Nutritional education on fruit and vegetable consumption among food pantry clients: A systematic review and a meta-analysis

Poor nutrition has been linked to chronic illnesses among food pantry patrons. In response to this issue, food pantries have adopted nutrition educa­tion interventions focused on fruits and vegetables to encourage healthier eating habits. Though there have been studies that have analyzed nutrition edu­cation in other contexts, there is a knowledge gap on the effectiveness of nutrition education on fruit and vegetable consumption among food pantry participants. The study aim was to conduct a sys­tematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of nutrition education interventions on fruit and vegetable consumption among food pantry cli­ents. We utilized PRISMA guidelines to conduct a systematic review in electronic databases such as Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, PubMed, and Food Science and Technology Abstracts, ending October 2022. Studies were included if they focused on nutritional education and increased fruit and vege­table intake, were designed and implemented among food pantry participants, reported on fruit and vegetable outcomes, and published in English as peer-reviewed articles. Nine articles, six cohort studies, and three cross-sectional studies were included in the meta-analysis. All nine studies were conducted in U.S. food pantries/banks with 989 participants. The meta-analysis revealed a strong positive inverse association between nutritional education and fruit consumption and a negative inverse association with vegetable consumption. Our findings suggest that nutrition education, specifically cooking education and gift cards, was effective among food pantry participants.