This report provides a descriptive overview of the situation of school meal NGS in 33 low and middle-income countries as reported through a global survey, and identifies key aspects to consider for stakeholders who are
planning to develop or update their NGS in the context of school meal programmes. This document is part of FAO’s work on school food and nutrition, and is in line with the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) Framework for Action, and the work plan of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition. The findings are organized in two sections. The first provides the context and identifies the main characteristics of school meal programmes relevant for establishing, improving and/or implementing effective nutrition guidelines and standards. The second presents the official school meal NGS identified in the respondent countries, their scope, the complementary efforts that aid their implementation, the main monitoring and evaluation actions and key challenges reported.