Food behaviour is governed by different kinds of motivations, some of individual nature and others related with the external food environment. This study investigated the eating motivations in sixteen countries with respect to commercial and marketing influences on food choices. The questionnaire survey was developed between September 2017 and June 2018, via online tools, targeting a convenience sample of residents in sixteen countries (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and the United States of America). The number of valid responses received was 11,919 participants. The data were treated using SPSS software, and the main statistical techniques used included exploratory factor analysis, evaluation of internal reliability through Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis (hierarchical and k-means) and logistic regression. The results obtained showed two groups of people: low motivated and notably motivated consumers. The results showed high asymmetries between countries, with highest percentage of highly motivated consumers in Egypt and the lowest percentage of highly motivated in Portugal. It was further observed that consumers more influenced by commercial and marketing aspects (the notably motivated) tend to be women, young, single, less educated, less likely to be professionally active, and those who live mostly in rural or suburban areas. Less exercise and overweight are also factors associated with greater propensity for commercial and marketing motivations. Furthermore, health problems such as shellfish or gluten intolerance, hypertension and high cholesterol confer less propensity to be in the segment of the notably motivated consumers. In conclusion, this work highlighted the role of geographic, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors as food choice determinants.

Mikrobiološka kvaliteta mlijeka odražava zdravlje vimena i naknadnu kontaminaciju koja može nastati putem izravnih i neizravnih rezervoara. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je identificirati bakterijsku raznolikost u uzorcima mlijeka ovaca s mastitisom i u mlijeku iz spremnika te istražiti njihove profile osjetljivosti i otpornosti na antibiotike. Analizirano je ukupno 232 uzorka mlijeka. Iz pojedinačnih uzoraka mlijeka izolirane su 22 bakterijske vrste, među kojima se ističu Staphylococcus aureus (20,3%) i Staphylococcus epidermidis (18,6%). Raznolikost bakterijskih vrsta izoliranih iz spremnika bila je veća i obuhvaćala je 44 vrste, s prevladavanjem E. coli (20,6%), S. aureus (7,8%) i Hafnia alvei (7,2%). Testiranje osjetljivosti na antimikrobne lijekove provedeno je na 217 bakterijskih izolata. E. coli izdvojena iz pojedinačnih uzoraka mlijeka pokazala je visoke stope otpornosti na peniciline i tetracikline, dok je S. aureus pokazao visoke stope otpornosti na aminoglikozide, polimiksin, sulfonamide i tetraciklin, ali i visoku razinu osjetljivosti na cefalosporine treće generacije, linkozamide, neke makrolide, peniciline, fenikole i pleuromutiline. Profil otpornosti bakterija izoliranih iz mlijeka iz spremnika zabrinjavajući je u odnosu na uzorke mlijeka ovaca s mastitisom. Ovi rezultati ukazuju na potrebu za strukturnim poboljšanjima na farmama i podizanjem svijesti o jačanju biosigurnosti, medicinskoj profilaksi i kontroli pristupa veterinarskim lijekovima kako bi se poboljšala kvaliteta mlijeka i smanjila upotreba antibiotika.

There is growing concern that antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock may contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans and lead to the consumption of animal-derived foods contaminated with antimicrobial residues. As stakeholders in the livestock industry, farmers must participate in the joint effort to reduce AMU. This cross-sectional study, based on a survey questionnaire, was conducted to evaluate the biosafety measures implemented on small ruminant farms and to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of small ruminant farmers regarding AMU, AMR and residues. The mean biosafety score obtained was 8.4 points on a 0–17 scale. Some biosafety measures appeared difficult to implement, namely vehicle disinfection, requiring visitors to change clothing and footwear at the farm entrance, cleaning and disinfecting farm facilities, using high-pressure washing equipment, and requiring employees to change clothing and footwear upon entering the farm. Although farmers self-reported moderate levels of knowledge (4.9 points on a 0–7 scale) and positive attitudes (5.8 points on a 0–7 scale), significant gaps in knowledge about antibiotics and antimicrobial stewardship persisted. Practices received lower scores (4.7 on a 0–7 scale), especially regarding medication recording, leftover antibiotic management, and waste disposal. Cluster analysis identified distinct farmer profiles with different patterns of knowledge and practices. These findings underscore the importance of considering farmer heterogeneity when designing interventions aimed at improving AMU.