Background

Food environments have substantial impacts on broader environmental sustainability. Studies have measured these impacts in public settings (education, health, recreation, retail) and private households. However, no comprehensive analysis of assessment tools that measure sustainability within these food environments exists. This scoping review aims to address this gap by identifying, analysing and summarising available tools, including outcomes measured and strengths/limitations of use.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in April 2024 across six databases. From included studies (n=143), data were extracted and narratively synthesised to identify assessment tools, outcomes measured, methodological features and strengths/limitations of each tool.

Results

Most studies were conducted in high income countries (70%) and assessed food environments in education settings (40%) and households (23%). In total, 205 assessment tools were identified. These were categorised into three groups, most commonly, tools to investigate food waste mass (e.g., weighed measures) (47%); followed by tools to investigate broad environmental impacts (e.g., Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)) (29%); and tools to investigate sustainable food-related practices (e.g., audits) (24%). There was variability in the accuracy, validity, reliability, and scalability of tools identified. For instance, some tools for measuring food waste mass were validated and self-administered, whilst LCA methods were robust but required experienced researchers and current data.

Conclusion

This review provides a repository of 205 assessment tools that can be purposefully selected by practitioners, researchers and policymakers to enhance evidence-based actions towards sustainable food environments. Future research should consider practical and scalable tools that can be feasibly implemented across countries and settings.