Paper
School meal programs are popular, serving 61% of primary students in high-income countries but fewer in less wealthy countries. They contribute to education, health, nutrition, and social protection, with evolving objectives such as focusing on learning, healthy diets, and crisis response. These programs also support smallholder farmers, though this impact is not well-studied. This review highlights strong evidence for school meals but notes gaps in effectiveness and cost clarity, with the School Meals Coalition calling for better evidence in response to COVID-19.
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