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Biomedical subjects

M F Rolland

Publications and source records attributed to M F Rolland.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

[Choice of bread].

Bread can vary according to the flours used, extraction rate of fermentation methods, but the wast majority of French people usually consume white bread made with wheat flour. Size more than composition is the main criterion in the choice of bread. The choice of loaves with a large diameter corresponds to the traditional consumer in rural areas, but the general tendency is in favour of long loaves with a maximum of crust. This shape is more related to the qualities sought by consumers who want a "light", "crusty", well-baked (golden brown) loaf. Thus they are more interested in the consistency than in the taste, as bread is now only an accessory to a well-flavoured dish. Despite the large drop in the consumption of bread, this search for a good consistency is strong enough to justify quite frequently a detour to a baker whose quality of bread is better. However, this desire for quality does not seem to lead to a larger individual consumption. For various reasons, since the beginning of this century, man has lost his "taste for bread" and any improvement in the "taste of bread" would not be sufficient to make him find it again.

Bread

[Consumption of bread and its substitutes].

Over the years, the consumption of bread has dropped considerably. A consumer survey of 3 109 people of all ages undertaken in several regions in France has revealed different criteria of variation enabling us to understand better the way in which this drop has taken place. The consumption of various foodstuffs replacing bread such as "biscottes" and"croissants" has also been noticed. In 1972, the average consumption of bread was 166 grams per person per day, but this is subjected to considerable variations. The sample reveals 9 p. 100 non-consumers, but 30 p. 100 men and 8 p. 100 women eat more than 250 grams per day. The drop in the consumption of bread is generally linked with an increase in sedentary life. This marked restriction in glucids contained in cereals can have important effects on health as it upsets the balance of the energy intake.

Bread

[Why is bread consumption decreasing?].

In France bread plays a very special and ambivalent role among our foodstuffs because of the considerable drop in its consumption, its alleged harmful effects on our health and the respect in which it is traditionally held. More than half the 1 089 adults interviewed in this study say they have decreased their consumption of bread in the last 10 years. The reasons given vary according to age, body weight and urbanization level. The main reasons given for this restriction are the desire to prevent or reduce obesity, the decrease in physical activity, the general reduction in food consumption and the possibility of diversifying foods even further. Moreover, the decreasing appeal of bread in relation to other foods, as well as a modification in the structure of meals, in which bread becomes less useful to accompany other food, accentuate this loss of attraction. However, the respect for bread as part of the staple diet remains very acute as 95 p. 100 of those interviewed express a reluctance to throw bread away, more for cultural than economic reasons. Mechanization and urbanization having brought about a decrease in energy needs, the most common alimentary adaptation is general caloric restriction by which glucids, and especially bread, are curtailed.

Adult

[The consumer in the face of change].

The study on consumer behaviour done by the nutrition department of INSERM shows that there are opposing attitudes towards Change. Among the factors unfavorable to change are: reluctance to changing old habits, nostalgia for the past, suspicion towards industrially prepared foods, fear of food pollution, love for the art of good cooking. Among the factors favoring change are: the higher standard of living, the desire to save time, the change in the way of thinking about foods, the evolution of cooking practices, as well as a need for variety and quality. Man looks for change more for his own pleasure than by necessity. They can be positive pleasure such as: -- Sensory values (taste, zest, variety). -- Coenesthesic values (feeling of well-being, euphory). -- Emotional values (means of communication a gift). -- Symbolic values (prestige, personnalization, creativity, distraction). However there are also negative pleasures. That is all factors which decrease the effort or the work load such as: -- Health values (harmlessness, safety, maintaining attention). Practical values related to convenience (time saving, ease of storage). The favorizing these positive or negative pleasures will lead to change. The consumer will accept things which give a maximum of pleasure for the least effort. He will also accept something which by its taste, prestige, convenience and safety contributes to a better life.

Adult