Scoping Review: The Impact of Social, Medical, and Physical Environmental Factors on Food Intake During Hospitalisation in Mental Health Facilities

Healthcare organisations in the United Kingdom must comply with national standards for food and drink, including sustainable sourcing and minimisation, mitigation and management of food waste. Despite this, an estimated one in six plates of food served in hospitals are wasted daily, producing 12% of the UK food waste, equating to 6% of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) nationally, and a waste-management cost of £230m per annum. Within healthcare there is a move towards the implementation of “plant-based diets by default” to reduce the environmental impact, improve nutritional outcomes, and reduce costs. However, plant-based diets are often perceived as being difficult to prepare by caterers, less enjoyable and may result in more food waste. We conducted a scoping review to examine the influence of the social, medical, and physical environment on food intake during inpatient admission to a mental health hospital. Fourteen-studies were included. We identified five critical knowledge areas: i) food and socio-cultural environment, ii) evidence-based measures and strategies to reduce food waste, iii) economic food environment, iv) inevitability of weight gain and v) applications of theoretical models for behaviour-change. Future research should explore the development of a behaviour-change framework inclusive of training, education, and goal setting component for staff, patients, and visitors.