Menu Evaluation Tools in Food Services: An Integrative Review

The growing demand for meals outside the home has boosted the food service sector, but there are constant concerns regarding the nutritional quality of the meals offered. In this scenario, menus play a strategic role in promoting health and in defining population dietary patterns.

This integrative review aimed to identify the instruments used to evaluate menus in food service settings across different contexts and target audiences.

This is an integrative review with a systematic search in the LILACS, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases, with controlled and uncontrolled descriptors. Original studies published between 2003 and 2025 that described the development of menu evaluation instruments aimed at healthy food service were included.

Data were extracted on the characteristics of the instruments, including target population, food service setting, scope, evaluation approach, assessment perspectives, number of items, country of development, and validation status.

Data were summarized using descriptive statistics, including absolute and relative frequencies. A total of 29 studies were included, with a predominance of instruments aimed at children's menus (55.2%) and with a qualitative approach (72.4%). Brazil had the largest number of developed instruments, followed by Spain, the United States, and Portugal. Only 58.6% of the instruments presented some type of validation. The instruments varied in scope (menu or menu + context), evaluation method (qualitative, quantitative, or qualitative-quantitative), and the number of perspectives covered, with 10.3% multidimensional (ie, having 4 or more dimensions).

The review showed advances in evaluating menus for the child population and in incorporating sustainability as an analytical parameter. However, gaps remain in validation and the development of multidimensional instruments, underscoring the need for validated and adapted tools to promote healthier, more sustainable menus.