School meal programs feed 407M kids, boosting farmers and jobs, says GCNF

The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) has found that global school meal programs fed 407 million children in 2022, supported small-scale farmers, created jobs, and promoted sustainable food systems.

According to GCNF’s latest Global Survey of School Meal Programs report, Latin America and the Caribbean experienced better access to programs serving nutritious food. 

The programs had a prominent focus on creating jobs for people who cannot access the labor market — women (44%) and youth (25%). This was more prevalent in programs from low-income countries, 67% of which dedicated attention to women’s employment and 40% toward youths.

Local and small-scale farmers are supported by the programs, while sustainable food systems are promoted by shaping menus.

The report, backed by data from over 160 countries, underscores the importance of school meal programs that link children’s nutrition, farmers, communities, and global food system reliance.

School meals on the rise

According to GCNF, school meal programs in 2022 served one in four primary and secondary school-aged children globally. 

The organization says the number of primary school students receiving food at school is on the rise.

“The share of enrolled primary school students reached with school meal programs has recently been proposed by UNESCO as a new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator under the SDG4 framework. At the global level, this value was 39%, ranging from 25% in low-income countries to 62% in high-income countries,” details the report.

Fifty-one percent of Latin American and Caribbean children had access to school meal programs. This was followed by Europe, Central Asia, and North America, which were second at 42%. 

However, the percentages fell to 22% in South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific; 21% in the Middle East and North Africa; and 19% in Sub-Saharan Africa.

GCNF finds that upper-middle and high-income countries were able to provide children with better school meal programs.“In the 2024 Global Survey of School Meal Programs, most programs cited an objective to meet nutritional and/or health goals, and this priority was salient across all income levels and regions. A slight majority (55%) of school meal programs pursued their nutrition-related objectives by serving some fortified foods. This was most common at lower income levels,” continues the report.

Class disparity and nutrition quality

GCNF finds that upper-middle and high-income countries were able to provide children with better school meal programs — comprising staple foods like dairy (96%) and fruits (94%) — than low- and lower-middle-income countries.

However, children in the upper middle and high-income countries were also exposed to more unhealthy options like processed meats and deep-fried foods.

Children in low-income countries relied more on legumes (83%) and liquid oils (89%).

Lifeline for small-scale farmers

Down the value chain, school meal programs help farmers earn income and create opportunities for a large labor force, such as school cooks, caterers, and food handlers.

Over half (57%) of the initiatives seek to give small-scale farmers access to the steady and reliable school food market. The percentage rises to 80% in low-income countries and 74% in lower-middle-income countries.

School meal programs in 2022 served one in four primary and secondary school-aged children globally.However, GCNF notes that there is room for improvement since only 43% of programs offer additional support to smallholder farmers.

Sustainable food systems

GCNF suggests that school meal programs can help build sustainable food systems by developing environmentally friendly menus.

Among programs in the report, (38%) used climate-friendly foods, and 79% tried reducing food miles.

Home-grown school feeding programs generally employ smallholder farmers as suppliers. Additional support to farmers — including agricultural development or training farmers to supply school meal programs — was most common in low-income countries (67%).

Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa were ranked highest in offering farmer support, which comprised 60% of programs.

GCNF adds that, supplying meal programs with school gardens promotes healthy food preferences among students. These gardens were present in 84% of programs in low-income nations.