Health inequities such as chronic disease are significantly higher among individuals living with disadvantage compared with the general population and many are reported to be attributable to preventable dietary risk factors. This study provides an overview of the current nutrition interventions for individuals living with extreme disadvantage, in supported residential settings, to develop insights into the development and implementation of policies and practices to promote long-term nutritional health and well-being.

A scoping review searched Scopus, ProQuest, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases using the terms ‘resident’, ‘nutrition’, ‘disadvantage’, ‘intervention’ and their synonyms, with particular emphasis on interventions in residential settings.

Residential services providing nutrition provision and support.

People experiencing extreme disadvantage.

From 5262 articles, seven were included in final synthesis. Most interventions focused on building food literacy knowledge and skills. Study designs and outcome measures varied; however, all reported descriptive improvements in behaviour and motivation. In addition to food literacy, it was suggested that interventions need to address behaviour and motivations, programme sustainability, long-term social, physical and economic barriers and provide support for participants during transition into independent living. Socio-economic issues remain key barriers to long-term health and well-being.

In addition to food literacy education, future research and interventions should consider utilising an academic-community partnership, addressing nutrition-related mental health challenges, motivation and behaviour change and a phased approach to improve support for individuals transitioning into independent living.

Chefs have the potential to influence diet quality and food systems sustainability through their work. We aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of culinary students about nutrition and sustainability as part of their roles, responsibilities and future work as chefs.

We surveyed students attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the fall of 2019 (n 546). Descriptive statistics compared food priority rankings and Likert-scale distributions of nutrition and sustainability attitudes and beliefs. Adjusted generalised linear models were used to evaluate whether there were differences in attitudes and beliefs across demographic groups.

The CIA, a private, not-for-profit college and culinary school with US campuses in New York, California and Texas.

Students >18 years old currently enrolled in any of the school’s associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs.

Students agreed that chefs should be knowledgeable about nutrition (96·0 %) and the environmental impact of their ingredients (90·8 %) but fewer considered healthfulness (57·8 %) and environmental impact (60·2 %) of their food to be primary considerations in their career as a chef. Taste was the primary factor influencing culinary students’ food choices but food priorities differed by race/ethnicity.

Culinary students believe nutrition and sustainability are important. Opportunities exist to empower them with knowledge and skills for promoting public health and sustainable food systems in their future work as chefs.

To estimate the effects of the social inclusion programme PROSPERA on food insecurity (FI) in Mexican households during 2012 and 2016.

Quasi-experimental study using cross-sectional data from 2012 to 2016 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey – Socioeconomic Conditions Module (in Spanish, ENIGH-MCS).

Data were used from a 2012 sample of 56 888 Mexican households (representative of 31 206 819 households) and a 2016 sample of 70 263 Mexican households (representative of 33 445 353 households). Severity of FI was estimated with the Mexican Food Security Scale (in Spanish, EMSA). The statistical analysis estimated a differences in differences (DD) model weighted by propensity score to compare program beneficiary and non-beneficiary households in 2012 than in 2016. We estimated the effect on households with and without children (< 18 years of age). We also compared this model to a DD model without propensity score weighting.

Mexican households.

FI among all beneficiary households decreased 8·0pp as compared to non-beneficiary households over the study period. In beneficiary households with children, this decrease was 6·0pp and for beneficiary households without children, this decrease was 12·9pp (for all, P-value < 0·001).

The PROSPERA program had a positive effect on FI reduction at the household level through increasing food access, which usually improves nutritional outcomes in vulnerable Mexican populations.

To evaluate the culinary content of key messages contained in food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) available at the global online repository of the FAO of the UN.

Document analysis was conducted in August 2021 with data extraction of key messages explicitly related to cooking present in FBDG. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis.

The FAO’s global repository of FBDG.

Not applicable.

Just over half (n 39; 53·4 %) of the seventy-three FBDG analysed included at least one key message about cooking. The Latin American and Caribbean FBDG presented the greatest amount and variety of content about cooking in the key messages, whereas the Near East and North America placed less emphasis on cooking. We identified three themes: (i) healthy food preparation (n 35; 61·4 % of the fifty-seven culinary key messages identified); (ii) food hygiene (n 14; 24·6 %) and (iii) the promotion of culinary practices (n 7; 12·3 %). Albania’s key message covered two themes (food hygiene and healthy food preparation) (n 1; 1·8 %).

FBDG are official documents that express recommendations for a healthy diet. As most of these recommendations throughout the world include foods that must be cooked prior to consumption, culinary content should gain more visibility and be presented more broadly in these official documents.

We examined the determinants of food insecurity among active duty Army households that transitioned into food insecurity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

We compared Army households that recently transitioned into marginal food insecurity with those households that remained highly food secure (n 2832) to better understand how these households differ in their resilience to food insecurity during economic downturns using data from a military installation in the USA in 2020.

A US military installation in the USA.

Active duty US Army soldiers.

Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of marginal food insecurity among Army households was similar to that reported for households in the general population. Marginal food insecurity among Army households increased over 1·5-fold – from 19 % to 33 % – with the onset of the pandemic. Relative to Army households with consistently high food security, the Army households that transitioned into marginal food insecurity after the onset of the pandemic were more likely to report concerns about financial insecurity and the job security of their family members.

Army households, like their civilian counterparts, are vulnerable to food insecurity because of instability in their income during periods of economic uncertainty. Periods of economic uncertainty are more common for Army households because of the frequent relocations associated with military service which could lead to predictable periodic spikes in their food insecurity.

This study aimed to critically analyse Australia’s current and proposed policy actions to reduce added sugar consumption. Over-consumption of added sugar is a significant public health nutrition issue. The competing interests, values and beliefs among stakeholders mean they have disparate views regarding which policy actions are preferable to reduce added sugar consumption.

Semi-structured interviews using purposive, snowball sampling and policy mapping. Policy actions were classified by two frameworks: NOURISHING (e.g. behaviour change communication, food environment and food system) and the Orders of Change (e.g. first order: technical adjustments, second order: reforming the system, third order: transforming the system).

Australia.

Twenty-two stakeholders from the food industry, food regulation, government, public health groups and academia.

All proposed and existing policy actions targeted the food environment/behaviour change; most were assessed as first-order changes, and reductionist (nutrient specific) in nature. Influences on policy actions included industry power, stakeholder fragmentation, government ideology/political will and public pressure. Few stakeholders considered potential risks of policy actions, particularly of non-nutritive sweetener substitution or opportunity costs for other policies.

Most of Australia’s policy actions to reduce added sugar consumption are reductionist. Preferencing nutrient specific, first-order policy actions could reflect the influence of vested interests, a historically dominant reductionist orientation to nutrition science and policy, and the perceived difficulty of pursuing second- or third-order changes. Pursuing only first-order policy actions could lead to ‘regrettable’ substitutions and creates an opportunity cost for more comprehensive policy aimed at adjusting the broader food system.

To assess the impact of integrating processed fruits and vegetables (FV) into diets in terms of diet cost reduction and ensuring nutritional adequacy year-round.

Market surveys were conducted to record foods. Focus group discussions (FGD) and 24-h dietary assessments – from children and women – were carried out to determine culturally accepted dietary habits. Six processed FV were considered for addition to diets. Using the Cost of Diet linear programming tool, standards diets were first modelled, and subsequently, the processed FV were included to analyse their impact.

Rural Tanzania: Mtwara and Morogoro.

Market survey: 50 traders; FGD: 40 women; 24-h recalls: 36 infants aged 6–23 months, 52 children aged 6–13 years and 292 women.

The standard diet costs between TZS 232 and 2368 (USD 0·3–3) daily for infants. For children aged 6–13 years, it costs between TZS 1711 and 7199 (USD 2·2–9·1) daily and the cost for the women was between TZS 2793 and 10 449 (USD 3·5–13·2). Addition of the processed FV reduced diet costs by up to 61 %, 48 % and 49 % for children aged 12–23 months, children aged 6–13 years and women, respectively. However, for infants aged 6–11 months, costs rose by up to 127 %. The processed FV addressed all micronutrient gaps in the diets except for infants aged 6–11 months, where some micronutrient intakes were unfulfilled.

Processed FV could provide a feasible option to ensure availability of nutritious but cheap diets year-round. Hence, interventions to process FV into nutritious and affordable products should extensively be pursued.

To understand the factors influencing the implementation of salt reduction interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Retrospective policy analysis based on desk reviews of existing reports and semi-structured stakeholder interviews in four countries, using Walt and Gilson’s ‘Health Policy Triangle’ to assess the role of context, content, process and actors on the implementation of salt policy.

Argentina, Mongolia, South Africa and Vietnam.

Representatives from government, non-government, health, research and food industry organisations with the potential to influence salt reduction programmes.

Global targets and regional consultations were viewed as important drivers of salt reduction interventions in Mongolia and Vietnam in contrast to local research and advocacy, and support from international experts, in Argentina and South Africa. All countries had population-level targets and written strategies with multiple interventions to reduce salt consumption. Engaging industry to reduce salt in foods was a priority in all countries: Mongolia and Vietnam were establishing voluntary programs, while Argentina and South Africa opted for legislation on salt levels in foods. Ministries of Health, the WHO and researchers were identified as critical players in all countries. Lack of funding and technical capacity/support, absence of reliable local data and changes in leadership were identified as barriers to effective implementation. No country had a comprehensive approach to surveillance or regulation for labelling, and mixed views were expressed about the potential benefits of low sodium salts.

Effective scale-up of salt reduction programs in LMIC requires: (1) reliable local data about the main sources of salt; (2) collaborative multi-sectoral implementation; (3) stronger government leadership and regulatory processes and (4) adequate resources for implementation and monitoring.

To identify the corporate political activity (CPA) strategies used by food industry actors during the development of two public health nutrition policies in Central America: Law #570 (taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages) in Panama and Bill #5504 (labelling and food marketing regulations) in Guatemala.

We triangulated data from publicly available information from 2018 to 2020, (e.g. industry and government materials; social media material) with semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders.

Guatemala and Panama.

Government, academia and international organisations workers in health and nutrition.

CPA strategies were categorised according to an existing internationally used taxonomy into action-based, instrumental strategies (coalition management, information management, direct involvement and influence in policy, legal action) and discursive strategies.

Instrumental strategies included the establishment of relationships with policymakers and direct lobbying against the proposed public policies. Discursive strategies were mainly criticising on the unfounded ground that they lacked evidence of effectiveness and will imply negative impacts on the economy. The industry pointed at individuals for making their own food choices, in order to shift the focus away from the role of its products in contributing to ill health.

We provide evidence of the political practices used by the food industry to interfere with the development and implementation of public health nutrition policies to improve diets in Central America. Policymakers, public health advocates and the public should be informed about those practices and develop counterstrategies and arguments to protect the public and policies from the vested interests of the food industry.

Dietary patterns characterised by high intake of red and processed meat are associated with detrimental health and environmental outcomes. To better understand how Americans consume red and processed meat, this study examined the food groups that are the greatest contributors to red and processed meat intake in US diets.

Cross-sectional analysis of total red and processed meat, unprocessed red meat and processed meat using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015–2016 and 2017–2018). Items containing red or processed meat were classified into thirteen mutually exclusive food groups. For highly consumed food groups (≥10 % of meat intake), contribution to meat intake was further assessed by source, sex, income and education.

Nationally representative sample of the US population.

Teens (aged 12–19 years) and adults (aged ≥20 years) who reported meat consumption (n 8178).

Meat mixed dishes (18·6 % (95 % CI 16·2, 20·9)), burgers (17·3 % (95 % CI 15·3, 19·3)) and beef excluding ground (17·0 % (95 % CI 13·8, 20·1)) were the top contributors to unprocessed red meat intake. For processed meat, four food groups made up about four-fifths of total intake: cold cuts and cured meats (37·7 % (95 % CI 34·6, 40·8)), sausages and frankfurters (20·3 % (95 % CI 18·6, 22·0)), bacon (14·0 % (95 % CI 12·3, 15·6)) and pizza (10·1 % (95 % CI 8·7, 11·5)). Fast-food restaurants were the top source for burgers and pizza, whereas stores were the top source for all other highly consumed food groups. Few differences were seen in patterns of intake by sociodemographic characteristics.

No single food group accounts for a majority of meat intake in the USA. Many behaviour change opportunities for healthier, more sustainable substitutions exist.

Front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling is a globally recommended strategy to encourage healthier food choices. We evaluated the effect of FOP labels on the perceived healthfulness of a sweetened fruit drink in an international sample of adult consumers.

Six-arm randomised controlled experiment to examine the impact of FOP labels (no label control, Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights, the Health Star Ratings (HSR), Health Warning Labels, and ‘High-in’ Warning Labels (HIWL)) on the perceived healthfulness of the drink. Linear regression models by country examined healthfulness perceptions on FOP nutrition labels, testing for interactions by demographic characteristics.

Online survey in 2018 among participants from Australia, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom (UK) and United States.

Adults (≥18 years, n 22 140).

Compared with control, HIWL had the greatest impact in lowering perceived healthfulness (β from −0·62 to −1·71) across all countries. The HIWL and the HSR had a similar effect in Australia. Other labels were effective in decreasing the perceived healthfulness of the drink within some countries only, but to a lower extent. The GDA did not reduce perceived healthfulness in most countries. In the UK, the effect of HIWL differed by age group, with greater impact among older participants (> 40 years). There were no other variations across key demographic characteristics.

HIWL, which communicates clear, non-quantitative messages about high levels of nutrients of concern, demonstrated the greatest efficacy to decrease the perceived healthfulness of a sweetened fruit drink across countries. This effect was similar across demographic characteristics.

The current study aimed to evaluate policies and actions for food environments by the Japanese Government using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI).

Public health experts rated the extent of implementation of food environment-related Policy and the Infrastructure-support components, compared with international best practices. Subsequently, the experts proposed and prioritised future actions to address implementation gaps in an online workshop.

Japan.

A total of sixty-six experts rated policy implementation by the Japanese Government and twenty-three participated in the workshop on future actions.

The implementations of regulations on unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages were rated low in the domains of Food composition, Food labelling and Food promotion, Food prices and Food retail in the Policy component. The implementations of several domains in the Infrastructure-support component were, overall, rated at a higher level, specifically for monitoring and intelligence systems. Based on the rating, reducing health inequalities by supporting people, both economically and physically, was the highest priority for future actions in both components.

The current study found that Japan has a robust system for long-term monitoring of population health but lacks regulations on unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages compared with international best practices. The current study confirmed the importance of continuous accumulation of evidence through national monitoring systems. Developing comprehensive regulations to restrict food marketing, sales and accessibility of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages is needed to improve the health of food environments in Japan.

To investigate the effects of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax and a nutrient profiling tax on consumer food purchases in a virtual supermarket.

A randomised controlled trial was conducted with a control condition with regular food prices (n 152), an SSB tax condition (n 130) and a nutrient profiling tax condition based on Nutri-Score (n 112). Participants completed a weekly grocery shop for their household. Primary outcome measures were SSB purchases (ordinal variable) and the overall healthiness of the total shopping basket (proportion of total unit food items classified as healthy). The secondary outcome measure was the energy (kcal) content of the total shopping basket. Data were analysed using regression analyses.

Three-dimensional virtual supermarket.

Dutch adults aged ≥18 years are being responsible for grocery shopping in their household (n 394).

The SSB tax (OR = 1·62, (95 % CI 1·03, 2·54)) and the nutrient profiling tax (OR = 1·88, (95 %CI 1·17, 3·02)) increased the likelihood of being in a lower-level category of SSB purchases. The overall healthiness of the total shopping basket was higher (+2·7 percent point, (95 % CI 0·1, 5·3)), and the energy content was lower (−3301 kcal, (95 % CI −6425, −177)) for participants in the nutrient profiling tax condition than for those in the control condition. The SSB tax did not affect the overall healthiness and energy content of the total shopping basket (P > 0·05).

A nutrient profiling tax targeting a wide range of foods and beverages with a low nutritional quality seems to have larger beneficial effects on consumer food purchases than taxation of SSB alone.