a combination of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This report focuses on the CBA part of the model. In the process of developing the model, five alternative water supply interventions for the Göteborg region were evaluated. By applying the decision model to alternatives focusing on establishing inter-municipal organizations, (de)centralization of water production, as well as source water quality and redundancy aspects, the model was tested for some common decision situations in the water supply sector. The application in the Göteborg region was a way to develop the model, and at the same time demonstrate and evaluate its feasibility. This report presents input parameters of the CBA for the alternative interventions. For the Göteborg region, it was found that the alternative which comprised a regionalized governance and maintained semi-decentralized production had the highest probability of being the most profitable solution, whereas the alternative which comprised maintained governance with additional source waters and treatment plants had the second highest probability of being the best solution.
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13. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Water Scarcity Mitigation under Uncertainty
- 2019
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Ingår i: Water Resources Management. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0920-4741 .- 1573-1650. ; 33:12, s. 4335-4349
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As water scarcity and drought become more common, planning to avoid their consequences becomes crucial. Measures to prevent the impact of new climate conditions are expected to be extensive, costly and associated with major uncertainties. It is therefore necessary that policymakers and practitioners in both the public and private sector can compare possible mitigation measures in order to make economically rational investment decisions. For this to be successful, decision-makers need relevant decision support. This paper presents a novel approach of constructing marginal abatement cost curves for comparing water scarcity mitigation measures while taking the underlying uncertainties into account. Uncertainties in input variables are represented by probability distributions and calculations are performed using Monte Carlo simulations. This approach is applied on the island of Gotland, one of the most water-stressed parts of Sweden, to provide the first marginal abatement cost curve in Europe for water scarcity mitigation in which municipal, agricultural, industrial and household measures are compared. The results show that the agricultural measure of on-farm storage has the greatest potential to increase water availability on the island. Among municipal measures, increased groundwater extraction and desalination offer the greatest potential, although desalination is almost 25 times more costly per cubic meter. The most cost-effective measure is linked to hot water savings in the hotel industry. The approach presented provides a quantitative visualization of the financial trade-offs and uncertainties implied by different mitigation measures. It provides critical economic insights for all parties concerned and is thus an important basis for decision-making.
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14. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, 1975, et al.
(författare)
-
När vattentillgången brister
- 2019
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Access to good quality water in sufficient quantity is essential for people’s everyday life and for most businesses and economic sectors. However, water scarcity and drought are emerging as some of the most important global risks to society with both short-term and long-term effects on people, ecosystem services, biodiversity and the economic activities that depend on a reliable water supply. This is a global problem, and Sweden is not spared. The low precipitation and high summer temperatures that hit Sweden for three consecutive years between 2016 and 2018, caused a vastly reduced access to water and led to major consequences for the Swedish society. In most Swedish regions, however, there is usually more than enough water to meet the growing needs of society and at the same time maintain a good environmental status even during drought. But to ensure a long-term sustainable water supply, all parties, i.e. households, water-dependent businesses and authorities, need to take measures. Drought and water scarcity are challenges that do not only affect, or can be solved by, the municipal drinking water supply. Each and everyone who uses and is dependent on water, regardless of whether the water is supplied through public or private systems, is part of the problem and should therefore also be part of the solutions. This report provides information and material to help companies contribute to a better water situation in areas with low water availability. The report describes the water usage and water availability in Sweden today and how they are expected to change in the future. Incentives and driving forces for water savings are described as well as methods for identifying inefficient water usage and improvement measures. A review of studies from various countries provides information on challenges as well as good examples of water scarcity mitigation measures in various economic sectors. Examples of decision support methods that can be used to evaluate and prioritize between alternative measures are also described. Finally, potential implementation barriers are discussed and examples of policy instruments which can facilitate implementation of beneficial measures are given.
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15. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainability assessments of regional water supply interventions – Combining cost-benefit and multi-criteria decision analyses
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4797 .- 1095-8630. ; 225, s. 313-324
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To cope with present and future challenges, a growing number of water utilities in Sweden, Europe and elsewhere initiate various forms of inter-municipal cooperations creating a new regional level of drinking water governance. In order to reach viable decisions of alternative ways forward, there is an international consensus that sustainability needs to be addressed in water supply planning, design and decision-making. There are, however, few decision aids focusing on assessing the sustainability of inter-municipal cooperations and the inter-municipal policies and interventions that regional decision-makers are faced with. This paper presents a decision support model based on a combination of cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis for assessing the sustainability of regional water supply interventions, including formations of inter-municipal cooperations. The proposed decision support model integrates quantitative and semi-quantitative information on sustainability criteria. It provides a novel way of presenting monetized benefits and costs, capturing utilitarian aspects of alternative interventions, with non-monetized social and environmental effects, capturing aspects based in the deontological theories of moral ethics. The model is based on a probabilistic approach where uncertainties are defined by statistical probability distributions. A case study is used to exemplify and evaluate model application in decision situations regarding regionalization, (de)centralization, source water quality and redundancy. All evaluated alternatives were expected to contribute to a slightly improved social sustainability, whereas the results were more varying in the economic and environmental domains. A structured and transparent treatment of uncertainties facilitates a better understanding of the results as well as communication between decision-makers, stakeholders and the community.
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16. |
- Sjöstrand, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Water supply delivery failures-a scenario-based approach to assess economic losses and risk reduction options
- 2020
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Ingår i: Water. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4441. ; 12:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Access to a reliable water supply is central for a well-functioning society. However, water supply systems are subject to a wide range of threats which may affect their ability to provide water to society. This paper presents a novel risk assessment approach that enables thorough analyses of economic losses and associated uncertainties under a range of water supply disruption scenarios. The purpose is to avoid sub-optimization when prioritizing between risk reduction measures, by integrating the full range of possible outcomes from low to high probability events. By combining risk analysis with cost-benefit analysis, additional information is provided on measures for leveraging investments in managing and reducing the risks. This enables the identification of the most economically profitable risk reduction alternatives and enables decision makers to build strategic capacity for operating in difficult and uncertain futures. The presented approach is exemplified on the island of Gotland, one of the most water scarce areas of Sweden. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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17. |
- Söderqvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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A Microbiological and Sensory Evaluation of Modified Atmosphere-Packed (MAP) Chicken at Use-By Date and Beyond
- 2024
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Ingår i: Foods. - : MDPI Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. - 2304-8158. ; 13:13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Consumers are responsible for a large proportion of food waste, and food that has reached its use-by or best-before date is often discarded, even if edible. In this study on fresh chicken, the suitability of use-by dates currently used in the EU was evaluated by using microbial and sensory analyses. This was carried out by analyzing bacterial populations of chicken breast fillets ( M. pectoralis major) at three different time points (use-by date, 2 days past use-by date, 4 days past use-by date) and two different storage temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C). A discrimination triangle test was performed to check for sensory differences between chicken breast fillets cooked at the three selected time points for both storage temperatures. A consumer preference test was also performed for chicken breast fillets that had been stored at the highest recommended temperature (4 °C) and after being cooked at the three time points. Changes in populations of total aerobic count (TAC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were recorded over time. Despite large differences in bacterial counts at the selected time points, with TAC populations of approximately 6.5 and 8.0 log CFU/g at use-by date and four days after use-by date, respectively, storage for two or four extra days had no significant effect on the sensory parameters of cooked chicken compared with chicken consumed at its use-by date. Since the TAC populations were close to or above levels that are associated with spoilage, more work is needed to explore if shelf life can be extended.
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18. |
- Söderqvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Emerging microbiota during cold storage and temperature abuse of ready-to-eat salad
- 2017
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Ingår i: Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8686. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Ready-to-eat (RTE) leafy vegetables have a natural leaf microbiota that changes during different processing and handling steps from farm to fork. The objectives of this study were (i) to compare the microbiota of RTE baby spinach and mixed-ingredient salad before and after seven days of storage at 8°C or 15°C; (ii) to explore associations between bacterial communities and the foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, and pathogen model organism Escherichia coli O157:H7 gfp+ when experimentally inoculated into the salads before storage; and (iii) to investigate if bacterial pathogens may be detected in the 16S rRNA amplicon dataset. Material and methods: The microbiota was studied by means of Illumina 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Subsets of samples were inoculated with low numbers (50-100 CFU g(-1)) of E. coli O157:H7 gfp+, pathogenic Y. enterocolitica or L. monocytogenes before storage. Results and discussion: The composition of bacterial communities changed during storage of RTE baby spinach and mixed-ingredient salad, with Pseudomonadales as the most abundant order across all samples. Although pathogens were present at high viable counts in some samples, they were only detected in the community-wide dataset in samples where they represented approximately 10% of total viable counts. Positive correlations were identified between viable counts of inoculated strains and the abundance of Lactobacillales, Enterobacteriales, and Bacillales, pointing to positive interactions or similar environmental driver variables that may make it feasible to use such bacterial lineages as indicators of microbial health hazards in leafy vegetables. The data from this study contribute to a better understanding of the bacteria present in RTE salads and may help when developing new types of biocontrol agents.
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19. |
- Söderqvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Fate of Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 gfpþ in Ready-to-Eat Salad during Cold Storage: What Is the Risk to Consumers?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Food Protection. - 0362-028X. ; 80, s. 204-212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we investigated the fate of Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 gfp(+) inoculated in low numbers into ready-to-eat baby spinach and mixed-ingredient salad (baby spinach with chicken meat). Samples were stored at recommended maximum refrigerator temperature (8 degrees C in Sweden) or at an abuse temperature (15 degrees C) for up to 7 days. Mixed-ingredient salad supported considerable growth when stored at 15 degrees C during shelf life (3 days), with populations of L. monocytogenes, pathogenic Y. enterocolitica, and E. coli O157:H7 gfp(+) increasing from less than 2.0 log CFU/g on day 0 to 7.0, 4.0, and 5.6 log CFU/g, respectively. However, when mixed-ingredient salad was stored at 8 degrees C during shelf life, only L. monocytogenes increased significantly, reaching 3.0 log CFU/g within 3 days. In plain baby spinach, only pathogenic Y. enterocolitica populations increased significantly during storage for 7 days, and this was exclusively at an abuse temperature (15 degrees C). Thus, mixing ready-to-eat leafy vegetables with chicken meat strongly influenced levels of inoculated strains during storage. To explore the food safety implications of these findings, bacterial numbers were translated into risks of infection by modeling. The risk of listeriosis (measured as probability of infection) was 16 times higher when consuming a mixed ingredient salad stored at 8 degrees C at the end of shelf life, or 200,000 times higher when stored at 15 degrees C, compared with when consuming it on the day of inoculation. This indicates that efforts should focus on preventing temperature abuse during storage to mitigate the risk of listeriosis. The storage conditions recommended for mixed-ingredient salads in Sweden (maximum 8 degrees C for 3 days) did not prevent growth of L. monocytogenes in baby spinach mixed with chicken meat. Manufacturers preparing these salads should be aware of this, and recommended storage temperature should be revised downwards to reduce the risk of foodborne disease.
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20. |
- Söderqvist, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens in Retail Prepacked Ready-to-Eat Mixed Ingredient Salads
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Food Protection. - 0362-028X. ; 79, s. 978–985-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pre-packed ready-to-eat mixed ingredient salads (RTE salads) are readily available whole meals that include a variety of ingredients such as raw vegetables, cooked meat, and pasta. As part of a trend toward healthy convenience foods, RTE salads have become an increasingly popular product among consumers. However, data on the incidence of foodborne pathogens in RTE salads are scarce. In this study, the microbiological safety of 141 RTE salads containing chicken, ham, or smoked salmon was investigated. Salad samples were collected at retail and analyzed using standard methods for Listeria monocytogenes, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella, and Campylobacter spp. L. monocytogenes was isolated from two (1.4%) of the RTE salad samples. Seven (5.0%) of the samples were positive for the ail-gene (present in all human pathogenic Y. enterocolitica) and three (2.1%) of the samples were positive for the Shiga toxin-genes stx1 and/or stx2. However, no strains of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica or STEC were isolated. Thus, pathogens were found or suspected in almost 1 of 10 RTE salads investigated, and pathogenic bacteria probably are present in various RTE salads from retail premises in Sweden. Because RTE salads are intended to be consumed without heat treatment, control of the ingredients and production hygiene is essential to maintain consumer safety. The recommended maximum storage temperature for RTE salads varies among countries but can be up to 8 °C (e.g., in Sweden). Even during a short shelf life (3 to 5 days), storage at 8 °C can enable growth of psychrotrophs such as L. monocytogenes and Y. enterocolitica. The maximum storage temperature should therefore be reduced.
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21. |
- Söderqvist, Karin
(författare)
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Is your lunch salad safe to eat? Occurrence of bacterial pathogens and potential for pathogen growth in pre-packed ready-to-eat mixed-ingredient salads
- 2017
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Ingår i: Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8686. ; 7
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- As part of a trend toward healthy convenience foods, ready-to-eat (RTE) mixed-ingredient salads have become popular products among consumers. A mixed-ingredient salad contains combinations of raw (e.g. leafy vegetables and tomatoes) and processed (e.g. chicken, salmon, ham, pasta and couscous) ingredients. Contamination of leafy vegetables can occur during any step in the production chain and, since there is no step that kills pathogens, a completely safe final product can never be guaranteed. Meat ingredients, for example poultry meat and ham, are generally heat-treated before preparation, but may be contaminated after this treatment, e.g. when diced or sliced. When several ingredients are mixed together, cross-contamination may occur. Preparation of mixed-ingredient salads requires human handling, which presents an additional risk of bacterial contamination. With high-protein ingredients, e.g. cooked meat, the mixed-ingredient salad represents an excellent substrate for bacterial growth. This article reviews current knowledge regarding human bacterial pathogen prevalence in mixed-ingredient salads and the potential for pathogen growth in this product during storage.
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22. |
- Söderqvist, Karin
(författare)
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Is your salad safe to eat? : aspects of foodborne zoonotic bacteria in ready-to-eat leafy vegetables and mixed-ingredient salads
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ready-to-eat (RTE) leafy vegetables or mixed-ingredient salads are a popular part of the modern healthy diet. Contamination of these products with bacterial pathogens can occur during any step in the production chain and, since there is no step that kills pathogens during the production of RTE salads, a completely safe final product can never be guaranteed. In fact, almost 10% of RTE mixed-ingredient salads from Swedish retail outlets tested in this thesis were contaminated with foodborne pathogens or presumptive pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from two out of 141 samples analysed. The other findings included detection of virulence genes present in pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica and shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), but these could not be culturally confirmed. In growth trials, it was found that mixing RTE baby spinach with cooked chicken (representing a mixed-ingredient salad) strongly influenced growth of inoculated L. monocytogenes, pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and E. coli O157:H7 gfp+ during storage under temperature abuse (15 °C). Mixed-ingredient salad also supported growth of L. monocytogenes under storage conditions recommended for this product in Sweden (8 °C for three days). The estimated risk of listeriosis was 16-fold higher on consuming a mixed-ingredient salad stored at 8 °C at the end of shelf-life, or 200 000-fold higher when the salad was stored at 15 °C, compared with consumption on the day of inoculation. Hence, preventing temperature abuse during storage is of critical importance in mitigating the risk of foodborne listeriosis from these mixed-ingredient salads. The microbiota of RTE baby spinach and mixed-ingredient salad during the growth trials was studied by Illumina 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. This molecular method revealed changes in the bacterial communities during storage at 8 or 15 °C and correlations were observed between viable counts of inoculated strains and abundances of some taxonomic orders. However, this method was not useful in identifying human pathogens in the salads, even when these were present in high numbers that can cause disease in humans.
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23. |
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24. |
- Söderqvist, Tore, 1963, et al.
(författare)
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Dricksvattenutredningens preliminära förslag till åtgärder för trygg och säker dricksvattenförsörjning – Vilka är de samhällsekonomiska nyttorna och vad behövs för att dessa ska bli verklighet?
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Regeringen har givit Dricksvattenutredningen (L 2013:02) i uppdrag att bl.a. identifiera nuvarande och potentiella utmaningar för en säker dricksvattenförsörjning i Sverige. Detta innebär bl.a. att förslag ska lämnas på lämpliga åtgärder som skapar förutsättningar för en trygg och säker dricksvattenförsörjning. För de föreslagna åtgärderna ska en samhällsekonomisk analys genomföras som visar kostnaderna och nyttorna med åtgärderna. Den här rapporten utgör resultatet från en studie av den samhällsekonomiska nyttan av preliminära förslag från Dricksvattenutredningen. Studien har utförts av DRICKS (Chalmers centrum för dricksvattenforskning) och Enveco Miljöekonomi AB på uppdrag av Dricksvattenutredningen.Syftena med det arbete som presenteras i denna rapport är att (1) beskriva vad som konceptuellt menas med samhällsekonomisk nytta, (2) beskriva vad som menas med en riskbaserad syn på dricksvattenförsörjningen och identifiera och kategorisera huvudsakliga potentiella händelser/störningar som kan äventyra en säker tillgång till dricksvatten av god kvalitet, dvs. händelser som orsakar avbrott eller försämrad vattenkvalitet som påverkar allmänheten och andra användare av dricksvatten, (3) identifiera samhällsekonomiska nyttor som kan uppstå till följd av Dricksvattenutredningens preliminära förslag, och (4) identifiera förutsättningar som måste uppfyllas för att dessa nyttor faktiskt ska uppstå.
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