The nutritional quality of food parcels provided by food banks and the effectiveness of food banks at reducing food insecurity in developed countries: a mixed‐method systematic review

Abstract

Background: Research indicates that food parcels provided by food banks are nutritionally poor. Food insecurity and the use of food banks are both rising, with detrimental effects on the dietary intake and health of users. This mixedmethod systematic review aims to investigate the current nutritional adequacy of pre-packaged food parcels and whether using food banks reduces the food insecurity and improves the dietary intake of their users. Methods: A mixed-method systematic literature review, restricted to articles published from 2015, was conducted using eight electronic databases, four grey literature databases and eight relevant websites. Quantitative findings, investigating the nutritional quality of food parcels and/or their impact on dietary intake or food insecurity, were presented narratively. Qualitative findings reporting the views of food bank users regarding food from food banks underwent thematic synthesis. These independent syntheses were integrated using configurative analysis and presented narratively. Results: Of 2189 articles, 11 quantitative and 10 qualitative were included. Food parcels were inconsistent at meeting nutritional requirements and often failed to meet individual needs, including cultural and health preferences. Using food banks improved food security and dietary quality of users, allowing otherwise unachievable access to food. However, food insecurity remained, and is explained by limited food variety, quality and choice. The mixed-method findings support interventions to ensure consistent, adequate nutrition at food banks, including catering for individual needs. Conclusions: Food banks are a lifeline for those severely food insecure. However when used alone, food banks struggle to eliminate the heightened food insecurity of their users. Efforts to improve the nutritional quality of food parcels could improve the experiences and diet-related outcomes of those requiring food banks.

A mixed‐method systematic review and meta‐analysis of the influences of food environments and food insecurity on obesity in high‐income countries

“…Use of food banks improved food security and dietary quality of users, allowing otherwise unachievable access to food. Nevertheless, food insecurity remained, and was explained by limited food variety, quality, and choice (Oldroyd et al, 2022). These mixed‐method findings encourage interventions to ensure consistent, adequate nutrition, and improved nutritional quality of food parcels at food banks to meet nutritional needs of those requiring food banks.…”

“…The quality scores were based on the possibility of risk of bias in the methodology, conduct, and analysis in which "Yes" represented a quality score of 1 (Oldroyd et al, 2022). The following maximum scores showed the highest quality: cross-sectional, 8; cohort studies, 11; and qualitative, 10.…”

“…Included studies were evaluated independently by two reviewers (FE, KR) for methodological validity and risk of bias using the standardized critical appraisal tools from JBI‐MAStARI (Aromataris & Munn, 2020 ), which were specific for each article's study design. The quality scores were based on the possibility of risk of bias in the methodology, conduct, and analysis in which “Yes” represented a quality score of 1 (Oldroyd et al, 2022 ). The following maximum scores showed the highest quality: cross‐sectional, 8; cohort studies, 11; and qualitative, 10.…”

“…Participation in food assistance programs has been found to be associated with obesity (Ro & Osborn, 2018 ). A recent systematic review has indicated that the nutrition quality of food parcels is inconsistent, and is often poor compared with national nutritional recommendations (Oldroyd et al, 2022 ).…”

Rural Household Food Insecurity among Latino Immigrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Our data, however, suggest that food adequacy and acceptability were issues in food pantries, shedding light on important yet understudied dimensions of food security [38]. Items distributed by food pantries may be of poor nutritional quality [50][51][52][53] and not adhere to clients' cultural and dietary preferences [54,55], including in rural communities [56]. Studies are needed examining the nutrition environments of emergency food aid organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”