Multiple choice questions will appear throughout both exams papers (Breadth and Depth), and at both Foundation tier and Higher tier.

These questions provide you with a number of answers, from which you must select the answer or answers that you think are correct.

A multiple choice question may require you to:

• tick one or more boxes next to the correct statements in a list
• tick 'true' or 'false' next to each statement in a list
• draw a ring around the correct answer in a list
• select the correct answer or answers from 'talking heads' speech bubbles
• join the boxes by drawing lines between the correct answers
• select the correct word from a list to complete one or more sentences
• re-order statements into the correct sequence

The question may tell you in bold type how many ticks, rings or lines to draw. If you draw less than this, or more than this, you will not be able to get full marks. Make sure that you draw straight lines rather than complex wavy lines.

There will usually be more options than correct answers. Don't just go for the first option that looks correct - read each option carefully and decide whether it is right or wrong.

The number of marks for the question will not always match the number of ticks, rings or lines required - read the question carefully to make sure you understand what you have to do.

Questions taken from the OCR website.

The indoor space requirements are only slightly different from industry standards, and are still minimal—the minimum space requirement is less than 1 square foot per bird—and the birds don't have to have access to the outdoors. Farms are encouraged to equip living spaces with perches and other features that allow chickens to engage in natural behaviors, but this isn't a condition for certification. Generally in the chicken industry, the lights in chicken houses are turned off only sporadically to allow the birds to sleep. This promotes growth but has negative health effects on the chickens. Under American Humane standards, the birds must get at least 4 hours of continual darkness; however, this is less than what some other animal welfare programs require. Indoor ammonia levels (produced by animal waste), which when high can cause illness, must be controlled. There are no legal humane slaughter standards for chickens, as there are for other animals, but the American Humane standards mandate them. Birds must be adequately stunned before slaughter and checked to make sure they are not still alive when they enter a tank of scalding water (which makes feather removal easier). A company-appointed "animal welfare officer" must be at the slaughterhouse to check for this and to perform other animal-welfare-related duties.

Read Why Animal Welfare Matters.

A food sensitivity is the inability to digest a food due to an enzyme deficiency, sensitivity to a food additive or a reaction to a chemical found in the food, explains Nana Mirekuh, M.D., a board-certified allergist at TexasAllergy MD.

Food sensitivities are not life-threatening, but can be uncomfortable. Common symptoms, says Dr. Mirekuh, include gas, bloating, belly pain or diarrhea. And she says you can get away with eating a small amount of that food—like a bite of cheesecake, if you’re lactose intolerant—but eating the entire slice would cause severe discomfort.

Food Sensitivity vs. Food Intolerance vs. Food Allergy

The terms food sensitivity and food intolerance may be used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing, as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics warns that there’s no formal definition of food sensitivity, nor is it a medical diagnosis. A medical professional can, however, help diagnose a food intolerance based on symptoms and medical history, says Dr. Mirekuh.

Food intolerances occur when the body has trouble digesting a food or food group due to a missing enzyme used to break down the food. A reaction to food additives or naturally occurring chemicals within a food can also cause a food intolerance.

The most common food intolerance is lactose intolerance, which occurs when the body produces little or no lactase, the enzyme that breaks down sugar in milk and other dairy products. Up to  65% of the population has trouble digesting lactose after infancy .

Other common intolerances include:

• Gluten
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in processed meats, canned soups and vegetables, condiments and even baked goods
• Sulfites (found in beer, wine and cider)
• Salicylates (found in some fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices)
• Caffeine.

Food allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a substance in the food it sees as harmful, typically a protein, and produces an abundance of antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) that attach to cells in the body.

The next time the body comes into contact with that food, those cells release chemicals that cause food allergy symptoms like itching, swelling, hives, difficulty breathing (wheezing), vomiting and diarrhea. Food allergies can also trigger anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening reaction that needs immediate treatment.

The most common food allergens, according to the AAI, are:

• Proteins in cow’s milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soy
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Sesame
• Tree nuts

Outdoor access isn't required, but the birds are given slightly more room than what's the industry norm. They're also provided with environmental enrichment, such as straw bales and scattered grains, to relieve boredom and keep them active. Litter in the chicken house must be kept clean, dry, and dust-free, and must be changed between flocks. The standards prohibit the common practice of keeping the lights on nearly continuously in the chicken house. (That practice—which prevents the birds from sleeping, so they eat more, promoting faster growth—is a major animal welfare issue in chicken production.) Indoor ammonia levels (produced by animal waste), which when high can cause illness, must be controlled. There are no legal humane slaughter standards for chickens, as there are for other animals, but the Certified Humane standards mandate them. Birds must be adequately stunned before slaughter and checked to make sure they are not still alive when they enter a tank of scalding water (which makes feather removal easier). A company-appointed "animal welfare officer" must be at the slaughterhouse to check for this and to perform other animal-welfare-related duties.

Read Why Animal Welfare Matters.

Depending on a woman’s age and stage of life, certain health screenings and tests are recommended to identify the presence of various medical conditions or early signs that they’re developing. While there are general guidelines for which tests to have and when, you may need to get screened sooner or more often than what’s generally recommended, depending on your personal and family medical histories.

“Coming up with a [universal] proper age for a screening test is really hard because you have to factor in costs and personal risk factors,” says Heather Hirsch, M.D., clinical program director of the Menopause & Midlife Clinic at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Many of these tests can be performed in your doctor’s office while others require a visit to a radiology center.

Blood Pressure Test

Why it’s important: High blood pressure (hypertension) can significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, dementia, kidney problems, vision problems and sexual dysfunction. It’s dubbed the “silent killer” because there typically aren’t any obvious symptoms that signal something is wrong.

What it is: A blood pressure test involves the use of an instrument called a sphygmomanometer in your doctor’s office. It has a cuff that inflates with air, a meter that measures air pressure in the cuff, and a stethoscope that allows your doctor to listen to the sound the blood makes as it flows through the major artery found in your upper arm. You can also buy a blood pressure monitor for home use, but note that not all blood pressure monitors are created equal—and some may not offer accurate readings under certain circumstances. Be sure to check with your doctor about brands and types they recommend, and directions on how to get an accurate reading.

How often you should get it: Everyone ages 18 and older without known hypertension should have their blood pressure measured, but how often depends on your blood pressure. If it’s below 120/80 mmHg, which is considered the upper limit of normal, the American Heart Association recommends having it checked at least once every two years starting at age 20, while the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening every three to five years for low-risk people, ages 18 to 39. Meanwhile, the USPSTF recommends an annual screening for high-risk individuals and those ages 40 and older. If your blood pressure is higher or you’re being treated for high blood pressure, your doctor may want to check it more frequently.

Lipid Panel

Why it’s important: If you have too much cholesterol, a waxy-like substance found in all cells of your body, it can build up with other substances in your blood and form plaque, increasing your risk for heart disease and stroke. Like hypertension, high cholesterol typically has no signs or symptoms.

What it is: A lipid panel, sometimes called a cholesterol test, requires a blood sample, which is drawn at your doctor’s office or a nearby lab. The demo is then used to evaluate levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the “bad” cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the “good” cholesterol) and triglycerides in your blood. You may be advised to avoid eating or drinking anything (other than water) for eight to 12 hours before the test.

How often you should get it: Young adults between the ages of 17 and 21 should have their cholesterol checked, and most experts agree on a cadence of every five years. However, shorter screening intervals are often recommended for people with abnormal lipid levels, those on certain medications and high-risk individuals—which typically includes people with diabetes, those with a personal history of heart disease or a family history of cardiovascular disease, people who use tobacco, people who have hypertension and people with obesity.

Screening for Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes

Why it’s important: Diabetes—a medical condition that occurs when your blood sugar is too high—can affect your health from head to toe, increasing your risk of vision problems, cardiovascular disease and stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, neuropathy (nerve damage) and skin and foot problems. Approximately 1 in 3 people have pre-diabetes .

What it is: A diabetes test requires a blood sample, which is drawn at your doctor’s office or a lab. You can have a blood sugar test taken at any time without fasting, but other types of diabetes tests include:

• A1C test: This blood test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past three months.
• Fasting blood sugar test: Your blood sugar is measured after an overnight fast, which consists of not eating or drinking anything but water since the previous night.
• Glucose tolerance test: This test measures your blood sugar before and after you drink a drink containing glucose. You fast before this test and then, after drinking the glucose drink, you have your blood sugar tested again at certain intervals. Note that this test is rarely used, with the exception of pregnant people when screening for gestational diabetes.

How often you should get it: The USPSTF currently recommends adults between the ages of 35 and 70 who are overweight or obese be tested for diabetes every three years. Note that the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, though, recommends routine testing for those between the ages of 19 and 40 who are overweight, obese or have other diabetes risk factors. Be sure to talk to your doctor about when—and how often—you should get tested.

Cervical Cancer Screening

Why it’s important: Cervical cancer used to be one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths among women in the U.S. Rates have decreased, though, thanks to the widespread use of the Pap test, which can detect cellular changes of the cervix before they become cancerous. Additionally, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine helps protect against HPV infections most commonly linked to cervical cancer.

“The HPV vaccine is so effective at decreasing the risk of HPV and cervical cancer,” says Dr. Hirsch. “And cervical cancer is so preventable with regular screenings.” If abnormal cells are found on the cervix during a screening, they can be removed at a later date.

What it is: With the Pap test (commonly referred to as a Pap smear), a healthcare professional places a speculum inside the vagina, lightly scrapes cells from the woman’s cervix and sends them to a lab to look for precancerous changes. With the HPV test, healthcare professionals look for the high-risk types of HPV, the primary cause of cervical cancer, in a demo of cells from the cervix. Both tests can be conducted at the same time.

How often you should get it: You should start getting cervical cancer screenings at age 21. If the results are normal, you may be able to wait three years until your next one and stick with that interval until you’re 29. Between the ages of 30 and 65, you can have a combination of the Pap and HPV tests—an approach called co-testing—every five years if your results are consistently normal. You can also have a Pap test every three years—assuming the results are normal—or you can have an HPV test every five years, if the results are normal. After age 65, there’s generally no need for further testing in women of average risk (that have had adequate prior testing with negative results) for cervical cancer.

Breast Cancer Screening

Why it’s important: After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. Having regular mammograms is the best way for doctors to find breast cancer early (when it’s most treatable) and often years before it can be felt.

What it is: A mammogram is an X-ray of your breast tissue. Two special plates on the machine flatten the breast, holding it in place while the X-ray is taken. Mammograms can be performed at a radiology or imaging center or at a hospital.

How often you should get it: There isn’t a consensus on how often you should get a mammogram. The American Cancer Society advises women to start getting mammograms every year between the ages of 45 and 54 and then every two years after age 55. Meanwhile, the USPSTF recommends women have mammograms every other year between the ages of 50 and 74, while the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends women start receiving mammograms every one to two years, beginning at age 40 to 50, up until age 75.

All of these recommendations assume the results of the mammograms are normal and that the woman is at average risk for breast cancer. Given the disparity in recommendations, “the best thing is to engage in shared decision-making with your doctor,” says Dr. Hirsch. Your doctor may also recommend different screening intervals based on your own, personal risk factors.

Bone Density Screening

Why it’s important: Bone density screenings check for osteoporosis, a disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little of it or both. These screenings can estimate your risk of breaking a bone before it happens.

What it is: Typically, a central DXA machine—a type of X-ray scanner—measures bone density in the hips and spine, partly because people with osteoporosis have an increased risk of fracturing these bones. What’s more, bone density in these areas can predict the risk of future breaks in other bones. Private radiology groups, hospital radiology departments and some medical practices offer this test.

How often you should get it: The USPSTF recommends women ages 65 and older be screened for osteoporosis, as well as younger women who are at increased risk—either because they regularly take certain medications that compromise bone density, have a parent who fractured a hip, smoke, consume excessive alcohol or have low body weight. There is limited evidence, though, that repeated screenings are beneficial in predicting bone fractures four and eight years after the initial screening, according to the taskforce.

However, not all physicians agree with these guidelines. Dr. Hirsch, for example, recommends having a baseline bone density test two to three years after menopause.

“We lose the vast majority of bone when we lose estrogen, which happens when we go through menopause,” she says. “So I think that’s the right time to check. We don’t put enough emphasis on osteopenia [a condition involving low bone mass]—we could monitor and treat it just like we do with pre-diabetes and prevent it from progressing.”

Colorectal Cancer Screening

Why it’s important: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. “When it’s caught early, it’s very treatable,” says Dr. Hirsch, adding that it’s even preventable if polyps (abnormal tissue growth) are removed before they have a chance to become cancerous.

What it is: There are several screening tests for colorectal cancer:

• Stool tests: These tests include a guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT), which relies on a chemical to detect blood in the stool (done annually); the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), which uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool (done annually); and the FIT-DNA test, which looks for altered DNA in the stool, in addition to blood in the stool (done every three years). With all of these tests, you collect a stool demo at home and send it to a lab for analysis.
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A doctor places a short, thin, flexible and illuminated tube into your rectum to check for polyps and cancerous growths inside the rectum and lower part of the colon. This is typically performed every five years with an annual FOBT test, or every 10 years with a FIT test every year.
• Computed tomography (CT) colonography (or a virtual colonoscopy): A doctor uses X-rays and computers to create images of the entire colon for evaluation. This is performed every five years.
• Colonoscopy: A doctor uses a thin, flexible, lighted tube to look for polyps and cancerous growths inside the rectum and the entire colon. During the procedure, the doctor can remove polyps or other growths they may find. This is typically performed every 10 years, assuming normal results for individuals who do not have an increased risk of colon cancer.

How often you should get it: The latest recommendations call for adults between the ages of 45 and 75 to be screened for colorectal cancer. After 75, screening decisions should be made on an individual basis. How often you should get tested varies based on the type of test you receive, and can range from every year to every 10 years. Depending on the results and the type of test used, the recommended follow-up frequency varies. If colorectal cancer runs in your family or you have other risk factors, you may be advised to be screened at a younger age or more frequently. Talk to your doctor about how often you should get tested, taking into consideration factors such as the test’s effectiveness, cost and availability of screenings.

The screening tests mentioned in this article are critical—but aren’t comprehensive. Other important screening tests to prioritize can include STI screenings, BMI tests, mental health screenings and more. Screening tests, and their intervals, will vary based on your risk factors, and certain individuals might benefit from additional tests that can screen for everything from skin cancer to iron deficiencies.

Talk to your doctor about what types of preventive screenings should be part of your healthcare routine—it’s an important and crucial step in taking control of your health.

In a exact article posted to the medRxiv* server, researchers used a digital (completely remote) cohort to implement a personalized nutrition study.

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

They gathered high-resolution data on demography, dietary intake, gut microbiota, physical activity, and blood glucose levels of over 1000 participants for two to four weeks between October 2018 and March 2023 in Switzerland and the Netherlands. 

It allowed study participants to collect in situ data daily using a mobile application and wearable sensors. However, to rule out all concerns related to data quality, the researchers focused on assessing data quality and reliability.

Background

Most nutritional epidemiology studies studied the effects of nutrition and a healthy diet at the population level, which informed dietary recommendations and guidelines. More recently, some scientific studies have found the link between microbiota composition and the health benefits of a nutritious diet, thus, raising the potential of personalized nutrition. 

So far, all studies demonstrating the effectiveness of personalized dietary recommendations have examined personal features, for example, gut microbiota compositions, in isolation.

However, there is a need for a more holistic approach to nutritional epidemiology that covers all the factors influencing the ability of the human body to derive maximum benefit from diet, for example, lifestyle factors. 

For example, in patients with diabetes, sedentary behavior is an established risk factor similar to a carbohydrate-rich diet. In addition, the gut microbiome of these patients might be modulating their blood glucose response to food intake.

Thus, nutritional studies examining the association of blood glucose response, specifically postprandial glucose response (PPGR) and insulin resistance (IR) that characterize type 2 diabetes, need data on all relevant factors, preferably in situ and continuously.

Thus, digital cohorts mark the beginning of a major development in the context of nutritional epidemiological and clinical studies. Since digital cohorts are a exact development, there is an urgent need to address questions regarding selection bias, study adherence, and data quality of digitally implemented studies. 

Another challenge to address is the time burden due to digital cohorts. They fatigue some participants, translating to lower adherence to study protocol or poor data quality.

About the study

The researchers attempted to address such questions and challenges by describing the protocol of the “Food and You” digital study and reporting study engagement data from enrollment to completion. They examined the study response and its completion rate. Furthermore, they assessed data quality by comparing nutritional and microbiota data of “Food and You” with data from traditional (on-site) studies.

This study had enrolment, preparatory, tracking, and follow-up phases. Following screening via a short questionnaire in the enrolment phase, a research team member enrolled an eligible participant into this study and instructed them to fill out a series of questionnaires on the “Food & You” website.

Next, they asked them to obtain MyFoodRepo mobile app, an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted nutrition tracking app specifically designed for this study, to monitor their food intake for at least three days (trial period).

All participants who completed the trial entered the study. The researchers provided them with the study material, which included a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor and material for stool collection.

During the tracking phase, all participants wore the CGM sensor and logged their food/beverage intake via the MyFoodRepo app.

Participants were divided into two sub-cohorts digitally: sub-cohort “Basic” cohort B) and sub-cohort “Cycle” (cohort C). These cohorts consisted of non-diabetic participants and non-diabetic women of reproductive age not on hormonal medication or contraceptives, respectively.

Study cohorts B and C answered two daily surveys for 14 and 28 days, respectively.

Per the study protocol, all participants consumed standardized breakfasts from days 2 to day 7 during the first week and refrained from physical activity for the next two hours.

Cohort B participants performed an oral glucose tolerance test on days 6 and 7, while Cohort C participants performed it on days 6 and 7 and days 21 and 22. Participants provided one stool demo during the tracking days. Eventually, participants uploaded their CGM data and physical activity levels on the study website. During the follow-up, all participants filled out a feedback questionnaire to log their overall experience.

Results and conclusion

This study had a high completion rate, with over 60% of enrolled participants completing it. In both cohorts, the completion rates of subjects with dietary restrictions were above 80%. Compared to other digital health studies, the retention rate for 14 and 28 days was also high in this study.

In both cohorts, except for physical activity and sleep, data availability was high for most indicators, e.g., diet, implying good adherence to the study. Besides response fatigue, technical issues with sensor devices or Apps might have impacted adherence to the study.

A study annotator reviewed every submitted data point on nutrition, implying data quality was good. The researchers found that all participants appropriately and timely logged their food intake, and missing inputs were low. The authors noted expected patterns concerning the time of food intake, glucose curves, etc., on weekdays and weekends.

Encouragingly, the MyFoodRepo App received overall positive feedback. It fetched dietary data with a high resolution of 315,126 food dishes constituting more than 46 million kcal, giving a reliable representation of the dietary patterns of over 1000 participants for at least two weeks. The researchers also had high-resolution data from 49,110 survey responses, 23,335 participant days, and 1,470,030 blood glucose measurements for analysis. 

Furthermore, the authors collected 1,024 stool samples for gut microbiota analysis. They attributed the observed variations in gut microbiota across two study cohorts, originating from Switzerland and the Netherlands to geographical differences. They used 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequencing to analyze self-collected stool demo data. Further analyses of the microbiome and its link to other data are ongoing.

To summarize, it is likely that digital nutrition cohorts might become the preferred study design for large-scale personalized nutritional studies as they have the potential to help collect a large amount of high-quality data with temporal resolution.

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

THE Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced that 453 out of 1,133 examinees or 39.98 percent passed the Food Technologists Licensure Examination.

Dominic Castro Panaligan from the University of the Philippines-Diliman topped the examination, with an 87.25 percent rating.

The University of the Philippines-Diliman was named the top performing school, with a 100 percent passing rate.

Forty passers landed in the Top 10.

Here are the August 2023 FoodTech board exam results and list of passers as posted by the Professional Regulation Commission:

1 ABANILLA, MARIA ALESSANDRA TOLENTINO
2 ABELLA, PATRICIA VICTORIA ACOSTA
3 ADVINCULA, MAE BELLE BALAGTAS
4 AGARMA, ELIJAH MIKHAELA LABNAO
5 AGCAOILI, DAVE ANTONIO
6 AGUINALDO, JANET MUÑIZ
7 AGUIRRE, MARIA ALEXANDRA SEGARRA
8 AGUSTIN, PHOEBE MAUREEN TAMAYO
9 AGUSTIN, RENZO REY MENDOZA
10 ALAMBAN, TIMMY ANGELINA LLACUNA

NOTHING FOLLOWS———————

The exam was conducted in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Rosales and Zamboanga on Aug. 10 and 11 2023.

The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 453 out of 1,133 passed the Food Technologists Licensure Examination given by the Board of Food Technology in NCR, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Rosales and Zamboanga this August 2023.

The members of the Board of Food Technology who gave the licensure examination are Hon. Anthony C. Sales, chairman; and Hon. Remedios V. Baclig, member.

The results were released in three working days after the last day of examination.

From September 25 to September 29, 2023, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be done online. Please go to www.prc.gov.ph and follow instructions for initial registration. Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), two pieces passport-sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), two sets of documentary stamps, and one piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examination will be announced later.

The top performing schools in the August 2023 Food Technologists Licensure Examination as per Commission Resolution No. 2017-1058(C) series of 2017:

The successful examinees who garnered the 10 highest places in the August 2023 Food Technologists Licensure Examination are the following:

Check out the full results here:

– Rappler.com