Improving Health and Sustainability in Campus Food Services

The food system around the world has serious problems affecting both our health and the environment. Poor eating habits are a major cause of chronic diseases and early death. Additionally, the food system is a big source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. It also leads to other environmental issues like loss of biodiversity, depletion of water, deforestation, and degradation of land. Shockingly, about one-third of the food produced globally ends up as waste, whether during production or when it reaches consumers. There are also significant issues like human trafficking, child labor, and other forms of exploitation in the food industry. To protect human health and the planet, it is essential to shift towards healthier and more Sustainable eating habits.

#Role of Tertiary Education Institutions

Colleges and universities can play a big part in fixing these issues through their educational, research, and community outreach activities. One key area where they can make a difference is through their food services. These services-cafeterias, canteens, kiosks, and cafes-are used by faculty, staff, and students. Changes made in these food services can influence a wide range of people. Most students are in a transitional phase from adolescence to adulthood, during which they often make lasting changes to their eating habits. Foods consumed on campus can impact their eating patterns outside of school too. Campus food services might also set examples for food services in schools and workplaces. Healthy Eating experiences on campus can shape what students expect from food services as they grow older, whether in jobs or as parents. By having positive interactions with healthy and sustainable food options on campus, students can become advocates for wider changes in the food system. Efforts to encourage healthy and sustainable eating can also have immediate benefits for students' physical and mental well-being.

#Importance of Campus Food Services

University food services are important places to promote health and sustainability. Many studies have looked into different Interventions in this area, but comprehensive reviews are lacking. This review aims to find and highlight interventions in campus food services aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable eating, reducing Food Waste, and improving the sustainability of food service operations.

#Study Approach

We followed guidelines for a scoping review and registered our protocol before starting our research. Our focus was to find studies on:

• Individuals using food services on campuses, including students, staff, and visitors.
• Interventions promoting healthy or sustainable diets, reducing food waste, or improving food service sustainability.
• Outcomes related to Diet Quality, health, sustainability, and implementation issues.

We searched six academic databases and found a large number of records, from which we filtered down to relevant studies.

#Study Selection Process

After removing duplicate entries, we ended up with thousands of records. We screened these records based on title and abstract, filtering out irrelevant studies. Only those that fit our criteria were reviewed in full text. We documented reasons for exclusion where applicable and extracted necessary data once we identified suitable studies.

#Characteristics of Included Studies

A full list of the studies is provided in supplementary materials. The majority of included studies focused on promoting health over sustainability, even though the number of sustainability-focused studies has increased in recent years. Most studies were conducted in North America and Europe, and primarily in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Germany. Most interventions aimed to promote healthier eating and reduce food waste.

#Types of Interventions

The review examined numerous interventions aimed at changing the food environment, with many focusing on labeling, improving offerings of healthy options, and raising awareness. The duration of studies varied, but many lasted less than a month. Most studies assessed implementation outcomes, diet quality, and sustainability outcomes. Many reported positive effects, like increased fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced food waste.

#Summary of Main Findings

There are numerous approaches available to promote health and sustainability in university food services, such as healthy and sustainable food labels, nudging strategies, and economic incentives. From the studies reviewed, many reported positive effects in areas like diet and sustainability. The majority of studies used quasi-experimental designs and were primarily based in a few countries.

#Strengths and Limitations of the Review

We followed robust methodologies, ensuring a careful and thorough review process. However, there were limitations, including the reliance on a prediction algorithm for some records and the lack of comprehensive data extraction. Moreover, many studies were short, and most focused solely on specific outcomes rather than examining a broader range of effects.

#Implications for Future Research

There are gaps in examining both health and sustainability outcomes, and the integration of these areas should be a focus of future studies. Most studies used limited designs and had short follow-up periods, indicating a need for more extended studies and sophisticated methods. Future research should also look closer at the effects of interventions across different customer groups.

#Implications for Policy and Practice

There are various approaches to promote health and sustainability in university food services, and many have shown effectiveness. However, there's a need for a more nuanced understanding of how different factors affect intervention outcomes. Tailoring approaches to specific contexts and monitoring their effects are essential for successful implementation.

#Conclusion

This review highlights the growing evidence that effective, feasible interventions exist to improve health and sustainability in campus food services. It is essential to not only implement these strategies but also to monitor their outcomes, thus contributing to a healthier and more sustainable food system. Collaborations between university administrators and researchers can ensure that evaluations are thorough and informative, ultimately leading to better practices in the food service sector.