UNESCO Report on School Nutrition: Key Insights and Challenges

Context

Education and nutrition are closely linked, with school meals playing a crucial role in cognitive development, health, and social equity. Recognizing this, UNESCO released its report "Education and Nutrition: Learn to Eat Well" in March 2024 during the Nutrition for Growth summit hosted by France.

The report emphasizes the need to integrate school nutrition programs with education policies to combat malnutrition, improve learning outcomes, and enhance economic productivity. It also highlights key challenges and policy recommendations for governments worldwide.

Key Data and Insights from the Report

• Global Reach: School meals benefit 418 million children across 161 countries.

• Nutritional Gaps: More than 50 percent of school feeding programs lack sufficient fruits and vegetables, while one-third include sugary drinks.

• Rising Obesity: Childhood overweight and obesity have doubled in over 100 countries in the past two decades.

• India's Efforts: The PM-POSHAN scheme provides meals to 118 million children daily, making it one of the largest school feeding programs globally.

• Hidden Hunger: Despite widespread coverage, micronutrient deficiencies persist due to poor dietary diversity.

• Limited Nutrition Education: Only 17 countries integrate nutrition education into school curricula, linking it with national food standards.

Interlink Between Education and Nutrition

• Improved Learning Outcomes: Nutritious meals directly enhance attention, memory, and classroom performance.

• Equity and Access: School meals serve as an incentive for enrollment, especially for girls and low-income families.

• Health Foundation: Early childhood nutrition shapes cognitive and physical development, influencing future productivity and earning potential.

• Support for Local Economy: Linking school feeding programs with local agriculture fosters sustainable farm-to-table systems.

• Social Justice Tool: School meals act as a safety net for vulnerable populations, reducing inequality in access to food and education.

Countries such as Brazil and Finland with robust school meal programs report higher retention rates and improved learning outcomes.

Key Challenges Identified

• Low Food Quality: Many school meals contain ultra-processed, sugary, and nutrient-poor foods.

• Lack of Nutrition Education: Few countries integrate nutrition literacy into the school curriculum.

• Overreliance on Staples: Most programs depend heavily on rice, wheat, and maize, leading to low dietary diversity.

• Urban-Rural Divide: Infrastructure, supply chains, and cold storage facilities vary significantly, affecting food quality and distribution.

• Weak Monitoring Systems: Many nations lack standardized indicators to assess the impact of school meals on health and education.

Only eight percent of countries track the nutritional quality of school meals based on WHO standards.

Way Forward

• Integrated Curriculum: Embed nutrition education across subjects and grades.

• Strengthening Standards: Adopt science-backed food standards aligned with WHO dietary guidelines.

• Localized Procurement: Ensure school meals are sourced from sustainable, seasonal, and diverse local agriculture.

• Teacher and Staff Training: Upskill educators to effectively teach food and nutrition in classrooms.

• Robust Monitoring: Establish national benchmarks to assess the nutritional and educational impact of school feeding programs.

UNESCO urges every country to develop a national school nutrition strategy with clear accountability measures.

Conclusion

The report underscores that quality education and proper nutrition must go hand in hand. Investing in nutritious school meals is not just a welfare measure but a strategic step toward human capital development. A well-nourished child learns better, and an educated child builds a stronger nation.