ERIC Number: EJ1491962
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2026-Jan
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: EISSN-1746-1561
Available Date: 2025-09-21
Food Service Professionals' Perspectives on the Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards for School Food: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review
Breda O'Mahony1,2; Claire Kerins3,4; Claire Barrett5; Celine Murrin6; Colette Kelly3
Journal of School Health, v96 n1 e70078 2026
Background: Internationally, nutrition standards for school food have been implemented. Food service professionals are key to their implementation. This mixed-methods systematic review provides an overview of the barriers and facilitators faced by food service professionals when implementing food/nutrition standards and provides an important link between policy and practice. Methods: Peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched across electronic databases and public health organization websites. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used as a framework in the analysis. Findings: Twenty-nine studies met the eligibility criteria. The most frequently cited barriers to the CFIR constructs/subconstructs were linked to the internal school setting. This included staffing, materials and equipment, and funding. Frequently cited facilitators coded to CFIR included external partnerships/connections and staff motivation to implement the standards. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: Our findings highlight not only well-documented challenges such as funding and staffing but also the novel and pivotal insights from food service professionals that point to practical, systems-level solutions. Conclusion: Researchers and practitioners can utilize the results to devise strategies to heighten implementation, as well as capitalize on factors that aid in the implementation process.
Descriptors: Food Service, Program Implementation, Nutrition, Standards, Lunch Programs, Breakfast Programs
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Discipline of Health Promotion, School of Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland; 2Tourism and Hospitality Department, Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland; 3Health Promotion Research Centre, School of Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland; 4Centre for Health Research Methodology, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland; 5Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; 6School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

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