Evidence on Food Control System in Charitable Food Assistance System: A Systematic Scoping Review

Abstract

Abstract Background: Food control is applicable throughout the entire food system. In this study we describe the entire food system to include the conventional food supply chain as well as the charitable food assistance system. This review aimed at comparing evidence on the food control system of charitable food assistance system in Africa and the rest of the world. Methods: In order to identify the literature, we developed a series of search terms, as well as parameters for including articles to review the literature using PubMed, Google Scholar, Ebscohost (MEDLINE with full text, Academic search complete, MEDLINE) search engines. We obtained additional publications by hand searching. We included studies reported in all languages and published between 1967 and 2018. We included studies if they presented evidence of charitable food assistance system (food banks, food charitable organizations, pantries, community soup kitchens, and emergency shelters). We presented the results of our search using content analysis in order to reveal the emerging themes. We presented results of the review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) chart. We employed Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) - Version 2011 to appraise the quality of the included studies. Results: Beyond inconsistencies with classification of charitable food assistance system, our study found significant knowledge gaps in crucial areas, including consideration of the food vulnerability cited in 12 articles and vulnerability of beneficiary populations quoted in 13 articles; safety & hygiene inspections addressed in 10 articles; donor exploitation of charitable food assistance system reported in five articles; reliability & predictability of charitable food assistance system cited in four articles; regulation of charitable food assistance system mentioned in 19 articles and food traceability cited in seven articles. Our search yielded a total of 23 articles, which we included in the analysis. Results show that while food is the critical commodity to saving lives, if not controlled properly it can be a deadly weapon, especially to vulnerable populations. Conclusion: With no previous comprehensive review to assess what is known about food control in charitable food assistance system, we undertook a scoping review, focusing on mapping the key concepts, including the main sources and types of evidence available. By drawing conclusions about the overall state of research activity and identifying research gaps and priorities in the existing literature, this study provides a baseline assessment of charitable food assistance system research published in peer-reviewed journals from 1967 to 2018. Funding: The study was funded by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, College of Health Sciences Research scholarship. Declaration of Interest: None declared. Ethical Approval: This study does not include any animal or human participants. Ethics approval and consent to participate is not applicable.