What's on the menu? A review of school meal quality across twenty-nine countries.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος:	What's on the menu? A review of school meal quality across twenty-nine countries.
Συγγραφείς:	Kanté A; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Healthhttps://ror.org/00za53h95, USA., Gelli A; Poverty, Health and Nutrition, International Food Policy Research Institute, USA., Bell W; Intake - Center for Dietary Assessment, FHI 360 Washington, USA., Wineman A; Global Child Nutrition Foundation, USA.; Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, USA.
Πηγή:	Public health nutrition [Public Health Nutr] 2026 Apr 17; Vol. 29 (1), pp. e108. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 17.
Τύπος έκδοσης:	Journal Article; Review
Γλώσσα:	English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού:	Publisher: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9808463 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1475-2727 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13689800 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Public Health Nutr Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):	Publication: <2007- > : Oxford : Cambridge University Press Original Publication: Wallingford, Oxon, UK : Published on behalf of the Nutrition Society by CAB International, c1998-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH):	Food Services/standards , Food Services/statistics & numerical data , Nutritive Value* , Schools* , Meals* , Diet* , Menu Planning*, Malnutrition/prevention & control ; Humans ; Child ; Adolescent ; Global Health
Περίληψη:	Objective: The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) - the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity - poses a critical global health challenge, particularly for children and adolescents. School meal programmes offer an opportunity to address the DBM by providing nutritious meals that support growth, development and lifelong health. However, limited school meal quality data hinders effective programme design. This study evaluates global school meal quality through nutrient composition analyses and the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS)-Meal and -Menu metrics. Design: Data were collected from the Global Child Nutrition Foundation's 2024 Global Survey of School Meal Programs, grey literature and in-country stakeholders. Nutritional content was compared to age-specific Nutrient Reference Values, including Harmonized Average Requirements. The nutritional quality of meals and menus was assessed using GDQS metrics based on twenty-five food groups. Setting: Twenty-nine countries across diverse geographic and socio-economic contexts. Participants: Not applicable. Results: Most menus met or exceeded 30 % of recommended daily nutrient values. Lunches had the highest nutrient contributions, followed by snacks and breakfasts. GDQS-Meal and -Menu scores revealed variability across age groups, meal types and countries. Overall, 57 % of menus achieved high nutritional quality, 37 % medium and 6 % low. Few menus lost points for unhealthy components. Diverse, balanced menus with healthy food groups scored higher, though fortification also proved nutritionally valuable. Conclusions: While most menus contribute significantly to daily nutrient needs, variability across countries, age groups and meal types highlights opportunities for context-specific improvements through diversification and fortification. Learning from high-performing peer programmes can help identify feasible improvements.
References:	Nutr Rev. 2025 May 1;83(Supplement_1):81-92. (PMID: 40446140) Public Health Nutr. 2012 Nov;15(11):2091-9. (PMID: 22717318) Nutrients. 2024 Jun 23;16(13):. (PMID: 38999745) Foods. 2021 Feb 09;10(2):. (PMID: 33572214) Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 Dec 21;9(1):104539. (PMID: 39896728) Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 14;19(24):. (PMID: 36554669) Ann Agric Environ Med. 2024 Mar 25;31(1):57-64. (PMID: 38549477) J Am Diet Assoc. 2002 Nov;102(11):1621-30. (PMID: 12449285) Front Public Health. 2022 May 26;10:871866. (PMID: 35692321) Adv Nutr. 2020 May 1;11(3):469-483. (PMID: 31701998) Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2023 Mar 13;20(1):29. (PMID: 36907879) Perspect Biol Med. 2010 Spring;53(2):249-56. (PMID: 20495261) J Nutr. 2021 Oct 23;151(12 Suppl 2):75S-92S. (PMID: 34689200) Annu Rev Public Health. 2024 May;45(1):375-400. (PMID: 38166503) HRB Open Res. 2020 May 4;3:20. (PMID: 32743340) Obes Rev. 2023 Apr;24(4):e13555. (PMID: 36754361) Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2021 Jul 3;18(1):89. (PMID: 34217304) Lancet Planet Health. 2025 Nov;9(11):101181. (PMID: 39571585) Nutr J. 2006 Jan 19;5:2. (PMID: 16423289) Food Nutr Bull. 2014 Sep;35(3):327-37. (PMID: 25902592) Food Nutr Bull. 2016 Dec;37(4):571-584. (PMID: 27435223) Matern Child Nutr. 2024 Apr;20(2):e13607. (PMID: 38095279) Health Promot Int. 2016 Sep;31(3):542-50. (PMID: 25823911) Nutrients. 2021 Mar 11;13(3):. (PMID: 33799780)
Contributed Indexing:	Keywords: Children; Double burden; Menu quality; Nutrition; School meals
Entry Date(s):	Date Created: 20260416 Date Completed: 20260604 Latest Revision: 20260813
Update Code:	20260813
PubMed Central ID:	PMC13434508
DOI:	10.1017/S1368980026102456
PMID:	41991914
Βάση Δεδομένων:	MEDLINE

Περιγραφή
ISSN:	1475-2727
DOI:	10.1017/S1368980026102456