Restaurant Meals Research Articles

An Inventory of Proposed and Enacted Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Policies at the State, Local, and Tribal Levels in the United States, 2014‒2023.

Objectives. To inventory and describe trends in proposal and enactment of US sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) policies at state, local, and Tribal levels, 2014-2023. Methods. We systematically searched 6 policy databases in 2021 (updated May 2023) using SSB-related search terms, identifying additional policies through snowball and online searches and a survey of food-policy experts. We reviewed 10 821 policies for inclusion and quantitatively coded included policies. Results. The inventory included 400 (321 unique [i.e., excluding companion]) policies meeting criteria: 335 (256 unique) state-, 63 local-, and 2 Tribal-level policies. From 2014 to 2023, 11% of unique state-, 92% of local-, and 100% of Tribal-level proposed policies were enacted. Across jurisdictions, the most frequently proposed policies related to excise taxes, restaurant children's meals, nutrition standards, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, while the largest proportions of enacted policies related to restaurant children's meals, nutrition standards, education, and procurement. More policies were proposed and enacted in California and New York than other states, and in 2017 (proposed) and 2016 (enacted). Conclusions. This comprehensive inventory of US SSB policies provides information to inform future SSB policy development and diffusion. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(12):1344-1353. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307855).

Features of the restaurant market and consumer behavior in the Moscow restaurant business segment: study results

The article presents a comprehensive study results aimed at identifying peculiarities of the restaurant market and consumer behavior in the Moscow restaurant business segment. Within the framework of the research three stages have been realized. At the first stage the Moscow restaurant market macroenvironment has been analyzed to identify external factors of influence on modern restaurant business. The external factors of positive and negative impact on the restaurant industry development have been structured and described. At the second stage to identify the main trends of the Moscow restaurant market the method of content analysis of the Moscow restaurant business establishments sites with high rating indicators based on the Yandex neural network data was used. The main trends of the Moscow restaurant market are: restaurants’ focus on preparing healthy food and vegetarian cuisine; use of farm products and local ingredients in prepared dishes; technological innovations implementation that simplify consumer experience; focus on the principles of sustainable development and environmental friendliness in the business model; restaurant formats variety. At the third stage of the study, a survey has been conducted among visitors to Moscow restaurants and cafes to identify consumer behavior. The identified consumer practices in the restaurant market indicate, on the one hand, active involvement of the audience in visiting Moscow restaurants, cafes, and bars, and on the other hand, the use of restaurant meal delivery services via restaurant websites or mobile applications. The dominant influence of rational factors in consumers’ choice of a restaurant to visit and changes in the consumer motivation structure when visiting restaurants and cafes have been revealed.

How do you choose your meal when you dine out? A mixed methods study in consumer food-choice strategies in the restaurant context

Choosing meals in restaurants is a significant part of life. On average, people purchase seven meals per week from one of the over 17.5 million food outlets worldwide. The way people choose restaurant meals is different from how they choose foods they consume at home. Understanding people's decision-making strategies when choosing restaurant meals is critical for designing behaviour change interventions that prompt specific food choices (e.g., health, low emissions). Our study aims to identify meal choice strategies across various food outlets (Study 1) and determine their frequency of use (Study 2). In Study 1, we take a constructionist perspective and derive insights from 21 semi-structured interviews on strategies people use as they select meals in different food outlets. We identify 16 distinct strategies, with many people using multiple strategies within and across different restaurant types (i.e., general restaurants, fast-food, pubs, and upscale restaurants). In Study 2, we quantify which of those 16 strategies are most frequently used. The most used strategies were searching the menu for (1) the most enjoyable meals, (2) the most budget-friendly meals, or (3) familiar meals (i.e., habitual choices); and choosing from those. Few people searched the menu for the most environmentally friendly meals and chose from those. These results could explain the limited effectiveness of carbon labelling at restaurants. Our study calls for future interventions on prompting environmental or healthy food choices to move away from health and environmental labelling and to focus on enjoyment, price, or habit because these are important for people when choosing a meal. We also created a practical measure of the 16 food-choice strategies, available for researchers to use.

The Effects of product attributes of restaurant meal replacement on perceived value, attitude and behavioral intention

The Effects of product attributes of restaurant meal replacement on perceived value, attitude and behavioral intention

Examining child schooling/care location and child temperament as predictors of restaurant-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a nationally representative survey.

Emerging research highlights impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. families, including changes in eating behavior and increased child body mass index. Aims of the present study were to examine whether child temperament and at-home vs. out-of-home childcare/school predicted families' restaurant-related behaviors during the pandemic. Examining energy balance-related behaviors, like restaurant patronage, during the pandemic can help better understand lasting impacts on child health behaviors and health outcomes. An online survey was administered to U.S. parents with a 4-to-8-year-old child in October 2020 (n = 1,000). Linear and logistic regression examined whether child temperament and at home vs. out-of-home childcare/school predicted: (1) the frequency the child consumed restaurant meals (take-out, delivery, dine-in), (2) who chose the child's restaurant meal, and (3) parent-reported reasons for the child's meal choice. Income, education, employment, race/ethnicity, and regional COVID-19 restrictions were tested as covariates. Parents with children higher on negative affectivity reported more frequent restaurant use in-person (p < 0.05) and via delivery (p < 0.05) compared to parents of children lower on negativity. Child negativity was also linked with parent-reported reasons for children's restaurant meal choices. Parents of children receiving at-home childcare/schooling used delivery services less frequently than those receiving out-of-home care or schooling (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that individual and family factors may impact restaurant use and the meal selection process for children using restaurants during and beyond the COVID-19 era. Continued examination of individual differences in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic can facilitate intervention and policy approaches that fit with different families' needs.

Salt and Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits, and little to no exercise have led to an alarming rise of lifestyle-mediated diseases in recent times. Table salt is one of the staples of all our kitchens and dining tables. Salt contains almost 98% sodium chloride. The unregulated amount of salt in our diet has led to adverse cardiovascular consequences. Fast foods such as salted French fries and Chinese cuisine may contain as much as 7,000 mg of sodium in a single meal! The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a daily intake of not more than 2.3 g of salt per day (roughly one teaspoon). For patients with hypertension, heart failure, or kidney disease, a lower daily cut-off of 1.5 g of salt has been proposed but is still under debate. There is conflicting evidence of going too low with salt restriction as recent studies have shown increased adverse events when salt was restricted to beyond the recommended per-day threshold. The DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet is a novel dietary pattern that is recommended for patients with hypertension. The DASH diet is not a restrictive or short-term diet but rather a sustainable and balanced approach to eating. It promotes a wide variety of foods, focusing on whole, unprocessed options, and encourages portion control. Adhering to a DASH eating pattern by itself can lower the systolic blood pressure by 6–11 mm Hg. Reducing salt intake can be challenging, as salt is present in many processed and packaged foods, restaurant meals, and fast food. More than 70% of the salt we eat, according to the AHA, comes from processed, prepackaged, and restaurant foods. “Salt Lite” is often marketed as a healthier alternative for individuals looking to lower their sodium intake. It typically contains a blend of potassium chloride with sodium chloride and is hence not totally “sodium free.” Individuals considering the use of “Salt Lite” should be aware of its higher potassium content and should not use it if they have a kidney disease or are on drugs that can cause hyperkalemia. There is a common misconception that pink Himalayan salt is lower in sodium than regular table salt. However, both types consist of approximately 98% sodium chloride. Research has not shown that Himalayan salt has any unique health benefits compared to other dietary salts. It is hence imperative for all individuals to restrict dietary salt intake to the recommended levels—as a measure toward a healthy lifestyle as well as a therapeutic modality for those with established cardiovascular diseases.

Are cash incentives always king? A randomized controlled trial evaluating hedonic versus cash incentives (TEH-C).

Physical inactivity is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable diseases. Despite myriad health and non-health benefits resulting from physical activity (PA), most individuals do not meet PA recommendations. Providing an incentive for meeting activity goals may increase activity levels. Classical economists argue that cash is the best incentive. Behavioral economists have posited that hedonic (pleasurable) incentives (e.g., massages, restaurant meals) may be superior to cash when incentives are offered over multiple time periods. To date, no studies have directly compared the effectiveness of cash versus hedonic incentives in promoting PA across multiple time periods. We conducted a two-arm, parallel, 4-month randomized controlled trial with healthy adults in Singapore where participants were randomized to either cash or hedonic incentives. Participants could earn up to SGD50 (≈USD37) in cash or hedonic incentives each month they met the study's step target of 10,000 steps daily on at least 20/25 days out of the first 28 days of a month. The primary objective was to compare the mean proportion of months that participants met the step target between the two arms. By month 4, participants in the cash (N = 154) and hedonic incentive (N = 156) arms increased their mean daily steps by 870 (p < 0.001) and 1,000 steps (p < 0.001), respectively. The mean proportion of months the step target was achieved was 90.53 and 88.34 for participants in the cash and hedonic incentive arms respectively, but differences across arms were small and not statistically significant for this or any outcome assessed. Our findings suggest that both cash and hedonic incentives are effective at promoting physical activity but that neither strategy is clearly superior.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04618757 registered on November 6, 2020.

Evaluation of Fast-Food Restaurant Kids’ Meal Beverage Offerings 1 Year After a State-Level Healthy Beverage Default Policy

Ordering from kids' menus and children's restaurant consumption is associated with greater purchasing and intake, respectively, of sugar-sweetened beverages. In response, policymakers have enacted strategies to improve the healthfulness of kids' meal offerings. This study investigated restaurant kids' meal beverage offerings and compliance with an Illinois healthy beverage default act, effective from January 1, 2022. Using a pre-post intervention (Illinois)-comparison (Wisconsin) site research design, fast-food restaurant audit data were collected before and 1 year after the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act from 6 platforms: restaurant interior and drive-thru menu boards and websites/applications and 3 third-party ordering platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub). Analyses included 62-110 restaurants across platforms. Difference-in-differences-weighted logistic regression models with robust SEs, clustered on restaurants, were estimated to assess pre to 1-year postpolicy changes in overall compliance for each audit setting in Illinois relative to that in Wisconsin. This study found no statistically significant (p<0.05) changes in the compliance of kids' meal beverage default offerings associated with the enactment of the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act in Illinois relative to that in Wisconsin at fast-food restaurants. There were some observed differences in results in the restaurants' physical locations versus online that are worth noting. That is, after the enactment of the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act, the results showed greater odds of fast-food restaurants exclusively offering healthy beverage defaults with kids' meals on restaurant interior (OR=1.83, 95% CI=0.93, 3.58) and drive-thru (OR=2.38, 95% CI=0.95, 5.96) menus, with weak statistical significance (p<0.10). However, the policy was not associated with either meaningful or statistically significant changes in healthy beverage default offerings on restaurant websites or third-party online ordering platforms. This study found limited evidence of changes in kids' meal beverage offerings attributable to the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act. Future investigations of communication channels that support awareness and implementation and the resources required for implementation and enforcement may provide insight that is key to improving compliance.

Diferentes abordagens para avaliação da percepção sobre alimentos

Abstract Objective The aims of this research were to investigate the perception about foods in Brazil through two studies: 1) to investigate the perception about the NOVA classification of foods; and 2) to investigate the perception regarding the caloric value of fast foods and restaurant meals. Methods The two studies were carried out online using Google Forms. In study 1 (n=156), participants received twenty-five food concepts and were asked to associate each one with one of the five categories: unprocessed, minimally processed, culinary ingredients, processed and ultra-processed. In study 2 (n=184), images of eight meals (four of fast foods and four of restaurant meals) were provided and participants were asked to group them, as they deemed necessary, depending on the caloric value that each meal provided. After that, the individuals were asked to rank the previously formed groups from the most caloric to the least caloric. Results Participants perceived which foods are unprocessed and ultra-processed, as proposed by NOVA classification, although there was some confusion and misunderstanding about some foods, such as powdered milk, and the culinary ingredients group. Moreover, participants did not perceive the real caloric values of fast-food meals nor restaurant meals. Meals were ranked differently from their real caloric value and participants thought, in general, that fast foods are more caloric than restaurant meals. Conclusion The studies showed that Brazilians have difficulties in perceiving information about foods, i.e., to reach the population regarding food is neither simple nor trivial, highlighting the need to educate the population about it.

Dynamic Courier Capacity Acquisition in Rapid Delivery Systems: A Deep Q-Learning Approach

With the recent boom of the gig economy, urban delivery systems have experienced substantial demand growth. In such systems, orders are delivered to customers from local distribution points respecting a delivery time promise. An important example is a restaurant meal delivery system, where delivery times are expected to be minutes after an order is placed. The system serves orders by making use of couriers that continuously perform pickups and deliveries. Operating such a rapid delivery system is very challenging, primarily because of the high service expectations and the considerable uncertainty in both demand and delivery capacity. Delivery providers typically plan courier shifts for an operating period based on a demand forecast. However, because of the high demand volatility, it may at times during the operating period be necessary to adjust and dynamically add couriers. We study the problem of dynamically adding courier capacity in a rapid delivery system and propose a deep reinforcement-learning approach to obtain a policy that balances the cost of adding couriers and the cost-of-service quality degradation because of insufficient delivery capacity. Specifically, we seek to ensure that a high fraction of orders is delivered on time with a small number of courier hours. A computational study in the meal delivery space shows that a learned policy outperforms policies representing current practice and demonstrates the potential of deep learning for solving operational problems in highly stochastic logistic settings. History: This paper has been accepted for the Transportation Science Special Issue on Machine-Learning Methods and Applications in Large-Scale Route Planning Problems. Funding: This work was supported by Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo [72180404]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.0042 .

Changes in food purchase, consumption and handling during COVID-19 pandemic among single person households.

As a new type of consumer subject in the market that was formerly dominated by multiple person families, single households are driving the change in the buying structure. Food purchase activities have undergone significant changes since the outbreak of the COVID-19. The objective of this study was to assess and compare variations in food consumption, purchase and handling during the COVID-19 pandemic between single person households (SPH) and multiple person households. A cross-sectional study conducted among 211 individuals in communities in Harris and Waller Counties, Texas. Sociodemographic, food purchase, food consumption and food handling activities during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed with a validated COVID-19 Nutrition questionnaire. Non-Hispanic Black participants constituted 42.6%, and 28.4% were Hispanics. Participants were made up of mostly aged 18-24 years (39.3%), 47.9% single household composition, 30.4% in full time employment, and 29.1% partook in food assistance programs. A large proportion of them had never used grocery pickup services, online grocery shopping and a farmers' market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the participants used more of large supermarkets, restaurant/fast food, and online grocery but food consumption seemed to remain the same for the majority of participants. For beverages, majority of participants consumed more water, less soda, and no alcohol. There was a significant association between single person household and higher restaurant/fast foods purchase. Many of the participants reported weight gain and less physical activity during the pandemic. Restaurant meal purchases was more prevalent in single-person families. The results from the study have the potential to contribute to how public policy officials, food service, and health authorities forecast how different categories of consumers will react in pandemics and may be used to inform area-specific alleviation strategies to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and future events.

Vegan burger, no thanks! Juicy American burger, yes please! The effect of restaurant meal names on affective appeal

Reducing meat consumption could materially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, meat consumption habits are exceptionally difficult to break, even more so when plant-based meals are described using unappealing names. Past interventions that attempted to alter consumer choice by changing meal names at restaurants reported only modest effects. We propose that interventions aimed at increasing demand for plant-based meals may be more effective if: (1) meal naming is informed by theory; (2) the affective appeal of meal names is tested before deployment; (3) meat-based meal names are deliberately kept basic; and (4) heterogeneity of different meat-eater segments is accounted for. We conduct three studies. Study 1 evaluates the appeal of several alternative theory-informed names of plant-based meals, highlighting taste, provenience, and/or texture. Study 2 assesses the effectiveness of appealing names on stated plant-based choices across the general Australian population, and Study 3 for market segments of meat-eaters. Results indicate that highlighting flavour, provenience, and texture can impact the appeal of plant-based meals. Increased appeal does not translate to increased plant-based meal choices across all consumers but does have a potential impact for a specific group of more flexible meat-eaters. We conclude that using appealing names for plant-based dishes on restaurant menus may represent a cost-effective way to entice specific market segments of consumers to choose plant-based rather than meat-based dishes when dining. With food contributing nearly 25% to global emissions, changing meal choices for even the smallest of market segments can make a meaningful contribution to climate change mitigation.

Dynamic modelling of consumption patterns using LA-AIDS: a comparative study of developed versus developing countries

The traditional applied demand system estimation assumes that when consumer income and commodity prices change, the consumers instantaneously fully adjust to a new consumption equilibrium level and use a static demand system such as Static Linear Almost Ideal Demand System (Static LA-AIDS) for estimation. However, in real-life situations, such an assumption does not hold as consumers take time to settle to a new consumption equilibrium level. Hence, dynamic demand system estimations generate more nuanced insights into the short-run dynamics of consumer demand. This paper estimates two forms of dynamic versions of AIDS, Dynamic LA-AIDS and the error-corrected LA-AIDS, and compares the results with the Static LA-AIDS. The paper also models the consumption patterns of consumers in developed and developing countries and provides a comparative analysis of implied elasticities using recent data. The results show that the dynamic models support demand theory hypotheses—demand homogeneity and Slutsky symmetry—more than the static model. The estimated mean own-price elasticities reveal that the demand in the short-run and long-run is price inelastic across all countries. Long-run and short-run income elasticities demonstrated notable variation across various commodity groups and country groups. For example, the restaurant meal is a luxury in the short-run for all countries. In the long-run, it is a necessity in developed countries and a luxury in developing countries. Food and housing are necessities; durables, transport and recreation are luxuries in developed and developing countries in the long-run and short-run.

Hunger

Blom’s thesis for the book involved the impact food supply had on the outcome of WWI. Information presented focused on food security of civilians and armed forces across nations. Detailed coverage of food production, distribution, storage and consumption is a strength of the book. Blom gathered specifics from primary sources including journals, armed forces reports and orders, and interviews with surviving soldiers. Of particular interest are the experiential learnings of the author when he participated in preparing meals in a rebuilt field kitchen, spent time in a restored trench, and sampled a restaurant meal similar to those available during the war. These experiences lent a personal touch to some of the listing of details found throughout the book. Readers will find of interest the many examples of the intersections between food supply chain disruptions and armed conflict situations that can be applied to current and past wars.

Beyond Benevolence: The New York Charity Organization Society and the Transformation of American Social Welfare, 1882–1935, by Dawn M. Greeley

What do you do—if you enjoy a life of material comfort—when someone on the street asks for spare change? Do you turn away, embarrassed? Do you hand over the leftovers of your restaurant meal, feeling virtuous? Do you remind yourself that charity cannot solve intractable poverty and so absolve yourself? Do you engage in conversation, pleased that at least you recognise the humanity of the person in need? Which of these things makes you feel least bad, and, anyway, why is this about how it makes you feel? These questions, and others less simplistically put, are fundamental to historians’ conversations about social policy, poverty, ideas about who ‘deserves’ relief, and different systems of charitable giving, just as they are to the debates among philanthropists and policy-makers themselves. They animate this book, as they did previous scholarship with which Dawn Greeley grapples, and whose arguments she challenges. Although she focuses on one (extremely influential) organisation, Greeley narrates a much larger story about the cyclical nature of poverty relief, as well as historians’ conversations. As such, it is an excellent intervention in an ongoing, often frustrating, exchange about the significance and meaning of charity in a liberal society intent on not questioning the central tenets of capitalism itself. Indeed, perhaps inadvertently, the book reminds us that very few truly original ideas have emerged in the field of poverty relief in two hundred years.

Changes in Dietary Life and Dietary Life Satisfaction in One-Person Households during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined changes in dietary life and dietary life satisfaction in one-person households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a sample of 916 one-person households from the Food Consumption Behavior Survey, we applied ANOVA and a system of equations model for our analysis which produced four main results. Firstly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, eating homemade and delivered meals increased, whereas eating restaurant, group, and HMR meals decreased. Eating breakfast and regular eating habits also increased during the pandemic. Secondly, approximately 30% of the sample reported increased expenditure on fresh food and HMR meals. The proportion of positive changes in dietary life was also greater than negative changes, and dietary life satisfaction was about three times higher than it had been before the pandemic. Thirdly, having breakfast and regular eating fully mediated the relationship between spending on fresh food and dietary life satisfaction, as well as the relationship between HMR purchases and dietary life satisfaction. Changes in expenditure on fresh food and HMR meals positively affected dietary life satisfaction through eating breakfast and regular eating. Fourthly, increased consumption of delivered food had a positive direct effect on dietary life satisfaction. Among sociodemographic variables, gender, education, occupation, and age were also significantly related to changes in dietary life satisfaction.

Adherence to Healthy Default Beverage Laws for Children's Meals in 3 U.S. Cities

Healthy default beverage laws are relatively new interventions designed to improve the healthfulness of children's meals in restaurants. In this study, researchers assessed adherence to healthy default beverage laws among children's meals ordered online in Los Angeles (California statewide law effective from September 2018), Baltimore (effective from April 2018), and New York City (effective from April 2019) compared with that in Boston, where no law existed. Between November and December 2020, researchers ordered children's meals from online ordering platforms (e.g., GrubHub, Uber Eats) from the top-grossing restaurant chains in each location (n=337 meal orders from 106 restaurants), coded these meals using four successively stricter definitions of adherence to the default beverage laws in each respective jurisdiction, and then applied each law to data collected in Boston to simulate different policy scenarios in a city with no such law. The team analyzed these data in late 2021. Differences in adherence existed across jurisdictions, with 15% adherent in Los Angeles, 30% in Baltimore, and 43% in New York City, compared with 7%-30% in Boston, using the most lenient definition of adherence. Fewer than 3% of all meals adhered to laws when applying the strictest definition of adherence. Overall adherence was low and variable across jurisdictions. Adherence may be lower in jurisdictions with fewer allowable default beverages, although more research is needed to assess this potential causal relation. In addition to increased resources and support for restaurants, additional policy design considerations may be necessary to increase adherence to healthy default beverage laws.

Crossings

Crossings

Sodium intake trend and current intake level by meal provision place among the citizens of Seoul.

The diversity of meal provision places has increased in recent years and sodium intake can vary depending on where meals are eaten, particularly in large cities. In this study, an analysis of the recent trends in sodium intake was performed and a comparison of sodium intake level according to meal provision place among citizens of Seoul was performed. Data from a 24-h recall dietary intake survey from the 2010-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used in order to determine the trends in sodium intake among citizens of Seoul, aged 3-74 years old. (n = 11,811). The trend of daily sodium intake was presented in absolute amount and proportion compared to the chronic disease risk reduction intake (CDRR) for each selected characteristic. A comparison of sodium intake level according to meal provision place by sex and age groups as a total amount per meal (mg), density per meal (mg/1,000 kcal), and proportion of the daily sodium intake was performed using the 2016-2019 KNHANES. Sodium intake levels showed a downward trend from 2010-2019. The highest level of sodium intake was observed for subjects aged 30-49, and the level for males aged 30-49 was 202.8% higher than the CDRR. Results of the analysis of sodium intake per meal according to meal provision place showed that the highest sodium intake was in the order of restaurant meal (RM) > institutional foodservice (IF) > home meal (HM) > convenience food (CF). A higher sodium density (mg/1,000 kcal) was observed for IF compared with RM in most adults. Adults aged over 50 years old consumed more than half of the daily sodium in HM. Significant variation in the level of sodium intake was observed according to sex and age groups, therefore, different approaches and nutrition policies based on meal provision place are needed.

Sustainability practices in public institutional restaurants: definition of criteria using the Delphi technique

The objective of this investigation was to define criteria for environmental, economic and social sustainability practices at all stages of the institutional restaurant meal production process.The method was based on an initial 35 criteria model relying on the literature, and subdivided into three dimensions: natural resources, stages of the meal production process, as well as certification and training programs for employees. This model was sent to 36 specialists for the application of the Delphi Technique, through an online form, using the 5-point Likert scale, considering the relevance and difficulty of the execution of each of the criteria.The criteria that reached an average greater than or equal to 3.5 in relation to the level of relevance were considered accepted. After the analysis of the dimensions by the investigation participants indicated that the 35 criteria were approved and two new ones were included. The 37 criteria are arranged in order of relevance and levels of difficulty. This order is intended to help to instruct managers and nutritionists in assessing and determining priority actions in institutional restaurants, in order to achieve sustainable practices. The 37 defined criteria can help institutional restaurants determine priority actions for sustainability practices. In addition, it can be inferred that the 37 criteria defined and validated by experts can support the design of programs or policies related to FNS (Food and Nutritional Security) and to sustainability.