Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service Menus

Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.

Citation:
Pulker CE, Aberle LM, Butcher LM, ……. Trapp GSA. Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service Menus. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5)

Keywords:
Food environment; food service; healthy eating; menu; obesity; policy; public health nutrition

Abstract:
Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.