What’s on the menu? A review of school meal quality across twenty-nine countries

The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) – the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity – poses a critical global health challenge, particularly for children and adolescents. School meal programmes offer an opportunity to address the DBM by providing nutritious meals that support growth, development and lifelong health. However, limited school meal quality data hinders effective programme design. This study evaluates global school meal quality through nutrient composition analyses and the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS)-Meal and -Menu metrics.