Students’ Perception of the School Food Environment: a Scoping Review Based on the Organizational Food Environment Framework

Background The school food environment shapes children’s and adolescents’ dietary practices and nutritional status, yet students’ perceptions of this environment remain underexplored. Objective To apply the organizational food environment framework to map the study of primary and secondary students’ perceptions of the school food environment. Methods This scoping review followed the JBI methodology and was reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus for studies published between 2005 and 2025, without language restrictions, reporting students’ perceptions regarding any component or dimension of the organizational school food environment. Search terms covered five domains: students, food environment, organizational food environment dimensions, perception, and school. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts, selected studies based on full text reading, and extracted data using a standardized tool. Data were analyzed descriptively and presented in tables and charts. Review registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/96SUH. Results Sixty-two studies were included, most (79%) employing qualitative designs with small, non-probabilistic samples. Research was concentrated in high-income countries and unevenly addressed the components of the organizational food environment framework. The Internal Level of Eating Spaces was the primary focus (87.1%), particularly the dimensions of quality (58.1%), affordability (40.3%), and availability (38.7%). The Institutional Level was explored in just over half of the studies, mainly regarding acceptability (50%), while the Surroundings (27.4%) and Decisional Levels (33.9%) were less represented. Few studies applied validated instruments or explicitly referenced a food environment framework. Conclusions Evidence on students’ perceptions of school food environments remains fragmented and limited, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. The lack of validated instruments and inconsistent use of conceptual frameworks hinders comparability across studies and the development of robust quantitative approaches. Further research systematically exploring students’ perspectives is needed to guide policies and school-based interventions that reflect students’ needs and preferences, promoting healthier food environments.