Thanks to investments made in recent years, nearly half of the world's primary school pupils now have access to school meals. But we need to go further and look at what is on their plates. The focus should be on balanced meals made with fresh produce, and teaching children good eating habits to ensure they grow up healthy. It's a major issue for health and education.
Audrey AzoulayUNESCO Director-General
Around a quarter of the world's pupils benefited from school meals in 2024, this figure rises to 47% at primary-level. As demonstrated by a UNESCO study in 2023, this approach not only helps to reduce undernourishment in children, but also supports learning: school meals increase enrolment rates by 9%, and attendance by 8% among pupils, while also improving their learning outcomes.
On the occasion of the 'Nutrition for Growth', organized by France on 27 and 28 March 2025, UNESCO publishes a new report focusing on the quality of the meals served. Entitled 'Education and Nutrition: Learn to Eat Well', developed in partnership with the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition.
This report reveals that in 2022, nearly a third (27%) of school meals worldwide were not designed in consultation with nutritionists. Only 93 countries out of the 187 that were evaluated had legislation, standards or guidelines on school food and drink. And of these 93 countries, only 65% had standards governing the sale of food and drink in school cafeterias, food shops and vending machines.
This lack of standards on, and monitoring of the content of the food served to pupils should be a major concern, given that the rate of obesity among school-age children has more than doubled in most countries since 1990 and that food insecurity continues to increase throughout the world.
Schools must be a place where healthy habits are cultivated, not undermined. Eating locally produced, fresh school meals, delivered by informed school nutritionists is part of a child's education. It is an active lesson that will drive their relationship with food and empower them to make informed food choices in the future that are good for their health and the planet.
Daniel HummUNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador for Food Education since September 2024, a three Michelin-starred chef
Prioritizing fresh and minimally-processed food
In its report, UNESCO highlights several positive initiatives to improve nutrition at school. In Brazil, the national school feeding programme, whose roll-out UNESCO is supporting, has recently introduced restrictions on ultra-processed products. In China, reforms introducing vegetables, milk and eggs in rural schools have increased children's nutrient intake and helped to boost school attendance.
In Nigeria, the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme launched in 2014, which aims to provide a free, balanced meal every day in all public primary schools, has increased the primary school enrolment rate by 20%. And in India, the introduction of fortified organic pearl millet, rich in iron, into school meals in the state of Maharashtra has improved the attention span and memory of adolescents.
UNESCO encourages governments and education stakeholders to provide school meals based on fresh, local produce and to reduce the presence of sugary and ultra-processed foods. It also invites States to support this qualitative leap by including food education in school curricula.
This year, UNESCO will develop a series of tools for governments and education professionals aimed at better integrating these health and nutrition issues, including a practical manual and a training programme. This work will also support the Coalition for School Meals, of which UNESCO is a member and which is mobilizing to ensure that every child receives a nutritious meal at school.
In order to amplify the Organization's voice on these issues, Audrey Azoulay has appointed two chefs, each with three Michelin stars to act as Goodwill Ambassadors: Mauro Colagreco in 2022, to focus on the issue of biodiversity, and Daniel Humm, in 2024, to focus on food education. They will also both work to promote agricultural, culinary and gastronomic products and traditions in UNESCO-protected sites.
About UNESCO
With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions. Its Director-General is Audrey Azoulay.
"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed" - UNESCO Constitution, 1945.
