For more than a century, countries around the world have recognized school meals as a powerful tool for preventing hunger among the most vulnerable children and easing financial pressure on struggling households. Now, in the face of complex and evolving global crises such as failing food systems, malnutrition, educational challenges, economic instability, and climate change, school meals are being increasingly understood as having the potential to be far more than just a plate of food.
A recent IFPRI policy seminar, School Meals in the 21st Century: Emerging Evidence and Future Directions, offered a deep-dive discussion of the role of school meal programs in addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues. Co-organized by IFPRI and the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an independent initiative of the global School Meals Coalition based out of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the event showcased new research and a forward-looking agenda for strengthening school meal programs worldwide. This event brought together experts from diverse sectors—including health and nutrition, education, social protection, agriculture—highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration in shaping effective school meal programs.
The importance of school meals
In his opening remarks, Aulo Gelli, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and the seminar moderator, emphasized the broad impact of school meal programs, which “work for over 400 million school children every day.” The question today is how to enhance their coverage and cost-effectiveness.
Donald Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and Professor of Epidemiology and Development at LSHTM, agreed, pointing out that despite the vast global coverage of school meals, “school children and young adolescents remain the most neglected age group in terms of health and nutrition research.” Filling these evidence gaps is critical for developing effective and sustainable programs that boost health and well-being—with potential lifelong, society-wide consequences.
Purnima Menon, IFPRI’s Senior Director on Food and Nutrition Policy, reinforced this point. While school meal programs were initially designed to address food insecurity, poverty, and education challenges, gradually nutrition also became a key component. “Education and nutrition are absolutely foundational to human capital development globally, especially in settings where these goals are yet to be met for millions of children,” she said. Today, school meal programs are increasingly recognized as integral to broader food systems transformation, linking agriculture, nutrition education, and economic development. We are “looking at these programs in a broader and a much more holistic way,” said Menon, although further evidence is needed to fully understand their diverse impacts.
Harold Alderman, IFPRI Research Fellow Emeritus, highlighted evidence on the positive impact of school meal programs on education, health, nutrition, and social protection. However, programming objectives have shifted to address new challenges. Since the turn of the century, primary schooling has expanded, and while undernutrition has decreased globally, unhealthy food consumption has led to rising overweight and obesity rates. School meal programs are evolving to focus more on improving learning outcomes and diet quality, particularly for adolescent girls, Alderman said. Despite strong policy interest, evidence gaps remain regarding the effects on agriculture and employment.
Case studies: The economic, social, and mental health impacts of school meals
Three studies presented at the seminar shed light on the diverse benefits of school meal programs.
Simone Lombardini of the World Food Programme (WFP) presented an impact evaluation from Jordan, where the government piloted a new school meal model. Unlike the existing program, which provided centrally procured food, the new initiative employed women to prepare fresh, locally sourced meals for students. The study found significant economic benefits, particularly for women in participating households. “Women who received job offers through the program were more likely to remain in the labor force,” Lombardini explained. The program led to a tripling of individual income for participants and a 33% increase in household income. Beyond financial gains, women also reported increased life satisfaction, and their male household members showed more progressive attitudes toward women’s earnings.
World Bank economist Benedetta Lerva presented findings from a school meal impact evaluation in The Gambia, where students also received meals made from locally sourced ingredients. As a result of the program, the food security improved from 73% to 82% among children receiving school meals. There was also an increase in dietary diversity, particularly among girls. Finally, children showed a 20% reduction in stress and a 25% reduction in depression symptoms. Additionally, a separate intervention providing teacher incentives led to a 10% increase in teacher attendance, with female teachers showing the most significant improvement.
IFPRI Research Fellow Lilia Bliznashka shared results from an impact evaluation of an added milk intervention to a micronutrient fortified school feeding program in crisis settings in Yemen. The addition of milk to a proven, cost-efficient intervention led to a range of benefits for children and their families, including positive effects on children’s cognition, literacy, and numeracy. The intervention reduced conduct problems in children, alleviated severe anxiety in their caregivers, and improved overall household food security. The effects were particularly pronounced among girls and poorer households—an outcome consistent with previous research but documented for the first time in a conflict setting.
Way forward: Harnessing evidence, filling knowledge gaps, and strengthening partnerships
During the panel discussion, speakers highlighted the need to leverage rigorous evidence, fill knowledge gaps, and strengthen partnerships to improve the design and impact of school meal programs.
Mangani Katundu, Malawi Secretary for Education, discussed his country’s expansion of its school feeding program, which has grown from covering 20% of schools to 40% in the recent years, with plans to reach 100% by 2030. Scaling up has presented various challenges, including addressing continuing budget constraints and gaps in coverage. One key issue was sourcing energy for cooking school meals, and an innovative solution involved using biogas from human and animal waste to address this challenge. A key goal, he said, is “to share the evidence more with communities and parents so they can see school feeding as an important initiative that helps educate and feed children.”
There is a growing recognition of school meal programs at the highest policy levels, Bundy said: “The World Bank recognizes school meals as the world’s most expansive safety net. With at least 420 million children benefiting daily, we must ensure these programs are efficient and impactful.”
Lynnette Neufeld, Food and Nutrition Division Director, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted the complexity of tracking and comparing the effectiveness of school meal programs, which may vary widely due to the diverse contexts in which they are implemented, and expressed “a real plea” for including cost-effectiveness analyses in these programs, given the resource constraints countries face. She also stressed the importance of integrating nutrition education and creating a supportive food environment around schools.
Kagwiria Koome of the Rockefeller Foundation discussed her organization’s goal to feed 100 million more children with regeneratively produced school meals. This includes collaborating with governments on nutritious meals, offering more affordable and nutritious options such as whole grain maize and biofortified beans, and promoting climate-resilient crops such as sorghum. Shifting mindsets is also key: “We’re trying to create healthy dietary patterns and influence preferences so that they (children) can choose healthier foods in the future.”
Mia Blakstad of the World Bank noted that school meals are a key form of support in times of crisis and stressed the importance of including hard-to-reach children, such as those not in school, with solutions like take-home rations. She also emphasized the need to track and monitor the nutritional quality of meals provided to children, ensuring they meet guidelines and avoid poor-quality food.
All participants reflected on the need for continued collaboration across governments, researchers, and development agencies. Arlene Mitchell, Executive Director of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, likened the complexity of school meals programs to that of a “10,000-piece puzzle.” She said, “I love doing puzzles, but I love doing them even more with other people. And I really like looking at the picture of where I’m going. So, I think, we need partnerships and a good solid coordination roadmap.”
Responding to seminar participants and many in the field urging updated cost estimates for delivering a school meals program, IFPRI and the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition will undertake this exercise to support countries with strategically expanding and strengthening their national school meals programs.
With promising new evidence, school feeding programs continue to demonstrate their value—not only in improving education and nutrition but also in promoting economic development, creating employment opportunities, especially for women, and engaging local producers through home-grown school meal models. However, to fully realize their transformative potential, a stronger evidence base is needed, participants agreed. Continued research and data-driven insights will be essential in shaping policies and scaling programs to maximize the impact of school meal programs worldwide.
Evgeniya Anisimova is Media and Digital Engagement Manager, IFPRI. Kate Morris is Communications Lead, Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition. A full recording of this event, presentations, and a podcast version are available here.
