Consumption of food away from home in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic scoping review

Abstract

Context Consumption of food away from home represents an increasing share of people’s food consumption worldwide, although the percentage of food intake that is consumed away from home varies among countries and among individuals. Previous systematic reviews have reported that, overall, consumption away from home negatively affects an individual’s diet and nutritional status. However, these reviews have mainly focused on high-income countries, leaving a gap in knowledge and data for people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective The present review aimed to describe trends in the consumption of food away from home in an apparently healthy population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to investigate any associations between this behavior and diet quality, nutritional status, and health outcomes. Data Sources A structured search strategy was developed for retrieving (from MEDLINE [via PubMed], Web of Science, and Scopus) peer-reviewed articles published in English from March 2011 until May 2021. Data Extraction Forty studies were included, and from them information was obtained based on data from 12 different countries. A qualitative and descriptive approach was used to review the evidence. Data Analysis It was found that there was large heterogeneity in the definition of food consumed away from home and the methods used to measure it, making comparisons and syntheses difficult. Consumption of food away from home in LMICs was relatively common and was positively driven by factors such as being a male, being young, having a high socio-economic status, being educated, and living in urban areas. As in high-income countries, consumption of food away from home in LMICs had unfavorable effects on an individual’s diet quality, nutritional status, and health. Conclusion There is a need to develop harmonized surveillance systems for better monitoring of the phenomenon of food consumption away from home in LMICs, including a need for a standardized definition for food consumed away from home, to enable the design of effective regulatory policies.

Changes in dietary carbohydrate and lipid quality indices between 2008 and 2018: Analysis of the Brazilian dietary surveys

“…Even though the diet quality was better among individuals who reported only at-home food consumption, between the two surveys, the changes were more favourable for individuals reporting some eating away from home than for their counterparts. Food consumption away from home has been associated with higher energy and fat intake than eating at home (Lachat et al, 2012); moreover, Landais et al (2023) showed that away-from-home food consumption is associated with unfavourable effects on diet quality, nutritional status and health. Unlike this study, Bezerra et al (2021) evaluated the place of consumption considering only the first day of food record or recall in both Brazilian NDS.…”

“…Food consumption away from home has been associated with higher energy and fat intake than eating at home (Lachat et al., 2012); moreover, Landais et al. (2023) showed that away‐from‐home food consumption is associated with unfavourable effects on diet quality, nutritional status and health. Unlike this study, Bezerra et al.…”

Using of food service: changes in a Brazilian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…As the recruitment started in an academic environment and, in the recruitment technique of snowball sampling, the research participants were asked to help identify other potential participants, which probably favored the dissemination of the questionnaire among academics. Another possible hypothesis would be that the consumers of food outside the home are predominantly young adults and educated, as previous studies have already identified (Bezerra et al, 2013;Landais et al, 2022;Nagao-Sato and Reicks, 2022). Furthermore, another limitation was that we examined away-from-home food consumption only at the end of Brazil's first confinement period, but habits may have changed throughout the pandemic.…”

Households with children under 5 years and older adults, and probability of expenditure on Food Away from Home (FAFH) in Peru in 2021: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…52,53 The amount and frequency of consumption of food away from home (CFAFH) depends on factors such as knowledge, beliefs, advertising and social acceptance of products, eating habits, and the purchasing power of households. 54,55 Other factors such as the consumption patterns continuously fluctuate because of changes in food choice. 1,2,18,56,57 On the other hand, there has been an increase in food delivery apps that have increased the consumption of food away from home (CFAFH) 19,20 that are typically characterized for their poor nutritional quality.…”