Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Food Procurement and Foodservice in Australian Aged Care and Healthcare Services: A Scoping Review of Current Research and Training

Balancing the adoption of environmentally sustainable food systems in Australian healthcare and aged care settings whilst meeting nutritional requirements has never been more critical. This scoping review aimed to identify: the major authoritative reports/guidelines related to healthy and environmentally sustainable food procurement and foodservice in aged care and healthcare services released by international and Australian governments/organizations; and the scope of healthy and environmentally sustainable food procurement and foodservice research and training initiatives in aged care and healthcare services implemented in Australia over the past decade. A systematic search yielded n = 17 authoritative reports/guidelines and n = 20 publications describing Australian research and training initiatives. Implementation of healthy and sustainable food procurement and foodservices were limited by staff knowledge and self-efficacy, and unsupportive management. Further intervention and monitoring of healthy and sustainable food procurement and foodservice practices is needed. Whilst professionals working in and managing these services require upskilling to apply evidence-based approaches, no system-wide training programs are currently available. There is an urgent need to resolve the existing gap between recommendations to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and staff training across these sectors.

Automated summary

This scoping review focused on identifying authoritative reports/guidelines related to healthy and environmentally sustainable food procurement and foodservice in aged care and healthcare services in Australia. The study found limitations in the implementation of such practices due to staff knowledge, self-efficacy, and unsupportive management, highlighting the need for further intervention and monitoring. There is currently a lack of system-wide training programs for professionals in these sectors, indicating an urgent need to bridge the gap between recommendations and staff training.