This study evaluated the correlation between serum uric acid level and the nutrients adequacy ratio (NAR) using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016~2019. This is a cross-sectional study in which 6,579 Korean male adults were divided into quartiles according to their uric acid levels. All analyses were performed with adjusted age. Uric acid decreased as the age increased from the age group 19~29 years to 30~49 years and then to 50~64 years. Interquartile results of serum uric acid levels showed that increases in the serum uric acid levels were associated with decreases in LDL-cholesterol (P<0.01), triglycerides (P<0.001), body weight (P<0.001), waist circumference (P<0.001), body mass index (P<0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P<0.001). However, uric acid levels decreased with an increase in HDL cholesterol (P<0.001). The analysis of the NARs according to the quartiles of serum uric acid levels in men showed that an increase in serum uric acid levels was associated with a decrease in the NAR levels of dietary fiber (P<0.001), calcium (P<0.001), and folic acid (P<0.001).

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an explosive increase in restaurant meal delivery or takeout. The purpose of this study was to analyze the consumer perception of food safety and its influence on the purchase of delivery or takeout food from restaurants. This study, the 2020 Consumer Behavior Survey for Food (CBSF), was conducted from June 10 to August 21 2020. A total of 6,355 responses were used for the analysis. The results were as follows: First, the differences in consumer perception about food safety were analyzed according to whether they used delivery or takeout. Concern about food safety, satisfaction with dietary habits, and the ability to maintain safe dietary habits were higher in the non-user group. Except for food at home, the perception about food safety at other locations was higher in the user group. Food hazards such as antibiotics were perceived to be safer in the user group. Second, the perception of food safety affecting use of delivery or takeout was analyzed. It was found that the usage of delivery or takeout increased when the perception of the safety of home meal replacement (HMR), delivery or takeout food, and the ability to be informed about the harmful factors of agricultural products increased. The findings of this study may offer the basis for the food and food service industry to consider safety issues seriously and develop strategies to lead to feasible practices. Further, this study also supports the direction of the government toward strengthening the safety of new segments which have shown explosive growth in the COVID-19 era.

The purpose of this study was to provide nutritional information for selecting beverages with low sugar contents. The nutritional data, including the sugar contents of 925 beverages, were collected from the nutrition labels through the official websites of manufacturers and analyzed according to the beverage types. The average price and volume of the beverage products were 1,556.6 won and 224.8 mL, respectively. The volume per price was the highest for carbonated beverages at 351.6 mL/1,000 won. The sugar content was high in the order of carbonated beverages (22.6 g), fruit & vegetable beverages (21.0 g), and mixed beverages (19.1 g). The sugar content per 100 mL was high in the order of fruit juice (10.6 g), fruit and vegetable beverages (9.2 g), ginseng and red ginseng beverages (8.5 g), and mixed beverages (8.3 g). The content of the product per 1,000 won was high in the order of carbonated beverages (23.3 g), fruit and vegetable beverages (23.2 g), and mixed beverages (20.0 g). The number of products with energy from a sugar content of 5% or more compared to the energy reference value was significantly higher in the carbonated beverages (52.2%), fruit and vegetable beverages (33.0%), and mixed beverages (26.5%) than other beverages. The sugar energy ratio of beverage products was highest in the carbonated beverages at 88.9%, followed by fruit and vegetable beverages (87.0%), fruit juices (84.3%), and mixed beverages (76.8%). Overall, beverages with high sugar contents per product, volume, and price were carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable beverages, and mixed beverages.

School meals are prepared based using the HACCP system, which is designed to ensure the physical and mental health of students. However, operational recommendations in school cafeterias have changed due to COVID-19 and include delays in serving time to restrict the number of meals and the installation of screens to prevent droplet transmission. Unfortunately, these changes may have detrimentally affected hygiene practices and generated new food poisoning sources. This study aimed to determine the hygiene state of school cafeterias in the Gyeongnam area from December 2020 to September 2021 based on the monitoring of total aerobic and coliform bacteria. Kitchen floors were the most contaminated areas with an average number of total aerobic bacteria of 4.3 log CFU/100 cm², whereas counts in dining areas were relatively low at 0.1~3.5 log CFU/100 cm². Newly installed partitioned areas had the lowest contamination level of 0.1~2.8 log CFU/100 cm². Escherichia coli was not detected on any surface, while coliform was detected on workbenches and floors. In conclusion, hygienic practices appear to have been adequately managed in school cafeterias despite COVID-19 driven changes. Nonetheless, continuous monitoring is recommended to ensure prompt response to changing environments.