Assessing the healthfulness of food environments in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam

The university food environment plays a vital role in shaping students’ dietary patterns and long-term health outcomes, especially during early adulthood—a critical period for forming lifelong habits. Despite growing concerns about unhealthy eating among Malaysian university students, few studies have thoroughly assessed the healthfulness of campus food settings. This study aimed to evaluate the food environment in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Restaurant (NEMS-R) tool. A cross- sectional observation was conducted across 34 cafeterias in five main campus locations: Rafflesia, Angsana & Casuarina, Dahlia, Plaza Sentral B, and Pusat Kegiatan Pelajar. Cafeterias were scored based on NEMS-R criteria, which measure the availability of healthy options, presence of facilitators like nutrition labelling, and barriers such as portion sizes and pricing strategies. The findings showed that healthy options were severely limited, with only 29.4% of cafeterias offering fruits and 41.2% offering non-fried vegetables. No cafeterias provided whole grain bread, low- fat milk, or 100% fruit juice. Facilitators of healthy eating, such as reduced portion sizes, nutrition labelling, or online information, were nearly absent; only 17.6% highlighted healthy entrées on menus. Barriers to healthy eating were generally low, but 11.8% of cafeterias encouraged large portions. ANOVA results showed no statistically significant differences in overall NEMS-R scores across locations (p > 0.05), suggesting a consistent lack of supportive food environments campus-wide. These findings underscore the urgent need for institutional policies, vendor engagement, and health promotion strategies to foster a food environment that aligns with national dietary guidelines and supports students’ nutritional wellbeing.