Supply-sourcing strategies and dietary diversity in school meal programs : a Bayesian-mindsponge approach

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of various supply-sourcing strategies on the dietary diversity of school meal supplies. The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework was employed on a dataset of 126 government representatives who manage large-scale school meal programs among participating countries. Obtaining supplies in-kind from national sources and foreign purchasing had a significant positive association with dietary diversity in school meals/snacks, while in-kind supplies from other countries showed a negative association. Domestic purchasing showed an ambiguous association. Strategic supply-sourcing, e.g., domestic in-kind and foreign purchasing, significantly contributes to the dietary diversity of school meal supplies.