Across 13 countries, 1,235 children shared their experiences of school meals with child researchers. Their voices carried a clear message: school meals matter to us.

Education has been recognized as a crucial driver of development throughout the history. This study evaluates the link between nutrition and student academic performance in mathematics and reading using the propensity score matching (PSM) method.

This report is WFP’s flagship publication and the primary reporting mechanism of the School Meals Coalition. It provides an overview of how countries support their children through effective school meal programmes.

To achieve the second United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 2) – to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” – the global food system must transform. This will require cross-sectoral innovation and investment.

Discretionary Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) schemes for 4-11-year-olds were implemented in four local authorities with high child poverty levels in London, UK. The schemes were initiated between 2009/10 and 2014/15. The first scheme was evaluated as part of a national 2-year pilot.

This report analyses procurement models and financing strategies for home-grown school feeding (HGSF) programmes, drawing on four case studies from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Bolivia, Brazil, and Cambodia.

This report is the result of a collaborative research effort between a SIPA workshop team and the Regional Centre of Excellence Against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM), a knowledge-sharing and partnership platform established by the World Food Programme in Côte d’Ivoire.

Today, Armenia’s school feeding programme stands as a model of collaboration, demonstrating how strategic investment, multisectoral coordination and circular economy models can lead to sustainable success.

School meals have proven effective in improving child outcomes, particularly in low-income settings. Yet concerns about funding adequacy and cost efficiency remain.

This report presents findings from Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG) analyses conducted in Guatemala and Peru, assessing how school meal programs can improve child nutrition and diet affordability.