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

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.