The 2012 Louis Bonduelle Foundation Conference were held on the 5th of June on "food and healthy ageing".

1. LOUIS BONDUELLE
FOUNDATION
CONFERENCE
Press kit
June 2012
Required reference:
Louis Bonduelle Foundation – Annual Conference
Press Contacts
Magali Delmas, assisted by Brigitte Barron
Vivactis Public Relations
Tel.: +33 (0)1 46 67 63 44
E-mail: m.delmas@vivactis-publicrelations.fr {PAGE }

2. Louis Bonduelle Foundation Conference
Food and healthy ageing:
a transversal approach
and determinants of life changes
For the 5th consecutive year, the Louis Bonduelle Foundation organised its Conference in
Paris. This 2012 edition was held at the Maison de la RATP on 5 June. In the framework of
the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, older people
were in the spotlight. This was an opportunity to recall that, faced with an increasing older
population, healthy ageing is a challenge that our society must meet. But in achieving this,
nutrition must not be neglected. On the contrary: eating well can prove to be essential to
maintaining a good state of health, which is a requirement for successful ageing. To
convince us of this, an expert in sensory capacities, a sociologist and a worker in the field
took the podium.
Even when it proceeds normally, ageing is associated with a number of changes:
physiological (slowing of intestinal transit and basal metabolism, loss of teeth, changes in
chemosensory capacities), psychological (solitude, depression, dementia) and
sociological (retirement, widowhood, moving house, etc.). But all these changes may
have an impact on food intake and thus on the nutritional status of the elderly person.
Likewise, the onset of dependence in eating, which generally follows a loss of autonomy
of the person (emergence of a physical or psychological disability, widowhood, etc.),
profoundly changes his relation to food. When an elderly person must delegate all or part
of his food preparation, he no longer controls what he eats; he lapses into culinary
dependence.
Faced with this state of things, what is the best way of proceeding so that these changes
do not negatively affect the diet of the older person? The three presentations offered by
the Louis Bonduelle Foundation gave a multidisciplinary vision of the issue by creating links
between sensory perceptions and nutritional status, between life changes and eating
habits, and finally between theory and practice.
From sensory perceptions to nutritional status
Change in sensory perception and food preferences in the elderly: what is
the relation to nutritional status?
Presentation by Claire Sulmont-Rossé, from the Centre des sciences du goût
et de l’alimentation (Centre for Taste and Feeding Behaviour) in Dijon (UMR
1324).
A decrease in appetite is often observed in the ageing person. It can result from his loss of
sensory perception, deterioration in his oral-dental status, and/or psychological and
sociological disruptions, and can lead to deterioration in his nutritional status. This is why
combating malnutrition should be central to the concerns of those interested in the diet of
the elderly. This effort for the moment relies in essence on nutritional management:
establishment of suitable dietary regimens, formulation of enriched foods, prescription of
dietary supplements. But it is important not to forget the concept of pleasure related to
the act of eating.
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3. Using the pleasure associated with the meal to combat malnutrition
To better understand the link between sensory pleasure and nutritional state in the elderly,
the Claire Sulmont-Rossé team conducted a multidisciplinary survey of 559 seniors over the
age of 65, living in an EHPAD (Accommodation Facility for the Dependent
Elderly) or at home, with or without outside assistance, in four French cities (Angers, Brest,
Nantes and Dijon). “This survey included almost 400 questions dealing among other things
with the food habits and preferences of seniors, their perception of the odours and tastes
of foods, and their state of health and nutritional state”, the researcher added.
The results revealed a wide variability in the older population with regard to both sensory
perception and food preferences. “While the scientific community agrees that
chemosensory capacities diminish with age, the survey showed that approximately 45% of
the elderly population had maintained sensory capacities”, she explained. At the same
time, the results revealed three types of eaters (those fond of “home cooking”, of “great
food” and of “natural food”), but little relation was observed between sensory
perceptions and food preferences.
It seems that those fond of “home cooking” and “natural food” have a better nutritional
status overall than the others, while those who have severe olfactory changes tend to
have a more vulnerable nutritional status. Thus the relevance of relying on the pleasure
associated with the meal to combat malnutrition in this older population, an objective
pursued by this group from the Centre for Taste and Feeding Behaviour in Dijon. To
achieve this, scientists are seeking to develop foods fulfilling the expectations of the
elderly with regard to food habits and preferences, while taking account of their
chemosensory capacities and nutritional needs.
From life changes to eating habits
The eating habits of the elderly in the light of social differences
Presentation by Philippe Cardon, senior lecturer at the University of Lille 3 –
Ceries (Centre de recherche individus-épreuves-sociétés, Centre for
Research on Individuals, Testing and Societies) Laboratory, and research
associate at the Aliss (Alimentation et sciences sociales, Nutrition and Social
Sciences) laboratory of Inra in Ivry.
The food habits of retired people are far from uniform. “Study of the social structure of
food consumption highlights various social determinants of the eating habits of retirees
with regard to the types of products bought, but also the frequency and regularity of
meals”, Philippe Cardon began. Generation, region, socioprofessional category,
household structure and gender are the principal factors differentiating eating habits in
general, and especially for retirees.
A typology based on eating style
The sociologist juxtaposed to this first lecture an approach that incorporates the results of
a qualitative survey that has revealed typologies among households of retirees (couples
with or without children, single persons). This survey looked into 80 households - in various
regions, socioprofessional categories and age classes - and analysed their daily practices
with regard to food (supply, meal preparation, approach to meals) to understand how
they construct common eating habits (types of products bought, ways of cooking, dishes
prepared, organisation of the activities, etc.).
A first typology emerges based on four aspects: the relationship to food, the relationship to
health, sharing meals and the sociological profile. “This typology categorises households
according to their eating style. We distinguish the ‘uninterested’, ‘solitaries’, ‘gourmands’,
‘cooks’ and ‘nutritionists”, explained Philippe Cardon.
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4. Analysing the phenomenon of culinary dependence
A more thorough analysis then reveals a second typology dealing with the way in which
these styles of eating incorporate (or not) the individual tastes and preferences of the
members of the household. “Here, we examine the mechanisms of individualisation in
households”, he explained. For example, do the couple tend to standardise their
practices or incorporate the tastes and preferences of each person?
“For all that, these styles of food consumption change with age”, added Philippe Cardon.
A third portion thus relies on analysis of life events (widowhood, disease, hospital stay, etc.)
that can lead older persons to change their eating habits, for example because the event
leads to a need for practicality.
“One of the essential issues in ‘ageing well’ is related to the emergence of what we call
culinary dependence”, the sociologist continued. “This, as of the first years of retirement
for some couples, leads to delegating all or part of activities such as food provision or
meal preparation to a third party.” Detailed study of the determinants of this culinary
dependence and the ways established to handle it (spouse, family members, health and
social professionals) allows its effects on the nutrition of retirees to be taken into account.
This is an essential first step in defining strategies to improve their nutrition.
From theory to practice
Ageing and nutrition
Presentation by Etienne Goulley, administrator of AGE Platform Europe.
After these theoretical reports on the determinants of nutrition for the elderly, Etienne
Goulley, administrator of AGE Platform Europe, an organisation that now unites 165
associations of older people or those operating in the interest of the elderly in the
European Union, took the floor. “I would like to explain to you how we, the associations of
older people, want to see the issues of food and nutrition approached”, he began, before
distinguishing two distinct populations: on one hand, the seniors, often in relatively good
health and for whom risks related to nutrition involve in particular type 2 diabetes,
cholesterol and an unbalanced diet in general; and on the other hand, those over 75-80
years of age, for whom the principal challenge is combating malnutrition. But for these
latter, two scenarios must again be distinguished: living at home and living in an institution.
Optimising nutrition while living at home
“While it is clear that the majority of the elderly prefer to live at home, this choice is not
without risks with advancing age, warned Etienne Goulley. A person who eats alone loses
interest in a good meal and eating well. Compensation is necessary.” He enumerated a
list of possible compensations to combat isolation and solitude: participation in a club,
“some municipalities have opened centres providing group meals at moderate prices”;
recourse to support networks; cultivating neighbourly relations; etc.
“Suppliers should also take more interest in this sector of consumption”, the administrator
pointed out. Aside from the nutritional quality of the products, there are aspects in which
industry has yet to progress in offering products fully adapted to this population: individual
portions of prepared dishes, but at reasonable prices; easy-open packaging, guidelines
aiming to prevent food poisoning. “These guidelines would greatly simplify the life of
elderly people who cannot manage to eat the too-large portions provided by the
industry, but also those who are alone and have never managed a kitchen. As for food
poisoning, it is one of the most common problems for the elderly, as with age, it becomes
more and more difficult to remember how long this bottle of milk has languished in the
refrigerator. But this is easy to manage with some simple precautions, like specifying on the
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5. packaging the conditions and the shelf life of the food once the packaging is opened”,
stressed the specialist.
In an institution
For life in an institution, the problems are different. “Any elderly person will always consider
placement in an institution as a punishment or abandonment, and this requires a special
effort to maintain the pleasure of eating for them”, explained Etienne Goulley. The meal
should remain “a time anticipated with pleasure, which proceeds with pleasure”. For this,
attention must be paid to the presentation of dishes, their taste, and the dining area,
without forgetting certain factors specific to the person that may require a search for
solutions (swallowing problems, tremors, sensitivity to noise, etc.)
And during hospitalisation
Etienne Goulley ended his report with exceptional eating conditions, such as those during
long-term hospitalisation or in the event of serious illness. “It is essential to take the time to
encourage everyone to eat his meal at his own rhythm”, he stressed. Too often the lack of
personnel is an excuse to remove the plate or take the tray. AGE Platform deplores these
practices and calls for training aides in treating the person cared for with consideration
and respect.” This is an opportunity to recall that the decree of last 30 January on the
nutritional quality of the meals served in meal services of social and medical-social
facilities will take effect on 1 July 2013.
And to conclude: “Never forget that the pleasure of eating is the first pleasure that the
new-born discovers, if he is fed in an atmosphere that is affectionate and respects his
rhythm. It can remain a pleasure until the end of life if the same attention is given to the
quality of the meal and the atmosphere in which it is consumed.”
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6. The Louis Bonduelle Foundation,
a Foundation acting on behalf of the elderly and
supporting the study of dietary behaviour in young
people
The Louis Bonduelle Foundation is a non-profit organisation created in October 2004. The
mission it has undertaken is to make a lasting change in dietary behaviour by putting the
benefits of vegetables to work in the public interest.
To do this, the Louis Bonduelle Foundation acts at two levels: in the field and by supporting
scientific research.
An activity in rural retirement homes for the elderly (Maisons d’accueil rurales pour
persons âgées, Marpa)
In the field, the Foundation establishes awareness and information activities for various
segments of the public (children, the elderly, healthcare professionals, etc.). For example,
in 2011 it initiated an innovative programme for residents of several pilot rural retirement
homes (Marpas). Called ‘Art et saveurs nature (Art, Taste and Nature)’ and conducted in
partnership with the National Marpa Federation, this programme offers “Art and nature”
and “Cuisine” workshops in order to develop expression, socialisation and fun around the
theme of vegetables. It should soon be extended to all the Marpas in the network.
Support for research into dietary behaviour
In research, the Louis-Bonduelle Foundation acts in particular on the foundations of
dietary behaviour by supporting research projects elucidating, among other things, the
mechanisms of their development and the motivating factors promoting change in the
right direction.
In the framework of this support, it awards two research prizes each year: the Louis Bonduelle
Research Prize and the ECOG* and Louis Bonduelle Prize.
The Louis Bonduelle Research Prize is intended for student researchers, to assist them in
continuing their thesis work. In 2012, as in 2011, two of these Prizes, in the amount of 10,000
euro each, were awarded to two doctoral students. The 2012 winners are Nathalie Michels
from the Department of Public Health of the University of Ghent in Belgium and Eloïse Rémy
from the Centre des sciences du goût et de l’alimentation (Centre for Taste and
Feeding Behaviour) at Inra in Dijon.
The ECOG* and Louis Bonduelle Prize rewards work of a group or a researcher in the field of
childhood obesity. This year, it was awarded to the group from the Nutrition Department of
Liverpool John Moores University (England) for its contribution to the SportsLinx project, a
research and study programme on the dietary habits of children in Liverpool.
To find out more about the activities of the Foundation: { HYPERLINK
"http://www.fondation-louisbonduelle.org/"}
* European Childhood Obesity Group
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7. The programme of the Louis Bonduelle Foundation in rural retirement homes for
the elderly (Maisons d’accueil rurales pour persons âgées, Marpas)
► An innovative programme of national scope for residents of Marpas
Food holds an essential place in maintaining a good state of health at all ages of life. But
this becomes all the more true as the years pass; a varied and balanced diet contributes
to successful ageing. While one is interested in content (of the plate), the form (of the
meal) must not however be neglected; eating remains a social activity, and the
conditions in which meals are held are crucial.
The Louis Bonduelle Foundation is very familiar with this issue, experienced on a daily basis
by the professionals of rural retirement homes (Marpas). This is why it has decided to unite
with the National Federation of Marpas to conduct an innovative programme of national
scope for the residents of these facilities. The objective is to work on both the concept of
pleasure and the creation of interpersonal relationships. Started in 2011, the project has
been tested in several pilot Marpas and will be expanded to the national level.
► Art, Taste and Nature workshops to stimulate creativity and the senses
The programme offers two types of workshops. The “Art and nature” workshops are led by
a landscape artist. The participants make use of vegetables in artistic creations.
Vegetable pictures, hats, etc., the residents give free rein to their imagination and
creativity for an interlude of sharing and conviviality, as the pilot workshops have shown.
The “Cuisine” workshops are divided into two stages. Smell and taste are first called upon
by a blindfolded session of recognition of various foods coming either from a kit created
by the Louis Bonduelle Foundation or from the Marpa kitchens. This first stage stimulates
the sensory perceptions of the residents, which deteriorate naturally with age. Once the
senses have been awakened, practicality takes over: a chef cook improvises original
selections with them. The key idea of this workshop is to prepare good meals with utensils
that are easy to use, even for novices. In the test activities, residents have concocted
turnovers and mini-pasties, savoury or sweet, from a broad choice of ingredients
(shredded vegetables, diced ham, hard-boiled egg slices, smoked salmon, Roquefort,
dried tomatoes, etc.).
The Louis Bonduelle Foundation supports research
In addition to its support for activities in the field, the Louis Bonduelle Foundation provides
a dynamic contribution to scientific research in the fields of nutrition and dietary
behaviour. It aims in this way to participate actively in developing understanding and
contributing to its dissemination. It does this in particular by awarding the ECOG and Louis
Bonduelle Prize and the Louis Bonduelle Research Prize.
► The ECOG and Louis Bonduelle Prize
ECOG (the European Childhood Obesity Group) and the Louis Bonduelle Foundation
have united to create a prize of 10 000 euro rewarding research work or a public health
activity combating childhood obesity.
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8. The 2011 ECOG and Louis Bonduelle Prize was awarded to the group from the Nutrition
Department of the Liverpool John Moores University (England) last 9 September in Pécs in
Hungary, during the 21st European ECOG Conference. The group, represented by Dr
Lynne Boddy, Dr Allan Hackett, Liz Lamb and Prof. Gareth Stratton, was rewarded for its
contribution to the SportsLinx project, a research and study programme on the dietary
habits of children in Liverpool.
A childhood nutrition programme on the scale of an entire city
Presentation by Prof. Gareth Stratton, from the Nutrition Department of Liverpool John
Moores University (England).
“SportsLinx is one the first projects to have demonstrated and warned against the epidemic
of childhood obesity, and especially against the poor eating habits and deterioration of
physical abilities associated with it. It also demonstrated the advantage of acting on weight
control at the family level and by means of care procedures adapted to the obese child,
which is now tending to be developed in various countries”, explained Prof. Gareth Stratton.
Thanks to this project, between 1996 and 2012 almost 70,000 children from 9 to 12 years of
age attending the schools of Liverpool - a city that ranks among the most disadvantaged of
Europe - have been made aware of the necessity of practicing physical activity and having
a balanced diet. These two components of the energy balance have been incorporated
into a programme based on non-stigmatisation of obese or overweight children and
promotion of positive images and messages like “it’s fun to run” or “don’t these strawberries
look delicious?” Fruit and vegetable ‘tasting’ sessions are also organised in the schools. “The
children can discover various kinds there, from the most familiar to the less common, and
learn to prepare them according to new methods easy to follow at home” the researcher
continued.
After School Nutrition Clubs (ASNC) have also been set up in the schools in the most
disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Over 1000 children can thus benefit from classes,
combined with games and activities, on adopting a healthy diet.
Results: while between 1996 and 2004 the prevalence of overweight and obesity continued
to increase, the curves have been stable since 2004. In addition, dietary surveys show that
between 2000 and 2004, consumption of vegetables has increased by 50% and that of fruit
by 20%, while the consumption of sugary or fatty foods like chips has decreased.
These are convincing results, but the group hopes to go even further by expanding the
programme to the pre-school population. This expansion of the project is focussing for the
time being on training nurses in nutrition starting from the first years of life, but the objective is
also to reach early childhood caregivers in the home (nannies and child minders). In the
future, the group also wants to concentrate the activities of SportsLinx during an intensive
day in the Liverpool primary schools. The children - as well as their parents - will be able to
participate in the programme for this child-to-child transmission day ({ HYPERLINK
"http://www.child-to-child.org/"}).
► The Louis Bonduelle Research Prize
The Louis Bonduelle Foundation assists young student researchers. Since 2006 it has
awarded the Louis Bonduelle Research Prize. This prize aids the winning student in
continuing experimental, clinical, sociological or epidemiological research work in the
field of nutrition and/or dietary behaviour. This Prize is awarded each year on the occasion
of the annual Foundation Conference.
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9. In 2010, the winner Megan JARMAN (University of Southampton) was pursuing a thesis on
ways to improve the dietary regimen of children from disadvantaged families. This 2012
edition of the Meetings of the Louis Bonduelle Foundation was an opportunity for the
young researcher to present her work, partially financed by this Research Prize.
Improving the dietary regimen of disadvantaged children
Lecture by Megan Jarman, doctoral student at the University of Southampton (England).
As in France, nutritional inequalities are numerous in England. “In Southampton, we showed
that women with the lowest educational level also had the most unbalanced dietary
regimens”, explained Megan Jarman. But the diet of the child depends strongly on the
quality of his mother’s diet; thus the interest in improving the dietary habits and lifestyles of
women, especially those disadvantaged by a low educational level.
This objective was studied in England in 2009 through the intervention study entitled
Southampton Initiative for Health (SIH). In the course of her thesis work, Megan Jarman
evaluated the impact of this initiative on the dietary regimen of children from 2 to 5 years of
age in the city. “I confirmed that the quality of the dietary regimen of the child was strongly
related to the quality of that of the mother, but I also showed the major influence of the way
in which the mother controls the diet of her child”, related the young researcher. Thus,
discreet control, like not having undesirable foods in the house or not frequenting fast-food
restaurants, proves to be more beneficial to the diet of the child than a strict attitude on
what he should or should not eat.
Megan Jarman hopes that these results will be useful in defining future projects aiming to
improve the diet of young children.
In 2012, the winner is…
This year, as in 2011, the applications were once again of such high quality that the jury
awarded not one but two Research Prizes. Nathalie Michels, from the Department of
Public Health of the University of Ghent in Belgium, and Eloïse Rémy, from the Centre for
Taste and Feeding Behaviour at Inra in Dijon, will thus both receive a bonus of 10,000 euro
to continue their thesis work.
Belgian doctoral student Nathalie Michels, supervised by Stefaan De Henauw, is
conducting a longitudinal study aiming to evaluate the influence of stress on the dietary
habits and body composition of primary school children. Research indicates in fact that
chronic psychosocial stress associated with disruption of the energy balance can
constitute a decisive factor in obesity, although the underlying mechanisms, and
especially the link to stress-induced dietary behaviour, remain unclear. Approximately 500
children, recruited within the cohort of the European Idefics project ({ HYPERLINK
"http://www.idefics.eu/"}), have been participating in the study conducted since 2010 by
the doctoral student over a period of two years. Monitoring includes anthropometric
measurements, evaluations of dietary habits, and assessments of indicators relating to
appetite and energy metabolism (neuropeptides Y, adiponectin, ghrelin, leptin and
insulin). The winner hopes that this work will lead to definition of new strategies for
preventing childhood obesity that allow stress-induced dietary behaviour to be
anticipated.
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10. Eloïse Rémy, co-supervised by Sylvie Issanchou and Sophie Nicklaus, is also interested in
children’s eating behaviour, and in particular in the way this behaviour and the food
preferences of the child are established during early childhood, a formative period for the
future dietary habits of the adult. For this, she studies the role of various factors: individual
(age of the child, gender, corpulence), dietary (sensory characteristics, energy density)
and environmental (educational style and educational level of the parents, dietary habits
of the household). The Louis Bonduelle Research Prize will allow her to explore a hypothesis
formulated from her first results, namely that the child diverts attention from his internal
signals of hunger and satiation as he develops socially. This is a hypothesis that could in
part explain, in a poorly-controlled environment, overconsumption of food leading to
overweight. “A better understanding of how dietary habits are formed would make it
easier to treat children with habits that can jeopardise good health”, the winner believes.
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