Background Sufficient, safe and nutritious food is unattainable for many people experiencing severe food insecurity, putting them at dietary risk. Food banks, a growing part of the charitable food system (CFS), are the main source of food relief in developed countries. Donations of surplus, unsalable food from supermarkets, producers and manufacturers is the main source of the food supply, and this can be unpredictable, insufficient and inappropriate. The universal performance indicator of food-banking success is a weight-based measure, complemented by various initiatives to track the nutritional quality of food provided. There is currently no method that assesses the dietary risk of donated food related to nutrition and food safety. This protocol describes a method developed to identify and assess the dietary risk of donated food at an Australian food bank including the type, amount, nutrition quality, and food safety. Methods An audit of all food donated to a food bank servicing one Australian state was conducted over five consecutive days in May 2022. The audit process used a mobile device to take photographs of all incoming deliveries to the food bank. The images were manually annotated to document the type of food, product information (brand and product name, variety), the donor’s name, weight (kilograms), and date-marking details. Data was extracted from the photographs and assessed against pre-determined dietary risk criterion for food safety (date marking, damaged packaging, visible food spoilage) and nutrition quality according to the principles of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and the NOVA classification of level of processing. Discussion Fifteen hundred images were required to assess the dietary risk of 86,050 kg of donated food. There were 72 separate donations, largely from supermarkets and food manufacturers. Data analysis will enable identification of dietary risk, particularly for nutrition quality and food safety. This is important given the absence of food regulation for CFS donations, and the vulnerability of the client group. This protocol highlights the need for more transparency and accountability from food donors, about the food they donate.

Objective This review aims to synthesize the literature describing policy approaches to nutrition-focused food banking in industrialized countries, spanning the period 2000 to October 2021. Background The charitable food system provides food assistance to increasing numbers of people experiencing food insecurity in industrialized countries. Calls to improve the nutrition quality of foods provided by foods banks, pantries, and shelves have increased, yet little is known about the challenges faced when initiating policy in this setting. Methods A protocol based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Guidelines was developed and registered with Open Science Framework. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE [Ovid], Global Health, ProQuest, and Scopus) were searched for peer-reviewed articles published in English. A gray literature search was conducted using Google Advanced Search. Results Of 642 peer-reviewed articles screened, 15 were eligible for inclusion. In addition, 24 gray literature documents were included. These 39 papers were assessed against the Iron Triangle of Hunger Relief and the Campbell et al framework of organizational factors. Six themes were identified: (1) there is a moral imperative to take action to ensure the provision of appropriate and nutritious food for vulnerable clients; (2) nutrition policies are unlikely to be formalized; (3) the unpredictability of donated food is a barrier to providing healthy foods; (4) reliance on donations affects the sector’s willingness to reduce the unhealthy inventory for fear of losing donors, and the challenges of managing donor relationships were emphasized; (5) organizational capacity (volunteer workforce, executive leadership support) must be considered; (6) the existing measure of success is a weight-based metric that does not support food banks’ prioritizing of healthy foods. These, and other characteristics, were incorporated into an adapted framework. Conclusion There is a need and opportunity for nutrition-focused food banking. A priority action area is the adoption of an outcome metric that is based on nutritional quality, to reorient the charitable food system.

Background Sufficient, safe and nutritious food is unattainable for many people experiencing severe food insecurity, putting them at dietary risk. Food banks, a growing part of the charitable food system (CFS), are the main source of food relief in developed countries. Donations of surplus, unsalable food from supermarkets, producers and manufacturers is the main source of the food supply, and this can be unpredictable, insufficient and inappropriate. The universal performance indicator of food-banking success is a weight-based measure, complemented by various initiatives to track the nutritional quality of food provided. There is currently no method that assesses the dietary risk of donated food related to nutrition and food safety. This protocol describes a method developed to identify and assess the dietary risk of donated food at an Australian food bank including the type, amount, nutrition quality, and food safety.Methods An audit of all food donated to a food bank servicing one Australian state was conducted over five consecutive days in May 2022. The audit process used a mobile device to take photographs of all incoming deliveries to the food bank. The images were manually annotated to document the type of food, product information (brand and product name, variety), the donor’s name, weight (kilograms), and date-marking details. Data was extracted from the photographs and assessed against pre-determined dietary risk criterion for food safety (date marking, damaged packaging, visible food spoilage) and nutrition quality according to the principles of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and the NOVA classification of level of processing.Discussion Fifteen hundred images were required to assess the dietary risk of 86,050kg of donated food. There were 1222 food products from 72 separate donations, largely from supermarkets and food manufacturers. Data analysis will enable identification of dietary risk, particularly for nutrition quality and food safety. This is important given the absence of food regulation for CFS donations, and the vulnerability of the client group. This protocol highlights the need for more transparency and accountability from food donors, about the food they donate.

The charitable food system (CFS) is the dominant response to alleviating immediate hunger among people experiencing food insecurity in many industrialised countries. Food relief occurs through diverse models, including via food banks and pantries, soup and community kitchens, food hampers and cash vouchers. Historically, the sector measured its success in terms of both reaching those in need and ensuring adequate calories, with little regard for the nutrition needs of the individual or the quality of the food provided. This is changing with the introduction of 'nutrition-focused food banking' (NFFB) over the past decade. NFFB acknowledges the collective interests that push the sector past the old paradigm emphasising 'food of any kind' toward a focus on healthier foods. (1) Little is known about policy approaches to NFFB. This research aimed to provide insights into the key challenges of initiating and implementing policy to improve the nutrition quality of food provided by the sector. A scoping review was undertaken to establish the theoretical context concerning policy approaches to NFFB in industrialised countries. It followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A key word search was performed across four databases (Medline, Global Health, ProQuest and Scopus) and the grey literature (Google Advanced Search). Papers describing the development or application of nutrition policy to improve the nutritional quality of foods in a food bank, pantry or shelf in industrialised countries were included. The search retrieved 1392 potentially relevant articles and 39 were retained after screening for eligibility. An adapted model, incorporating Sengul Orgut et al.'s (2015) Iron Triangle of Hunger Relief (2) and Campbell et al.'s (2013) conceptual framework (3) to guide data extraction was used. The adapted framework reflects the complex logistics and organisational challenges that influence the introduction of nutrition policy, respectively. The key themes that emerged related to supply and capacity, and demand to a lesser extent. In relation to supply, the unpredictability and variability in frequency, type and volume of donated food was evident across papers and a barrier to either stocking inventory or providing healthy foods to clients. 'Donor relationships' was also a key factor influencing supply, and that food banks' reliance on donors shapes the nutrition quality of the food inventory, which affects food banks willingness and ability to reduce unhealthy inventory for fear of losing donors. (1) In relation to capacity, the volunteer workforce, engagement of external stakeholders and gaining executive support were key capacity factors. The volunteer workforce was central to the management and distribution of nutritious food, while engagement with external stakeholders and gaining executive support represented opportunities to influence key decision makers within the sector. Acknowledging the significant supply constraints and capacity cha...

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