How Lebanon Is Building a School Meals Programme That Lasts

A school meal may be served in minutes. Building the system behind it takes years.

In Lebanon, that system has been taking shape for nearly a decade. What began in 2016 as a programme to help children stay nourished in school and ready to learn is increasingly becoming part of a broader national vision which has benefits that extend far beyond the classroom.

Since joining the School Meals Coalition in 2023, the Government of Lebanon has continued to demonstrate its strong commitment to building a sustainable national school meals programme as part of its broader education and child well-being agenda. Led by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), Lebanon has pledged to develop a long-term plan to expand access to nutritious school snacks and meals, particularly for children most in need, while cementing school meals into national education and health systems.

Despite facing significant economic and social challenges, for every dollar invested in school meals in Lebanon, up to US$20 in economic and social returns are generated which benefits children, families, communities and the wider economy.

Lebanon’s ambition is translating into greater reach. School meal coverage increased from 78,000 students in 2023 to 135,000 students in 2025. At the same time, 92% of the food provided in WFP's school meals programme is sourced locally, helping connect investment in children with investment in Lebanon’s local food systems. 

Since its launch in 2016, Lebanon’s school meals programme has grown in terms of scale and ambition.

Today, the Government of Lebanon, with technical support from WFP and other partners, is working towards an integrated national system that brings together education, nutrition, local food production and community participation. The growth positions the programme as one of Lebanon’s most important social safety nets.

The different parts of the programme are designed to reinforce one another. School kitchens bring food preparation closer to the communities they serve. Caregivers can access training and employment opportunities. Local retailers, businesses and food producers become part of the supply chain. More locally sourced food means that investment in school meals is circulating through the wider local economy.

The programme is also testing and expanding approaches to improve the nutritional quality of the food children receive such as the introduction of fortified bread.

The escalation of conflict earlier this year disrupted every aspect of daily life, and education was no exception.

Many schools became temporary shelters for displaced families, and students shifted between in-person and online temporary learning hubs. School meals programmes had to adapt.

Under the government’s leadership, WFP rapidly adjusted how nutritional support was delivered as learning shifted between different settings. Students attending reopened public schools continued receiving school meals, while school snacks and take-home rations were piloted for displaced students attending temporary learning hubs. The programme also expanded to reach almost all reopened primary schools.

The emergency also revealed another strength of investing in school meals: the infrastructure, skills and partnerships created to support children can become valuable community assets when circumstances change. One example is the role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

The programme is also working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), creating opportunities to connect school meals with inclusive education, practical skills and participation in the local economy.

These examples illustrate what a systems approach can look like in practice. A kitchen can prepare meals for displaced families today and serve nearby schools tomorrow. Training can create employment while strengthening the workforce behind a national programme. Local procurement can improve the quality of school food while supporting producers and businesses within the same communities.

Building a national programme is not simply a question of reaching more children each year. The longer-term challenge is institutional: ensuring that the policies, financing, monitoring systems, workforce and supply chains behind school meals are strong enough to endure hardships.  

Even during one of the most difficult periods in its recent history, Lebanon’s progress has been significant. At the centre of it all is giving every child the opportunity to thrive.

Under the government’s leadership, work is continuing to strengthen national monitoring and shape national policy, as outlined in Lebanon's commitment shared with the School Meals Coalition which provides another platform through which Lebanon can share its experience, learn from other governments and advance its national plans.

The value of those investments is also visible in much smaller moments. 

It is in the assurance of a parent who knows their child will receive nutritious food at school. It is in the local producer who now has a reliable source of demand. It is in the caregiver preparing meals alongside other parents. And, ultimately, it is in a child who can focus on learning rather than hunger.

With the new school year approaching, the work continues. The government, with support from partners and donors, is moving towards a nationally led system that connects schools with communities and local food systems, putting in place the foundations for school meals to become an enduring part of Lebanon’s investment in its children.