Since its launch in 2021, the School Meals Coalition has driven transformative change across more than 110 countries and 160 partners, expanding school meal programmes, increasing funding, and strengthening local food systems. The Achievements Report highlights national progress where governments are scaling coverage, investing in local procurement, and piloting innovations in sustainability and programme quality. It also documents how Coalition initiatives are supporting governments through evidence generation, stronger data systems, and cross-regional collaboration, advancing global efforts to combat hunger, improve education, and deliver on the 2030 goal of healthy, nutritious meals for every child.

The School Meals Coalition's National Progress Reports is a showcase of the progress made by governments on school meals. Each country presents key achievements across areas such as advocacy and partnerships, evidence and data, financing, institutional and policy reform, programme design, and coverage expansion.

Together, these achievements show how countries are turning political commitment into action. While each country follows its own path, all are contributing to the Coalition’s shared goals. They offer an opportunity to learn from country experiences, exchange ideas, and inspire further action.

The Statement was prepared by the Research Consortium as an input to the School Meals Coalition for the parliamentarians and policymakers of its member countries, and draws on analyses led by the Global Academy, as indicated under each finding below. 

It summarizes the new evidence generated over the past year and its implications for policy, describes how evidence is being put to use by governments and regional institutions and reports progress against the priorities set in the 2025 Statement and sets out priorities for the year ahead.

This report examines why school meals, despite their broad policy appeal, are financed and governed so differently across countries. The starting point is that evidence on nutrition, education, and welfare outcomes is often not enough to explain public investment.

This report develops an empirically grounded political economy account of school meals financing and governance. It combines cross-country analysis with case studies of Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, and Somalia. The analysis asks what political gains governing coalitions obtain from investing in school meals, including electoral credit, legitimacy, patronage, social cohesion, international standing, and evidence of government effectiveness. It also asks which actors—whether national leaders, line ministries, subnational governments, or delivery actors—benefit politically. Additionally, it examines how political narratives make the value of feeding children salient to both decision-makers and the public.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for most global deaths, yet effective preventive interventions remain limited. This White Paper synthesises evidence from 700+ sources and 115 experts, finding that quality school meal programmes improve diets, nutrition and educational outcomes, and may contribute to long-term NCD prevention. Impact depends on nutritional quality and implementation. 

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School gardens and farms can offer a solution. When children are involved in school garden and farming programs, it can improve food literacy, increase academic engagement, teach children practical agricultural skills, and support the dissemination of more sustainable and regenerative farming practices. 

When recognized as platforms within national food, education, agriculture, youth, and resilience strategies, purpose-led school gardens and farms have the potential to strengthen students’ nutrition, learning, and future livelihoods, while delivering wider benefits for local food systems.