Policy Approaches to Nutrition-Focused Food Banking in Industrialized Countries: A Scoping Review

This scoping review examines nutrition policies in food banks across industrialized countries, analyzing 39 peer-reviewed and gray literature documents. The review identifies six key themes, including the moral imperative to provide nutritious food, challenges with unpredictable donations, and organizational resistance to reducing unhealthy food inventory.

Key barriers include reliance on donor-driven food availability and lack of formalized nutrition policies. The study emphasizes the need for outcome metrics based on nutrition quality rather than weight-based food distribution. Recommendations include adopting nutrition policies, restructuring donation strategies, and prioritizing healthier food options in food banks.

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