Food Provision

What is the nutritional quality of foods and non-alcoholic beverages provided in different settings (e.g. schools, hospitals, workplaces)? The focus is on foods in schools, but the framework can also be applied to foods provided or sold in other publicly funded institutions.

Data collection and evaluation within this INFORMAS monitoring framework consists of two components:

  • In component I, information on existing food or nutrition policies and/or programmes within settings is compiled.
  • In component II, the quality of foods provided or sold in public sector settings is evaluated relative to existing national or sub-national nutrition standards or voluntary guidelines.

For the Module Overview video describing protocols, methodological developments, and common FAQs, please follow the link here.

Erica Reeve (Coordinator)

Research Fellow

Deakin University, Austalia

Email: Erica Reeve

Mavra Ahmed (co-Coordinator)

Research Fellow

University of Toronto, Canada

Email: Mavra Ahmed

Ana Clara da Fonseca Leitao Duran

UNICAMP, Brazil

Email: Ana Clara Duran

 

Courtney Barnes

Post Doctoral Researcher

University of Newcastle, Australia

Email: Courtney Barnes

 

Celine Murrin

Asst Professor/ Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition,

School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Sports Science

University College Dublin, Ireland

Email: Celine Murrin

 

Erica D’Souza

Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

 

Daniela Alvarez Gonzalez

INCAP, Guatemala

 

Ana Paula Cruz

Costa Rica

 

Mary L’Abbe

Earle W. McHenry Professor, and Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada
Email: Professor Mary L’Abbe

Monitoring foods and beverages provided and sold in public sector settings (pages 96–107) M. L’Abbé, A. Schermel, L. Minaker, B. Kelly, A. Lee, S. Vandevijvere, P. Twohig, S. Barquera, S. Friel, C. Hawkes, S. Kumanyika, T. Lobstein, J. Ma, J. Macmullan, S. Mohan, C. Monteiro, B. Neal, M. Rayner, G. Sacks, D. Sanders, W. Snowdon, B. Swinburn, C. Walker and INFORMAS

Read the INFORMAS paper online here
Additional Publications

 

School-FERST

An online tool launched in 2016 enabling schools to self-review the healthiness of the food and beverages they have available and support them in improving their food environments where needed.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL-FERST TOOL

The School-FERST tool is designed to enable schools to assess and continue to contribute positively to their food environments by capturing important indicators and best practice examples.

Indicators include:

  • Foods and beverages provided and sold on the school premises
  • Use of school gardens
  • Nutrition education
  • Participation in food and nutrition programmes
    school’s food and nutrition policy.

School-FERST will also highlight the efforts of schools who are taking positive steps to improve their food and nutrition environments and promote these schools as Role Model Schools.

School-FERST will provide detailed, individual feedback to schools on various aspects of their school food environments. Schools will also be able to see how they fare in comparison to schools in their decile, region, and across the country.

School-FERST will also provide resources to guide those schools working towards improving the healthiness of their food environments.

Preliminary Results

School-FERST – Preliminary Results for Primary Schools
School-FERST – Preliminary Results for Intermediate Schools
School-FERST – Preliminary Results for Secondary Schools
School-FERST – Preliminary Results for Composite Schools

For more information please contact Erica D’Souza