- World
- Sep 11
Explainer - Impact of school meal programmes
• The number of children receiving school meals through government-led programmes has gone up by 20 per cent since 2020, according to the latest edition of The State of School Feeding Worldwide, a flagship biennial report released by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
• Now, nearly 80 million more children are able to enjoy nutritious meals at school, bringing the global total to approximately 466 million.
Key points of the report:
• School meals are so much more than just a plate of nutritious food, important as that is. For the vulnerable children who receive them, they are a pathway out of poverty and into a new world of learning and opportunity.
• They are proven to be one of the smartest, most cost-effective investments any nation can make to improve the long-term health, education and economic prosperity of future generations.
• The increase in the number of children receiving school meals comes thanks to the expansion of these programmes internationally.
• The growth of school meals programmes is fastest in countries that are part of the School Meals Coalition, a global network led by over 100 governments, six regional bodies, hosted by WFP as its secretariat, and supported by over 140 partners across sectors.
• Africa is leading the surge with an additional 20 million African children now fed through national school meals programmes – with notable progress in Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.
• This rare success in the development space is being led by governments around the world, driven by strong evidence that domestic school meal programmes not only support children’s well-being, but have far reaching benefits for small-holder farmers and local employment.
• Global funding for school meals has more than doubled, rising from $43 billion in 2020 to $84 billion in 2024, with 99 per cent of this funding now coming from national budgets.
• This signals a significant shift with school meals no longer seen as a foreign aid programme, but as a powerful public policy that can drive national development.
• But domestic funding is lower in low-income countries, where resources remain limited and needs are highest.
School meals can tackle ‘learning crisis’
• School meals can contribute towards addressing today’s ‘learning crisis’, by boosting learning, and cognitive skills, with gains in maths and literacy.
• Children who are hungry might not attend school or could struggle to focus even if they do. Providing meals at school can both incentivise attendance and help students stay engaged and more easily absorb educational material.
• School meals are a significantly more effective way to improve the quality of education compared to other popular programmes and policies like teacher training and tech inputs.
• A nutritious diet has also been associated with an increased attention span, higher cognitive function and better attendance.
• School meals are increasingly viewed as a human right. India has led the way in declaring meals at school a legal obligation of those providing education.
Impact of school meal programmes:
• School meals programmes are the largest social safety net in the world, helping countries absorb shocks — from climate to pandemics to war — and reach the most vulnerable children.
• School meal programmes are cost-effective and a high-impact investment because they deliver returns across different sectors (education, health, social protection and agriculture). For every $1 invested, they generate between $7 and $35 in economic benefits.
• School meals can also be a powerful engine for local job creation. Delivering school meals to 466 million children generates an estimated 7.4 million cooking jobs globally, with further employment across logistics, farming, and supply chains, driving both direct and indirect job creation.
• Sustainable school meal models, such as home-grown school feeding programmes, can promote healthier, eco-friendly diets, and serve as catalysts for creating locally rooted food systems that boost local and national economies.
• Girls benefit more than boys from school meals in terms of education and health outcomes. With similar benefits seen for women too, as these programmes empower women economically by expanding their roles in food supply chains and community-based employment, for example as cooks in schools.
Additional Read:
Mid-day meals in schools have had a long history in India. In September 2021, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved continuation of Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) in schools for the five-year period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a financial outlay of Rs 54,061.73 crore from the central government and Rs 31,733.17 crore from state governments and UT administrations.