Towards a comprehensive school food environment audit tool in Canada: a systematic review of school food environment measurements and nutrition determinants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

School food programs (SFPs) support children's health, learning, and well-being, yet Canada remains one of the few high-income countries without a nationally coordinated SFP. Instead, a patchwork of independent programs has created disparities in access, funding, and quality. In 2024, the federal government released Canada's first National School Food Policy built on principles of accessibility, health promotion, inclusivity, flexibility, sustainability, and accountability, and committed $1 billion over five years. However, no clear frameworks exist for implementation or evaluation. This review examines existing measurement tools to identify captured dimensions of school food environments and student nutrition determinants, and assess alignment with Canada's National Sch

SUBMITTER: Jeong H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12570449 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature