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Review

Gastronomy in Public Meals—A Scoping Review

by
Susanne Bryngelsson
1,2,
Stina-Mina Ehn Börjesson
1,
Anna Calvén
1,
Bo Ekstrand
1,3,
Sarah Forsberg
1,
Karin Höijer
1,
Maria Nyberg
1,
Viktoria Olsson
1,
Elisabet Rothenberg
4,
Emily Sonestedt
1,5 and
Karin Wendin
1,6,*
1
Department of Food and Meal Science, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden
2
Department of Food and Agriculture, RISE—Research Institutes of Sweden, 223 63 Lund, Sweden
3
Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
4
Department of Nursing and Integrated Health Sciences, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden
5
Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 214 28 Malmö, Sweden
6
Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Gastronomy 2025, 3(3), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3030010
Submission received: 24 April 2025 / Revised: 11 June 2025 / Accepted: 25 June 2025 / Published: 30 June 2025
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

Many meals are consumed in public settings such as schools, hospitals, and elderly care. These meals have the potential to impact public health as well as promote sustainable lifestyles. However, gastronomic values can be important for loading the meals with other dimensions. The aim of this article is to explore how the concept of gastronomy is understood, used, and described in the scientific literature in the context of public meals. For this scoping review, a systematic approach was adopted, including articles that use the concept of gastronomy in the context of public meals, as defined in this paper. A total of 3676 articles were initially identified, of which eight were finally included for assessment in this review. Three main themes emerged in the analysis, illustrating how the concept of gastronomy was used: gastronomy as local food and national cuisine; gastronomy as ideas of ‘the good’; and gastronomy as a framework. The concept of gastronomy is seldom clearly defined but is often used to emphasize ideas of ‘the good’, local food, and culinary traditions. Through gastronomy, healthy and sustainable public meals can be loaded with additional value, creativity, and innovation, enhancing the overall meal experience.

1. Introduction

An increasing number of people consume meals in various public arenas such as schools, hospitals, and elderly care facilities [1], although the organization of public meals varies globally [2]. As such, public meals have become an important everyday phenomenon with significant potential to impact public health and the sustainability of the food system [3].
Meals within the foodservice sector can be classified into two main categories: the public sector and the commercial sector. Public meals are typically tax-funded and served in institutional settings such as schools, hospitals, elderly care homes, and prisons. They are designed to meet essential needs, such as providing adequate nutrition, and often offer limited consumer choice. In contrast, commercial meals, including those in restaurants and tourism settings, are privately financed, profit-driven, and consumed voluntarily [4]. In addition to providing nourishment [5,6], public meals serve pedagogical and normative functions by promoting healthy eating habits, addressing long-term gender and social inequalities, and fulfilling requirements related to palatability, safety, sustainability, and commensality [7,8]. These aims align with several of the Sustainable Development Goals [9], such as zero hunger (goal 2), good health and wellbeing (goal 3), quality education (goal 4), reduced inequalities (goal 10), responsible consumption and production (goal 12), and climate action (goal 13).
Taking Sweden as an example, approximately one-third of the population consumes meals provided within healthcare, schools, and social care settings daily [10]. With such a prominent role in society, the design of these meals can play a crucial part in promoting public health and achieving global and national food consumption goals, such as halving food waste between 2015 and 2030 [9,11].
Consumers of public meals often have limited choice of what and where to eat, relying instead on professionals who plan and serve the meals. This reliance is most pronounced among individuals who receive all their meals from institutional settings, such as elderly care homes or prisons. In such contexts, it becomes vital that meals encompass more than nutritional value and also incorporate gastronomic elements [12,13]. However, gastronomy as a theoretical foundation does not fully encompass all the important features and dimensions in the public meal. As Heikkila et al. (2022) [12] argued, more holistic models may better capture the full meal situation. Furthermore, gastronomy is not a well-defined concept. However, by focusing on the concept of gastronomy within the empirical context of public meals, and by using meaningful definitions, this study addresses a gap in the existing literature.
As summarized in a systematic literature review by Koerich and Müller (2022) [14], several definitions have attempted to capture the essence of gastronomy, often involving traditional concepts of “good food” and “good eating”. Recently, Lee and Bucher (2023) [15] advocated for a more inclusive and less elitist understanding of the concept, grounded in a broader view of what can be considered as “good eating”. As part of their proposed definition, they state that gastronomy “involves an entire ecosystem of human experiences that give meaning to food”. In line with this view, Koerich and Müller (2022) [14] described gastronomy as a pluralistic and ambiguous concept, difficult to define, and with different meanings depending on context and situation. Their review also highlights the multidisciplinary nature of gastronomic knowledge. Using the definition proposed by Jönsson and Tellström (2009) [16]—“Food and meal designs with high knowledge content in order to stimulate pleasure in the meal consumer”—which encompasses both the notion of knowledge and human experiences of food and meals [16], we suggest that gastronomy can be a valuable tool for enhancing and highlighting the complexity and importance of the public meal experience.
We have previously explored the relationship between public meals, health, sustainability, and gastronomy from various perspectives [17,18]. However, our findings have indicated that the intersection between gastronomy and public meals remains largely under-researched and rarely applied in practice. Despite the large number of people who rely on public meals daily, there is a noticeable lack of academic attention to the gastronomic dimension and the role of pleasure in the public meal experience. By integrating gastronomy, it is possible to combine the hedonic liking of food with healthiness and sustainability, opening new possibilities for innovation in the public meal sector. The objective of this article is, therefore, to systematically examine how the concept of gastronomy is understood, used, and described in the scientific literature in the context of public meals.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Search Strategy

For this scoping review exploring the concept of gastronomy in the context of public meals, selected parts of PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews protocol [19] were adopted, e.g., regarding eligibility criteria (item 6), information sources (item 7), and search strategies (item 9), while other parts of the PRISMA protocol were not fully followed, as we did not intend to conduct a full systematic review. The review protocol was registered in INPLASY with the registration number INPLASY202560044. Eligible articles were those using the concept of gastronomy in the context of public meals, published as full-text papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals between 1 January 2013 and 7 June 2023, and written in English.
In this review, public meals were defined as meals served in institutional settings commonly funded by public resources, including preschools, schools, elderly care, social care, prisons and probation services, military services, and hospitals [17]. Articles addressing gastronomy in contexts other than public meals were excluded. Additionally, animal studies, intervention studies on patients assessing health outcomes, and studies exploring various aspects related to teaching/educational performance were considered as out of scope and excluded. Studies conducted outside a meal context (e.g., those using only instrumental food assessments) were also excluded.
The literature search was conducted on 7 June 2023, by a professional librarian, assisted by the authors. Four databases were used: PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection (Web of Science), Scopus, and Academic Search Premier (EBSCO). Given the varied terminology for public meal settings, a broad search strategy was used, using the search term “gastronom*” (in title, abstract and/or keywords), to ensure relevant articles were not missed. Detailed search settings for each database are provided in Appendix A.1.
Duplicates were removed using EndNote, and all identified articles were downloaded and imported into Rayyan (https://www.rayyan.ai/, first accessed on 1 March 2023), a software tool used for organizing and managing the screening process. The process proceeded in three automated steps within Rayyan. Here, based on Hoijer and Edwards, we defined public meal as “Meals that are tax funded and take place in institutional settings bindestreck borttaget”. Due to this definition of public meals, articles related to tourism were excluded using “tourism” as a keyword, as this was outside the scope of the present study. In the next step, experimental and animal studies were excluded using the following keywords: beagle(s), broiler(s), cell(s), in vitro, mouse/mice, murine, piglet(s), porcine rabbit(s), rat(s), rodent(s), and soil. In the third step, articles published in journals considered outside the scope of this review, e.g., journals focused on molecules, chemistry, tourism, environmental management, biology, botany, pharmaceutics, and geography, were excluded (Appendix A.2). Decisions on which journals to exclude were made jointly by the authors. After these automatic exclusions, the remaining articles were screened manually by at least two authors based on titles and abstracts. Judgements were recorded in Rayyan, and any discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Articles not meeting the inclusion criteria were excluded. The remaining articles were then read in full text by all authors, and final inclusion decisions were made jointly by all authors.

2.2. Assessment

All articles included in the final selection were assessed exploratively to examine how the concept of gastronomy was used and described in the context of public meals. The following information was extracted from the included articles: author(s), year of publication, country, setting, method, aim, and main findings or conclusion. As part of the analysis of the articles, texts were initially marked and coded, focusing on how the concept of gastronomy was used. With inspiration from thematic analysis [20], themes were thereafter generated, capturing how the concept of gastronomy was used and described in the articles.

3. Results

A total of 3676 articles were initially identified through the database search (Figure 1). After automatic exclusions in Rayyan, based on keywords (n = 849) and journals deemed out of scope (n = 469), 2532 articles remained for manual screened based on information in title and abstract. Of these, 2519 were excluded. The remaining 13 articles were read in full by all authors, after which five were excluded (Appendix A.3), resulting in eight articles included for assessment in this review (Table 1).
The analysis of the articles included revealed three main themes describing how the concept of gastronomy was used in the context of public meals: (1) gastronomy as local food and national cuisine; (2) gastronomy as ideas of ‘the good’; and (3) gastronomy as a framework (Table 2).
Within the theme “Gastronomy as local food and national cuisine”, three articles explored gastronomy as a reflection of local food culture and national culinary identity. Two of these studies were conducted in a school setting [23,28], and one in a hospital setting [22]. The theme “Gastronomy as ideas of ‘the good‘” comprised three papers: one in a hospital setting [24], one concerning school [25], and one investigating public meals more generally [27]. In “Gastronomy as a framework”, two studies used gastronomy as a conceptual or methodological framework to guide research or interventions, rather than examining the concept itself in depth. Andersen et al. (2015) [21] focused on a school setting, while Spence et al. (2019) [26] investigated a nursing home setting.
Across the themes, nutrition—particularly healthy diets as a foundation for health—was a recurring focus. Tormo-Santamaria and Bernabeu-Mestre (2022) [28] emphasized the importance of gastronomy for promoting both healthy and sustainable diets in schools. Oncini (2019) [25] highlighted that gastronomy plays a role in food-related health inequality among children. Andersen et al. (2015) [21] evaluated the effect of the New Nordic Diet in the school meal setting. Guala and Marenco (2020) [22], Navarro et al. (2016) [24], and Spence et al. (2019) [26] investigated the impact of gastronomy in the context of hospital food.

4. Discussion

In this scoping review, we identified eight articles that have used the concept of gastronomy in the context of public meals. The settings for these studies varied, focusing primarily on school and hospitals settings. Methodological approaches also differed, ranging from experimental studies to more conceptual work.

4.1. Gastronomy as Local Food and National Cuisine

Gastronomy has long been used as a concept to illustrate the connection between food, culture, and traditions [14]. Its connection to tourism is also well established [29]. In this review, three of the articles framed gastronomy in relation to local food and national cuisine within school and hospital settings, demonstrating how cultural preferences and traditions influence the design and acceptance of public meals. This also reflects Bourdieu’s concept of taste as socially conditioned, where preferences for certain foods are shaped not only by individual choice but also by one’s upbringing and social context [30].
In the article by Maxwell (2019) [23], French school lunch programs were examined in relation to national culinary identity and local French cuisine, positioned in contrast to the influence of “global food”. Gastronomy was used to illustrate the tension between national culture and globalization, reinforcing the role of meals as a medium for cultural preservation. This tension can also be understood as an expression of national identity as an imagined community [31], which is actively constructed through everyday practices such as our meals. The study emphasized how school meals serve to educate students in “gastronomic pleasure and French culinary traditions”, framing “the art of gastronomy as a key source of identity and pride”. In doing so, these programs foster an appreciation for national cuisine and contribute to a shared national identity. Food preferences and taste are both markers of identity and social positions in society and serve to create social belongings through shared experiences [32]. This connection between gastronomy, food experiences, and identity aligns with previous attempts to frame the concept of gastronomy, such as Jönsson and Tellström’s (2009) [16] definition of gastronomy as “food and meal designs with high knowledge content in order to stimulate pleasure in the meal consumer”. Their definition suggests that meals are not only about sustenance, but also about knowledge, experience, and cultural transmission. When gastronomic principles are integrated into public meals, they can serve as educational tools that enhance appreciation for diverse culinary traditions while also fostering a sense of belonging. This is particularly relevant in institutional settings such as schools, where early exposure to culturally significant meals can influence lifelong food preferences and attitudes, and promote inclusion and connection through shared food experiences. Connections between gastronomy and culinary identity in France have also been noted in other studies [33]. These studies suggest that incorporating national and regional food traditions into public meals may support cultural continuity and enhance meal acceptance.
When diners encounter familiar flavors and preparation styles, their willingness to engage with the meal increases, leading to greater satisfaction and potentially improved nutritional intake. This underscores the importance of incorporating gastronomic elements into the design of public meal programs, as culturally resonant meals are more likely to be embraced by consumers, thereby reinforcing positive eating habits and social cohesion.

4.2. Gastronomy as Ideas of ‘the Good’

The articles included in the theme “Gastronomy as ideas of ‘the good’” approached the concept of gastronomy from various perspectives, focusing on food intake, enjoyment of food and meal situations, or children’s relationships with food from a sociological perspective. Collectively, these articles have demonstrated the broad diversity in how the concept of gastronomy is used.
The articles by Navarro et al. (2016) [24] and Sporre et al. (2017) [27] align closely with the definition of gastronomy proposed by Jönsson and Tellström (2009) [16]. Both studies emphasized the role of gastronomy in enhancing meal satisfaction and influencing consumption patterns. In hospital settings, improved meal presentation and culinary expertise were shown to significantly impact food intake, reduce waste, and improve patient health outcomes [24]. These findings suggest that a gastronomic approach to public meals can contribute to improved nutritional status and overall well-being, particularly among vulnerable populations such as patients.
The article by Oncini (2019) [25] adds a socioeconomic perspective, demonstrating that children from more privileged backgrounds tended to have broader perspectives of ‘the good’ in relation to food, expressed through wider gastronomic horizons and greater exposure to diverse food cultures. One interpretation is that the diversity of school lunch systems significantly influences children’s perception of ‘the good’ in relation to food and meals, underscoring the importance of accessibility and cultural representation in public meal planning. According to Bourdieu (1984) [32], what is considered “good taste” is socially constructed and often aligned with the norms of dominant groups in society, which also helps explain how socioeconomic background influences children’s exposure to different food cultures. The diverse structures of school lunch programs globally play a crucial role in shaping children’s dietary habits and food literacy [34]. In some countries, such as Sweden, school lunches are served free of charge, with the initial aim of achieving health equality by offering nutritious and healthy foods [35]. In many countries, policies focus on providing nutritionally adequate school lunches while also reflecting national culinary identities and traditional eating patterns [36,37]. Furthermore, studies suggest that the integration of gastronomic elements into public meals can support long-term behavioral change by fostering positive associations with healthy eating. The research on sensory perception and food education indicates that engaging with meals through a gastronomic lens—where taste, texture, and cultural narratives are emphasized—can encourage individuals to make healthier choices [38]. This perspective aligns with the broader educational goals of school meal programs, where experiential food learning can contribute to more informed and conscious eating behaviors in adulthood [39]. Taken together, these insights highlight that the concept of ‘the good’ in gastronomy extends beyond taste and quality to include aspects of equity, food culture, and education. As public meal providers continue to develop their offerings, the inclusion of gastronomic elements that are inclusive, culturally sensitive, and nutritionally beneficial may serve as a powerful strategy to enhance meal acceptance, satisfaction, and long-term health outcomes.

4.3. Gastronomy as a Framework

In two of the included articles, gastronomy was used more as a framework, providing an overarching structure for the study, rather than being a concept of direct investigation. This indicates that gastronomy is not always explicitly defined but can serve as a methodological or theoretical lens for approaching public meal design, evaluation, and policy development. Understanding gastronomy in this way allows for a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates health, sustainability, and cultural dimensions into public meal strategies.
That potential of gastronomy in promoting the nutritional value of public meals is exemplified by Andersen et al. (2015) [21], who examined the impact of incorporating gastronomic principles into school meal programs through the New Nordic Diet. Rather than focusing solely on nutrition, this approach also integrated sustainability, cultural identity, and sensory appeal to influence children’s dietary habits. Their study demonstrated how a structured gastronomic framework can enhance meal acceptance, increase consumption of targeted food groups, and foster long-term dietary change. It also highlighted the importance of culinary expertise in developing nutritionally balanced and appealing meals, suggesting that gastronomic principles can play a significant role in shaping dietary behavior in institutional settings. These findings align with other research on public meal frameworks, including sensory-enhanced meal interventions [26] and sustainability-driven school meal programs [21]. Both studies highlighted how gastronomic considerations, such as meal presentation and cultural resonance, can improve meal acceptance and dietary adherence. These insights suggest that an integrated approach, combining sensory science with nutritional policy, could further enhance the effectiveness of public meal programs by addressing both consumption behavior and long-term dietary preferences. The New Nordic Diet approach, integrating sustainability and regional identity, demonstrates how gastronomic principles can be systematically applied to influence food choices and nutritional outcomes in among children.
Similarly, Spence et al. (2019) [26] explored gastronomy as an interdisciplinary framework by examining how molecular gastronomy techniques could improve food intake among elderly hospital patients. Their study highlighted the role of sensory perception—particularly texture, temperature, and presentation—in influencing food acceptance among vulnerable groups with specific dietary needs. The use of gastrophysics in meal planning and consumption shows that gastronomic interventions can have a direct impact on both nutritional intake and well-being, particularly for populations that experience challenges with traditional food consumption.
These studies suggest that gastronomy, when used as a framework, can bridge sensory science, nutrition, and cultural considerations to create more engaging and effective public meal programs. However, despite its potential, gastronomy as a framework remains underexplored in public meal research. Future studies should systematically assess how gastronomic principles contribute to meal satisfaction, dietary adherence, and sustainability outcomes in various public settings. Additionally, integrating gastronomy into public food policies could enhance the effectiveness of meal programs by aligning them with broader public health and sustainability goals. For instance, research could explore how gastronomic frameworks can be applied to meal planning in prisons, hospitals, and elder care facilities to improve both nutritional intake and meal experience.
The findings from Andersen et al. (2015) [21] and Spence et al. (2019) [26] indicate that gastronomy, when used as a framework, has broad implications beyond food preparation—it can also shape food policies, meal service design, and consumer behavior. By incorporating insights from behavioral sciences, sensory studies, and sustainability research, gastronomy has the potential to transform public meal programs into more effective, culturally resonant, and nutritionally beneficial experiences.
Although only a few studies were included in this review, it is evident that the concept of gastronomy is used in varied and multifaceted ways within the context of public meals. It may contribute to cultural exchange in public meal settings, reduce social inequalities, and enhance the overall dining experience. This potential might especially be demonstrated in the field of tourism. For example, Polat and AktaŞ-Polat (2020) [40] described gastronomy as a “combination of food with art, pleasure, taste, and science” in their work on the development of “local culinary”, while Meneguel et al. (2019) [41] characterized gastronomy as “an important vehicle for the transmission of history, tradition, identity, knowledge, value and quality” in their study on high-quality restaurants as an engine for the development of gastronomy tourism. When related to the definition of gastronomy by Jönsson and Tellström (2009) [16], as used in this review, it becomes clear that gastronomy can be understood from many different perspectives. The findings from this review also indicate that ideas of the good and culturally preferred are part of the ways in which gastronomy is used when applied to the public meal arenas. While seldom clearly defined, gastronomy is often used to emphasize what is perceived as ‘good’ and ‘valuable’—that is, food anchored in cultural ideas, historical context, and local as well as national food and meal traditions.
To understand gastronomy in a sustainable setting, Rinaldi (2017) [42] argued that gastronomy and food play a role in promoting economic, social, and environmental sustainability, mainly by connecting to place and tourism. Hoijer et al. (2020) [17] showed that sustainability in public meals is most often addressed in settings such as schools and hospitals. As the majority of the studies included in this review focused on these settings, it becomes evident that the outcomes are closely linked to different aspects of sustainability such as zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, reduced inequalities, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. This is also in line with Lee and Bucher (2023) who argued that gastronomy gives meaning to food by involving the entire ecosystem of human experiences [15], meaning that gastronomy has the potential to strengthen sustainability in a broader perspective.

4.4. Limitations and Future Research

This scoping review has several limitations. Despite the use of an inclusive search strategy, there is a risk that the automated screening may have excluded relevant papers. Additionally, since only peer-reviewed articles written in English were included, relevant research published in other languages may have been missed. The concept of gastronomy is defined in various ways, enabling analysis from multiple perspectives, as reflected in the three themes identified in this review. While definitions of public meals also vary across countries due to differences in welfare systems, it is evident that public meals play a significant, though regionally variable, role in modern food consumption.
This review highlights a notable scarcity of publications which are addressing gastronomy in the context of public meals. Future research should explore how gastronomic principles influence meal satisfaction, dietary adherence, and sustainability outcomes across diverse public settings. By integrating gastronomy into public food policies, meal programs can be more effectively aligned with overarching public health and sustainability goals.

5. Conclusions

This review shows that gastronomy is described and understood in many ways. Based on the eight included studies, three thematic categories emerged: (1) gastronomy as local food and national cuisine, (2) gastronomy as ideas of ‘the good’, and (3) gastronomy as a framework. Sustainability seemed to be a connection between the different themes, although the sustainability perspectives varied between studies. Although limited by the very few studies, the findings suggest that gastronomy as a concept has the potential to play a more active role in the design and presentation of public meals.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, S.B., S.-M.E.B., S.F., K.H., M.N., V.O., E.R. and K.W.; methodology, S.B., S.F., E.R. and K.W.; validation, E.R. and E.S.; formal analysis, S.B., S.-M.E.B., S.F., K.H., M.N., V.O., E.R. and K.W.; investigation, S.B. and V.O.; resources, K.W.; writing—original draft preparation, S:B., S.-M.E.B., S.F., K.H., M.N., V.O., E.R. and K.W.; writing—review and editing, A.C., B.E. and E.S.; visualization, E.R. and E.S.; project administration, S.B.; funding acquisition, K.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Data is available upon request.

Acknowledgments

The research environment MEAL—Food and Meals in Everyday Life for funding. Gratitude to the Library and Higher Education Development for help with the literature search.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Appendix A

Appendix A.1

Table A1. Search settings.
Table A1. Search settings.
Database
Academic Search PremierPubMed Scopus Web of Science
Free text search, field codes-Title/Abstract Article title, Abstract, Keywords Title, Abstract, Author keywords
(Search in three separate fields)
Free text search, search techniquesTruncationTruncationTruncationTruncation
LanguageEnglish, Danish English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian English English, Danish
Document typeArticle -Article, Review Article, Review, Early Access
OtherPeer review ---
Number of hits2 227 311 1 858 1 487
Number of hits
after duplicate
cleaning		1 657 285 1 557 177
Total number of hits before duplicate cleaning: 5883.

Appendix A.2

Keywords to exclude in Rayyan: tourism (n = 627 papers), in vitro (n = 84), cell (n = 55), cells (n = 49), soil (n = 34), rats (15), mice (n = 12), broiler (n = 7), mouse (n = 7), rat (n = 5), broilers (n = 4), piglets (n = 4), rabbit (n = 4), porcine (n = 3), murine (n = 3), rabbits (n = 1), rodent (n = 1), rodents (n = 1), beagle (n = 1).
Journals to exclude in Rayyan: Molecules (n = 55), Food Chemistry (n = 23), Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites (n = 20), Food Control (n = 19), Acta Veterinaria Brno (n = 16), Tourism Recreation Research (n = 14); Agronomy (n = 12), Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry (n = 11), Animals (2076–2615) (n = 11), Current Issues in Tourism (n = 11), Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism (n = 11), Biology (2079–7737) (n = 10), Ekonomika Poljoprivreda-Economics of Agriculture (n = 10), Food Chem (n = 10), International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research (n = 10), International Journal of Molecular Sciences (n = 10), Mathematical Intelligencer (n = 10), Tourism Management Perspectives (n = 10), African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure (n = 9), Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights (n = 9), Journal of Tourism Futures (n = 9), Potravinarstvo (n = 9), Chemical Senses (n = 8), Czech Journal of Food Sciences (n = 8), Food Hydrocolloids (n = 8), Acta Geographica Slovenica (n = 7), Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Technologia Alimentaria (n = 7), Anatolia (n = 7), European Journal of Lipid Science & Technology (n = 7), International Journal of Tourism Research (n = 7), Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (n = 7), Journal of Heritage Tourism (n = 7), Mathematical Intelligencer (n = 7), Tourism Geographies (n = 7), Agriculture (Switzerland) (n = 6), Anais Brasileiros de estudos turisticos-abet (n = 6), International Journal of Tourism Cities (n = 6), Journal of Insects as Food and Feed (n = 6), Pharmaceutics (n = 6), Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism (n = 6), Semiotica (n = 6), Tourism Management (n = 6), Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae (n = 5), Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (n = 5), Heliyon (n = 5), Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (n = 5), Revista de Ciencias Sociales (n = 5).

Appendix A.3

Table A2. Excluded articles after reading in full text.
Table A2. Excluded articles after reading in full text.
ReferenceReasons for Exclusion
Estruch, Ramón, Emilio Ros, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Maria-Isabel Covas, Dolores Corella, Fernando Arós, Enrique Gómez-Gracia, Valentina Ruíz-Gutiérrez, Miquel Fiol, José Lapetra, Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós, Lluís Serra-Majem, Xavier Pintó, Josep Basora, Miguel Angel Muñoz, José Vicente Sorlí, Alfredo J Martínez, Montserrat Fitó, Alfredo Gea, Miguel A. Hernán and Miguel Angel Martínez-González. “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts.” The New England Journal of Medicine 378 (2018): e34(1)–e34(14).Out of scope
Opielak, Grzegorz, Tomasz Zuzak, Maciej Kozioł, Mikołaj Cyganok, Piotr Piech, Anna Szulc and Marian Jędrych. “Analysis of the quality of hospitalization based on the assessment of patients in Lublin, Poland.” Polish Journal of Public Health 127 (2017): 118–121.Out of scope
Pant, Aakanksha, Amelia Yilin Lee, Rahul Karyappa, Cheng Pau Lee, Jia An, Michinao Hashimoto, U-Xuan Tan, Gladys Wong, Chee Kai Chua and Yi Zhang. “3D food printing of fresh vegetables using food hydrocolloids for dysphagic patients.” Food Hydrocolloids 114 (2021): 106546.Out of scope
Sun, Jie, Zhuo Peng, Weibiao Zhou, Jerry Ying Hsi Fuh, Geok Soon Hong and Annette Chiu. “A Review on 3D Printing for Customized Food Fabrication.” Procedia Manufacturing 1 (2015): 308–319.Out of scope
Varvara, Rodica-Anita, Katalin Szabo and Dan Cristian Vodnar. “3D Food Printing: Principles of Obtaining Digitally-Designed Nourishment.” Nutrients 13 (2021): n. pag.Out of scope

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Gastronomy 03 00010 g001
Figure 1. Overview of the search flow. 1 Keywords to exclude and 2 journals to exclude are presented in Appendix A.2.
Figure 1. Overview of the search flow. 1 Keywords to exclude and 2 journals to exclude are presented in Appendix A.2.
Gastronomy 03 00010 g001
Table 1. Articles included in this review.
Table 1. Articles included in this review.
Author and YearCountryContext MethodologyStudy AimMain Findings
Andersen et al., 2015 [21]Denmark School Cluster-randomized controlled unblinded cross-over study To investigate the effects of serving New Nordic Diet school meals vs. usual packed lunches on the dietary intakeIncreased intake of New Nordic Diet signature foods.
Guala and Marenco, 2020 [22]Argentina Hospital Experimental study To introduce an integer programming model to propose menus for lunches and dinnersThe model helped to decrease the total costs by 21% and 25% for the local and the WHO meals vs. the manually designed menus previously used at the hospital
Maxwell, 2019 [23]France School Observational study and in-depth face-to-face interviews To analyze the dual trends of global diversity and maintaining unity through French elementary school lunches:
1. To what extent are foreign influences included?
2. Does openness to foreign influences vary across different parts of France?
3. How are foreign cultures represented?		The limited foreign influences that appear in school lunches are strategically chosen to appeal to and to educate students, but in a way that reinforces the centrality of traditional French cultural norms
Navarro et al., 2015 [24]Israel Hospital Non-randomized clinical trial To investigate the effect of improved meal presentation supported by gastronomy expertise on the food intake in adults hospitalized in internal medicine departments. Improvement of meal presentation at a hospital setting can increase food intake, reduce waste food substantially, and reduce readmission rates to hospital
Oncini, 2020 [25]Italy School Ethnographic study To identify differences in relation to food and exclusionary strategiesFood boundaries are depending on cultural and economic endowments
Spence, et al., 2019 [26]EnglandHospital and old people’s facilities Concept paper To investigate the use of ice-cream as a potentially effective vehicle for the delivery of nutrition/energy to the elderly in hospital and in old people’s facilities. By adopting the latest insights from research in the field of gastrophysics, it may be possible to increase the consumption of adapted ice-cream, no matter the formulation, amongst the elderly and/or amongst hospital patients
Sporre, et al., 2017 [27]Sweden Public meal Qualitative content analysis To study a discernible shift towards enjoyment in the approach to public meals by analyses of reports and functional texts concerning the public catering sector in Sweden. A gastronomic discourse in the public meal sector provided an indication of a shift by bringing in new values for public meals, by putting hospitality and service in focus, as well as adding ideas of environment, experience, and palatable food quality to the average nutritional discourse: as related to meal situations and how and how to make changes in the public meal sector
Tormo-Santamaria, and Bernabeu- Mestre, 2022 [28]SpainSchool Literature and data review To address, from an applied historical perspective and in the framework of the fight against malnutrition, the educational activities conducted by the Edalnu in school canteens and the culinary and gastronomic offer that they providedSchool canteens became educational tools, and the importance of considering gastronomic criteria in the promotion of healthy and sustainable eating habits
Table 2. Themes and examples of quotes and the use of the concept of gastronomy.
Table 2. Themes and examples of quotes and the use of the concept of gastronomy.
ThemeReference (Author, Year)Summary of Gastronomy UseOriginal Quotation
Gastronomy as local food and national cuisine Tormo-Santamaria and Bernabeu-Mestre, 2022 [28]. School food reflecting and developed in a gastronomic context using local cuisine and diversity“The role of school canteens and their capacity to feed, nourish and educate within a framework of a traditional (local cuisine and gastronomy), tasty, participative and healthy diet”
“These meals reflected the food, culinary and gastronomic context of the Spanish population in the light of the changes occurring in the 1970s and 1980s and which led to a Westernisation of the diet”
“The menus were eventually adapted to the gastronomic diversity of the Spanish regions, although without renouncing the objective of teaching how to eat new foods”
Guala and Marenco, 2020 [22]Constructing menus in hospital using local gastronomy“The goal is to propose a weekly menu that minimizes the total cost while fulfilling requirements of healthy food habits, variety, and local gastronomy”
“The set of available dishes to construct the menu comes essentially from the local gastronomy (…)”
Maxwell, 2019 [23]French school meals and gastronomic culinary traditions“French school lunch programs are part of the nation-building process since they are designed to teach students how to eat, which is especially important in France where the art of gastronomy is a key source of identity and pride”
“French school lunch programs educate students about nutrition, gastronomic pleasure and French culinary traditions, which goes well beyond the bare minimum of supplying enough calories for classroom learning”
Gastronomy as ideas of “the good” Navarro et al., 2015 [24]Gastronomy expressed in the presentation of the meal“To investigate the effect of improved meal presentation supported by gastronomy expertise on the food intake in adults hospitalized in internal medicine departments”
Sporre et al., 2017 [27]A gastronomic shift in the public meal sector“(…) a new gastronomic discourse emerged in the public meal sector, providing an indication of a shift”
“This gastronomic discourse within the public meal sector points in the same direction as the gastronomic revolution in the private sector”
Oncini, 2020 [25]Children’s gastronomic horizons“(…) differences in gastronomic horizons mirror the evidence on the characteristics of the omnivore and alternative consumer and reflect upper-class parents’ efforts to socialise their children to the aesthetic and gustative quality of meals; diversity, experientialism or simply a deeper food knowledge thus characterise the gastronomic space of privileged children”
Gastronomy as a framework Andersen et al., 2015 [21]The New Nordic Diet was developed by experts within for example gastronomy“In the development of the New Nordic Diet, health, gastronomic potential, sustainability and Nordic identity were crucial principles”
Spence et al., 2019 [26]Gastronomic values can increase consumption among elderly“It is important to stress, in closing, that the challenges associated with affecting such a change in nutritional delivery to vulnerable populations is as likely to be much a matter of molecular gastronomy/food science as it is gastrophysics”
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Bryngelsson, S.; Börjesson, S.-M.E.; Calvén, A.; Ekstrand, B.; Forsberg, S.; Höijer, K.; Nyberg, M.; Olsson, V.; Rothenberg, E.; Sonestedt, E.; et al. Gastronomy in Public Meals—A Scoping Review. Gastronomy 2025, 3, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3030010

AMA Style

Bryngelsson S, Börjesson S-ME, Calvén A, Ekstrand B, Forsberg S, Höijer K, Nyberg M, Olsson V, Rothenberg E, Sonestedt E, et al. Gastronomy in Public Meals—A Scoping Review. Gastronomy. 2025; 3(3):10. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3030010

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bryngelsson, Susanne, Stina-Mina Ehn Börjesson, Anna Calvén, Bo Ekstrand, Sarah Forsberg, Karin Höijer, Maria Nyberg, Viktoria Olsson, Elisabet Rothenberg, Emily Sonestedt, and et al. 2025. "Gastronomy in Public Meals—A Scoping Review" Gastronomy 3, no. 3: 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3030010

APA Style

Bryngelsson, S., Börjesson, S.-M. E., Calvén, A., Ekstrand, B., Forsberg, S., Höijer, K., Nyberg, M., Olsson, V., Rothenberg, E., Sonestedt, E., & Wendin, K. (2025). Gastronomy in Public Meals—A Scoping Review. Gastronomy, 3(3), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy3030010

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