Creating supportive eating places: a systematic review of food service initiatives

Abstract

Obesity and diet-related health problems are complex, multi-factorial issues. Individual food choices are shaped by the wider context, and food environment level change is needed to support individual behaviour change. The food service sector can play an integral role, changing aspects of the food environment and contributing to improved consumer health. This systematic review aimed to analyse food service schemes that aimed to improve consumer health. Ten electronic databases were systematically searched to identify articles, supplemented with checking of reference lists from similar reviews and forward and backward searches to identify articles describing food service sector schemes. Sixteen schemes were identified, documented in 36 articles/reports. The schemes aimed to improve consumer health through one of three approaches-informing, enabling or engineering. In this order, these approaches involved increasing levels of effort from food services, corresponding with decreasing levels of effort for consumers. Half the schemes were informing, relying on an informed consumer to make a healthy choice. Most informing schemes had been evaluated to determine their impact on consumer choice and/or health, the evidence showed these schemes were generally ineffective. The effect of the enabling or engineering schemes on consumer choice and health had not been measured. Instead, evaluations focussed on process or business engagement rather than behavioural change assessments. This review indicates the food sector has the potential to contribute to consumer health through enabling and engineering; however, detailed outcome assessments are needed to draw definitive conclusions.