Publications and resources

This statement summarizes the outcomes of the first School Meals Coalition Global Summit held in Paris on October 18-19, 2023. The summit highlighted the Coalition's growth, emphasizing school meal programs as pivotal for education, health, social protection, and food system transformation. Key achievements include increased global investment in school meals and commitments to expand and enhance these programs worldwide.

This case study details Finland's long-standing universal school meals program, which has been providing free meals to all students for over 75 years. The program emphasizes sustainability, local food procurement, and balanced nutrition. It plays a crucial role in educational equality, promoting health and well-being, and supporting local economies.

Kuusipalo H, Manninen M. School Meals Case Study: Finland. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; November 2023.

School meal programmes create one of the world's most extensive social safety nets, with 83% of countries providing school meals to an estimated 418 million children daily. But this ubiquity conceals inequity; on average, 41% of the world's primary schoolchildren are fed, with coverage at about 61% in high-income countries but only 18% in low-income countries where food is needed most.2 When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of millions of children worldwide lost access to school meals, and food insecurity rates increased by about 17% worldwide, particularly affecting children in lower-income countries. These school closures also highlighted the value of school meal programmes as an investment in students' physical, mental, and cognitive health, refocusing attention on the barriers to receiving school meals, especially stigma when free meals are only available to children from lower-income households.

Cohen, Juliana F W et al.
The Lancet, Volume 402, Issue 10405, 831 - 833

This policy brief advocates for debt relief conditioned on investments in human capital, particularly in school meal programs. It discusses the potential of converting debt into human capital investments to alleviate food insecurity, improve education, and promote sustainable development. The brief emphasizes the importance of prioritizing human capital investments in response to global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and climate change.

This case study explores Canada's patchwork of school food programs, which are largely driven by provincial, territorial, and local initiatives without a national policy. It highlights food security, nutrition goals, and the challenges posed by insufficient funding, volunteer reliance, and inequitable access across the country.

Ruetz AT, Tasala K, McKenna M, Martin A, Michnik K, Edwards G, Engler-Stringer R, Everitt T, Maximova K, Mosby I, Seko Y, Woodruff S. School Meals Case Study: Canada. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; April 2023.

Drawing on existing literature, the most up-to-date data, and case studies from around the world, this report provides the first overview of the extent to which countries are supporting their children and adolescents through school health and nutrition policies and programmes. It encourages efforts to improve, scale up, sustain and monitor the progress of these programmes to address learners’ needs holistically, so that all children and adolescents can learn and thrive.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNESCO); World Food Programme

This case study examines the development and implementation of school meal programs in England, emphasizing the role of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) and benefits-related free school meals. It highlights key challenges such as food insecurity, rising costs, and the importance of nutritional standards in combating childhood obesity and supporting low-income families.

Bremner M, Defeyter G. School Meals Case Study: England. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; November 2022.

This working paper examines Scotland’s school meals program, highlighting free meal entitlement for early years and primary students, nutritional standards, and local food procurement. It discusses universal free school meals, government policy, and challenges like rising costs and supply chain issues.

Brennan M, Jones J, McKendrick JH. School Meals Case Study: Scotland. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; 2022.