Interventions to strengthen environmental sustainability of school food systems: narrative scoping review

Gardner, G., Burton, W., Sinclair, M. and Bryant, M. (2023) Interventions to strengthen environmental sustainability of school food systems: narrative scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(11), 5916. (doi: 10.3390/ijerph20115916) (PMID:37297520) (PMCID:PMC10252980)

Abstract

School food systems play a role in the wider food system, but there is a scarcity of literature exploring interventions that aim to improve the environmental sustainability of school food systems. The present review aimed to understand and describe the types of interventions that have previously been explored to strengthen the sustainability of school food systems along with their impact. We applied a scoping review methodology guided by Arksey and O’Malley, which included a review of the online database Scopus and the grey literature. Information relating to intervention design, study population, evaluation method and impact were extracted. In total, 6016 records were screened for eligibility, 24 of which were eligible for inclusion. The most common types of interventions were school lunch menus designed to be more sustainable; school food waste reduction; sustainable food system education using school gardens; and dietary interventions with added environmental components. This review highlights a range of interventions which could positively influence the environmental sustainability of school food systems. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of such interventions.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work is supported by the FixOurFood programme (BB/V004581/1) funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Transforming Food Systems Programme
• Keywords: School food system, sustainability, planetary health, population health.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sinclair, Maddie

Creator Roles

Sinclair, M.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft

• Authors: Gardner, G., Burton, W., Sinclair, M., and Bryant, M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Journal Name: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1661-7827
• ISSN (Online): 1660-4601
• Published Online: 23 May 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20(11): 5916
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License