Food Environment Policy Index for the German States: A structured policy analysis with expert consultations

Introduction Subnational governments can play an important role in influencing food environments, particularly in multilevel governance systems such as Germany, where multiple levels can introduce policy and legislation. Yet the extent to which subnational governments, including the German States, use this potential remains largely unexplored. To make the scope of subnational food environment policies explicit, comparable and assessable, we developed a state-specific Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI), using Germany as an example. Methods The INFORMAS Food-EPI served as the starting point for our analysis. To adapt it to the subnational level, we followed an iterative process drawing on four data sources: i) legal and policy documents and secondary sources; ii) key informant interviews; iii) written feedback from experts; and iv) an online expert workshop. Results The state-specific Food-EPI covers 25 indicators across 12 domains, outlining the substantial scope of subnational governments to influence food environments. The policy domains are food labelling, advertising and marketing, subsidies, provision, retail and food service and waste, combined with six infrastructure support domains. We drew on 128 documents to identify 57 good practice examples from subnational governments and adapted the INFORMAS protocol into a streamlined four-step approach. Conclusion We demonstrate that it is feasible to develop a tool to assess food environment policy at the subnational level, that systematically outlines the substantial influence of subnational governments on food environments. Applying the state-specific Food-EPI in practice to German States is an important next step to further corroborate its practical relevance.