What are Food Service Guidelines?

Food service guidelines were created to improve the quality and safety of food served in community settings. As Americans have increasingly consumed meals outside the home since the 1970s, studies have shown that these meals tend to be higher in calories and fat, while lacking essential vitamins and minerals. The guidelines aim to address these concerns by promoting healthier food options and safer food handling practices. They can be applied in a wide range of settings, including schools, workplaces, parks, stadiums, military bases, correctional facilities, universities, and hospitals. By encouraging healthier food environments, these guidelines help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

For more information, check out the following resources:

• Food Service Guidelines Federal Workgroup. (2017).  Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities.
   Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/guidelines_for_federal_concessions_and_vending_operations.pdf
• Saksena, M. J., Okrent, A. M., Anekwe, T. D., Cho, C., Dicken, C., Effland, A., . . . Tuttle, C. (2018). 
  America’s Eating Habits: Food Away from Home. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/90228/eib-196_ch3.pdf?v=8116.5
• Paulin, G. D. (n.d.). Meal Appeal: Patterns of Expenditures on Food away from Home, Spotlight on Statstics. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2020/food-away-from-home/home.htm
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Food Service Guidelines. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
  https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/food-service-guidelines/index.html
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Healthy Food Environments. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/healthy-food-environments/index.html