Sustainability is the integration of actions focused on three pillars: environmental, social, and economical. Implementing sustainable development ranges from the pursuit of quality of life, and from environmental balance to break with the current pattern of development. Therefore, the objective of this work was to understand and analyze the sustainability indicators implemented in the production of meals in food services. The authors developed specific search strategies for Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, Lilacs, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global to perform the systematic review. The authors evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies using the Meta-analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument (MASTARI). A total of 31 cross-sectional studies were analyzed. Twenty four (77.41%) of the studies had activities that covered the three indicators (environmental, social, and economic); 22.59% (n = 7) used two indicators in which 12.90% (n = 4) presented environmental and economic indicators and 9.67% (n = 3) with environmental and social indicators. This research indicates that the studies in food services are seeking to insert indicators that cover the three pillars of sustainable meal production. It is worth mentioning that in the literature, many works encompasses the importance of sustainability, but few explore which indicators are most applied or detail their implementation in food services. More studies are needed to estimate better the indicators being applied in food services.

Given the high cost of production of animal-based meats and the increase in the number of adepts of meatless diets, the need for plant-based meat substitutes is growing. In this prosperously growing market, there is a lack of knowledge about the nutritional value of these meat substitutes and their ingredients. This study aims to review the nutritional composition and ingredients of meat substitutes commercialized worldwide. An integrative review was performed with a systematic literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and 11 studies were selected to compose the sample of this review. Data on meat substitutes’ nutritional composition and ingredients from different categories were collected and analyzed. The results showed that meat substitutes commonly present lower energy values and higher amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Protein values varied according to the meat substitute category, with some showing a higher concentration than others, more specifically in substitutes for bovine meat. Higher values were found in the Pieces category and lower in Seafood substitutes. Unlike animal meat, vegan meat has a proportion of carbohydrates higher than protein in most samples, except for chicken substitutes. Meat substitutes presented similar total and saturated fat content compared to their animal-based counterparts. Higher amounts of fat were found in the “Various” category and lower in “Pieces”. Ingredients such as soy, pea, and wheat were the primary protein sources in meat substitutes, and vegetable oils were their primary fat source. Methylcellulose, various gums, and flavorings were the most used food additives. In general, meat substitutes presented high concentrations of sodium, possibly collaborating with an excessive sodium intake, highlighting the need for developing sodium-reduced or sodium-free alternatives. Most of the included samples did not describe the concentration of iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. Further studies are needed to develop meat substitutes with better nutritional composition, fulfilling the need for equivalent substitutes for animal-based meat.

This study aimed to develop and carry out content validation, semantic evaluation, reproducibility, and internal consistency of a checklist designed to verify the sustainability indicators in foodservice. The preliminary version of the checklist was prepared based on the international standards ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 14000, ISO 14001, ISO 14004 and documents from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) Certification, Green Seal Certifications, and Green Restaurant Association (GRA) certification, in addition to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) position. Thirteen experts in the study topic performed the content validation and semantic evaluation of the checklist (a minimum of 80% agreement among experts and mean value ≥4 on a 5-point Likert scale were needed to keep the item in the instrument). After consensus was reached by the experts’ panel, two different researchers applied the checklist in 20 restaurants (at the same time, in the same place, without communication between them) for the analysis of reproducibility and internal consistency (Federal District, Brazil). The agreement among answers was verified by Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. The final version of the checklist consisted of 76 items, divided into three sections (1. water, energy, and gas supply; 2. menu and food waste; 3. waste reduction, construction materials, chemicals, employees, and social sustainability). The developed checklist was validated concerning the content, approved in the semantic evaluation, reproducible, and with good reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) > 0.9 and alpha > 0.672).

Considering the importance of schools for sustainable food offers and the formation of conscientious citizens on sustainability, this systematic review aimed to verify the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools. The research question that guided this study is “what are the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools?”. This systematic review was prepared according to PRISMA, and its checklist was registered in PROSPERO. Specific search strategies for Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, Lilacs, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were developed. The included studies’ methodological quality was evaluated using the Meta-Analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument (MASTARI). A total of 134 studies were selected for a full reading. Of these, 50 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Several sustainability practices were described. The most cited are school gardens and education activities for sustainability. However, actions carried out in food services were also mentioned, from the planning of menus and the purchase of raw materials (mainly local and organic foods, vegetarian/vegan menus) to the distribution of meals (reduction of organic and inorganic waste: composting, recycling, donating food, and portion sizes). Recommendations for purchasing sustainable food (organic, local, and seasonal), nutrition education focused on sustainability, and reducing food waste were frequent; this reinforces the need to stimulate managers’ view, in their most varied spheres, for the priority that should be given to this theme, so that education for sustainability is universally part of the curricula. The importance of education in enabling individuals to promote sustainable development is reaffirmed in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). The development of assessment instruments can help monitor the evolution of sustainable strategies at schools and the main barriers and potentialities related to their implementation.

Green restaurants are based on the implementation of environmental management and are closely related to quality management through a set of instruments and programs. This study aimed to build an instrument classification adopting cutoff points and classify restaurants using traffic light scores from the sustainability assessment checklist validated in Brazilian Portuguese for restaurants. The questionnaire classification validation was performed using a cross-sectional study conducted in a convenience sample of 97 restaurants. The instrument has 76 items, and all items were based on yes/no/not applicable answers, comparing sustainability activities. The instrument score was obtained by assigning one point to each “yes” item. Each section received a score, and a total score was provided to the restaurant from the three sections’ sum. International instruments used in the checklist development stage were checked to assist in the cutoff points determination. Therefore, the score for restaurants with low adherence to sustainable practices or red seal ranges from 0 to 40%, restaurants with medium adherence to sustainable practices or yellow seal from 40% > to <75%, and restaurants with good adherence to sustainable practices or green seal ≥75%. The instrument is divided into three sections (1. water, energy, and gas supply; 2. menu and food waste; 3. waste reduction, construction materials, chemicals, employees, and social sustainability). Percentages must be reached in all sections. Researchers did not find any green or sustainable restaurants through the checklist application in the tested sample, and 47.4% of the restaurants had the yellow seal (presenting sustainable activities) with higher scores for Section 2 regarding menu and food waste. The items less scored were the company has goals for the rational use of water, the company achieves zero greenhouse gas emissions with proven partnerships, the company has a documented program to reduce carbon emissions, and towels or uniforms are made of organic or sustainable material. Thus, it demonstrates the attention points and improvements in the analyzed restaurants. We hope that the construction and validation of the checklist and its score’s determination have contributed to broadening the discussions on sustainability in food services and serve as a starting point for future research. Strategies like these are fundamental to improve the understanding of the subject and to expand the knowledge of nutritionists who deal directly with this economic sector.

The school meal promotes healthy eating habits through nutritionally adequate preparations. Consequently, it prevents obesity and malnutrition, favoring learning. This systematic review aimed at investigating the methods for evaluating the acceptance of school menus offered by school feeding programs (SFPs) around the world. Specific search strategies were conducted on PubMed, Lilacs, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Global. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Meta-Analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument. A total of 89 studies were included. The countries with the highest number of studies were Brazil (n = 42), South Korea (n = 13), and the United States (n = 12). The most used methods (69.66%) were numerical scales, with a higher prevalence for the 5-point scale (50.56%). Other methods included questionnaires and/or interviews with objective and/or subjective questions (44.94%); and mathematical formulas and/or visual estimates evaluating the consumption of food and leftovers (40.45%). The prevalent use of the 5-point hedonic scale may be due to its low cost, simplicity, ease of elaboration, application speed, and student understanding. Mathematical formulas and/or visual estimation were used by about 40% of the studies, but it is difficult to compare studies.