Adopting healthy and sustainable food service guidelines: emerging evidence from implementation at the United States Federal Government, New York City, Los Angeles County, and Kaiser Permanente.

Abstract

For many Americans, what we eat daily is determined by the available foods in institutional settings such as schools, day care centers, workplaces, hospitals, correctional facilities, and senior centers. Guidelines supporting healthy and sustainable food service at institutions can assist in increasing the availability of healthy choices, thus influencing the diet of a large portion of the US population. The increase in market demand for healthier foods due to institutional guidelines can affect the food system at large, potentially leading to a general overall increase in the production and availability of healthier foods. Healthy and sustainable food service guidelines, such as the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)8 and the General Services Administration (GSA) Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations (HHS/GSA Guidelines) or the 2009 Institute of Medicine school meal nutrition recommendations, can be used for procuring, preparing, serving, and selling healthier foods and beverages with the intent of improving the quality of dietary intake and increasing the ecological benefits to the food system (1, 2).