How Are School Menus Evaluated in Different Countries? A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Food Service Management

Background:

• School meals are critical for student quality of life, addressing issues like food shortages, overweight, and obesity.
• Menu creation is a complex, multidisciplinary process involving nutritional, sensory, cultural, and hygienic considerations.
• Effective evaluation tools are needed to ensure school menu quality and support student well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze existing instruments and methods for evaluating school menus globally.
• To assess the quality of methodologies used in school menu evaluation studies.
• To highlight gaps in current school menu assessment approaches.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across major databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, etc.).
• Inclusion of 16 cross-sectional studies meeting specific criteria.
• Methodological quality assessment using the statistical analysis and meta-analysis review tool (MASTARI).

Main Results:

• Brazil and Spain led in the number of studies on school menu evaluation.
• The majority of studies (75%) employed qualitative approaches, with only 25% using quantitative methods.
• No single tool was identified that assesses all critical aspects of school menu planning.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists in comprehensive methodologies and instruments for evaluating school meal menus.
• Current evaluation methods are insufficient to fully assess menu quality and ensure optimal student dietary care.
• Further development of integrated assessment tools is needed to improve school nutrition programs.