|
Welcome to the first GCNF Newsletter of 2025! Given the turmoil caused by the US changes to foreign aid, it's more important than ever to maintain strength in advocacy, research, and implementation of school meal programs around the world. We’re excited to share highlights from the 2024 Global Child Nutrition Forum, along with the release of our latest Global Survey of School Meal Programs report, offering crucial insights into the opportunities and challenges in school meal programs worldwide. Our latest blogs include posts on the connection between K-12 schools and produce consumption and the essential role of food workers in strengthening food systems. Don’t miss GCNF’s Devex feature, outlining five key takeaways from the latest Global Survey of School Meal Programs © results.
|
|
|
|
New Report Available: School Meal Programs Around the World Report 2024
|
|
|
The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) is proud to present the School Meal Programs Around the World report, featuring the results of the 2024 Global Survey of School Meal Programs ©.
The Global Survey of School Meal Programs © collects the most comprehensive data to date on national and large-scale school feeding programs, with information on 167 countries. It provides detailed global data on school meal coverage, financing, food baskets, laws and policies, home-grown school feeding, and more, serving as a resource for monitoring global progress over time.
Additional Resources:
Infographics | Survey Highlights | Country Reports | Interactive Dashboard | Access the Data | Joint Press Release with The Rockefeller Foundation
|
|
|
Recap of the School Meal Programs Around the World Report Launch Event
|
|
|
Highlights from the 2024 Global Child Nutrition Forum in Osaka, Japan
|
|
The 2024 Global Child Nutrition Forum was held in Osaka, Japan, from December 9th to 12th, 2024. The Forum brought together 408 participants from 82 countries for a four-day exchange, creating an exciting opportunity for learning, collaboration, and advocacy.
The theme, “School Meal Programs in an Era of Food Systems Transformation” was brought to life with a dynamic lineup of over 70 speakers and 20 interactive technical workshops designed to inspire innovation and action.
Explore the 2024 Forum highlights and read event reflections from Afshan Khan, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.
A full Forum report including photos and presentations will be available in March. Stay tuned for the next Global Child Nutrition Forum which will be held in 2026!
|
|
|
Featured GCNF Resource
School Meal Programs in Africa
|
|
|
March 1st marks the 10th celebration of the Africa Day of School Feeding! Did you know that globally 93% of school meal programs in Africa had an objective to meet nutritional and/or health goals in the 2022 school year? Explore GCNF's School Meal Programs in Africa infographic to learn more!
|
|
|
The Power of School Meals for Children, Livelihoods, and Climate Resilience
World Vision
|
|
|
Andrea Galante, Senior Policy Advisor for Food Security and Nutrition, Advocacy & External Engagement, World Vision International considers what the latest global survey of school meal programs means for ensuring children's present and future nutrition and success.
|
|
|
5 Things to Know from the Latest Global Survey on School Meal Programs
Devex
|
|
|
Devex reporter Jenny Lei Ravelo traveled to Osaka, Japan, for the 2024 Global Child Nutrition Forum, where she reported on the newly released highlights of the School Meal Programs Around the World report. Data from the latest survey has expanded since 2019. It now includes some data on the impact of school meal programs on the environment, how programs are reducing their climate footprint, how countries are advancing home-grown school feeding, and the impact of emergencies such as inflation and pandemics. What does that mean in practice?
|
|
|
The Current State of the National School Lunch Program
AgWeb
In the United States, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) plays a vital role in providing nutritious meals to students. However, challenges persist, as some children continue to fall through the cracks, missing out on essential nutrition during their school day. Addressing these gaps is crucial to ensure all students have access to the meals they need for their health and academic success.
|
|
|
Do School Meals Boost Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A 15-Year Review
Center for Global Development
As school meal programs continue to expand globally, so too does the body of evidence from impact evaluations. What does the latest evidence from the last 15 years, a period of rapid expansion in school meals programs across the developing world, tell us?
|
|
|
School Milk Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Ayala Wineman, Maria Martinez, Nicole Jacquet, Eth Ludmilla Rodrigues, Arlene Mitchell
School milk programs have a long history in Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent decades, the region has undergone a nutrition transition characterized by a rise in children’s overweight/obesity, which adds new challenges for school-based programs. This article aimed to unpack how school milk programs in the region have fared as of 2022 and what drives their success (or lack thereof).
|
|
|
Integrated Health and Nutrition Approaches to School Feeding: Maximising Future Human Capital in Latin America and the Caribbean
Laura M. Irizarry, Marie Evane Tamagnan, Carla Mejía, Heidi Kessler, Sarah Grundahl Kohnstamm, Giulia Baldi
Integrated health and nutrition packages in schools have been shown to be a cost-effective approach to support children’s well-being and academic achievement; yet few countries adequately invest in promoting such integration. The analysis in this paper provides recommendations and raises considerations for the revision of programmatic guidance and policies moving forward.
|
|
|
K-12 School Nutrition Leaders Serve a Powerful Role In Growing Produce Consumption
Blog by Andrew Marshall, International Fresh Produce Association
In the United States, elementary and secondary schools collectively serve more than 30 million meals to children each day. These K-12 schools are large-volume foodservice buyers that can undoubtedly play an significant role in children’s access, knowledge, and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
|
|
|
Seeing the Value of School Food Workers and Their Labor
Blog by Jennifer E. Gaddis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Sarah A. Robert,University at Buffalo (SUNY)
State-sponsored school meal programs can also play a vital role in catalyzing broader food system transformations that increase local agro-biodiversity, strengthen food sovereignty, and shift power away from multinational corporations to the communities where children are fed. All of this depends, however, on the paid and unpaid labor of a predominantly female workforce that is too often overlooked in policy discussions, research, and data sharing about school meals around the world.
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
- Africa Day of School Feeding | March 1st, 2025 | Learn more
- IDF School Meal Programmes: Nourishing Future Generations webinar | March 12th, 2025 | Register here
- International Day of School Meals | March 13th, 2025 | Learn more
- Nutrition for Growth Summit | Paris, France | March 27th & 28th, 2025 | Learn more
|
|
|
|
|
|
No comment yet, add your voice below!