The School Meals Coalition drives actions to urgently improve and scale up school meal programmes to ensure that every child has the opportunity to receive a healthy, nutritious meal in school by 2030.
In 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with billions of children out of school, rising poverty, and disrupted food supply chains, governments were urgently looking for solutions to these interconnected crises. School meal programs emerged as a powerful, cost-effective means to provide vulnerable children with nutritious meals and support their families and communities.
The School Meals Coalition drives actions to urgently improve and scale up school meal programmes to ensure that every child has the opportunity to receive a healthy, nutritious meal in school by 2030.
In 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with billions of children out of school, rising poverty, and disrupted food supply chains, governments were urgently looking for solutions to these interconnected crises. School meal programs emerged as a powerful, cost-effective means to provide vulnerable children with nutritious meals and support their families and communities.
The School Meals Coalition drives actions to urgently improve and scale up school meal programmes to ensure that every child has the opportunity to receive a healthy, nutritious meal in school by 2030.
In 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with billions of children out of school, rising poverty, and disrupted food supply chains, governments were urgently looking for solutions to these interconnected crises. School meal programs emerged as a powerful, cost-effective means to provide vulnerable children with nutritious meals and support their families and communities.


By 2023, restore the progress we made by supporting all countries as they re-establish effective school meal programmes and repair what was lost during the pandemic.
By 2030, reach those we missed. The most vulnerable, in low and lower-middle-income countries, were not being reached even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
By 2030, improve our approach by improving the quality and efficiency of existing school meals programmes in all countries by facilitating a healthy food environment in schools and promoting safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced food.
- By 2023, restore the progress we made by supporting all countries as they re-establish effective school meal programmes and repair what was lost during the pandemic.
- By 2030, reach those we missed. The most vulnerable, in low and lower-middle-income countries, were not being reached even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- By 2030, improve our approach by improving the quality and efficiency of existing school meals programmes in all countries by facilitating a healthy food environment in schools and promoting safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced food.
Recognizing their transformative potential, a group of member states launched the School Meals Coalition at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.
94 countries from North to South have joined the Coalition and 115 partners are supporting governments in achieving their objectives.
The Coalition is supported by a Secretariat hosted by the UN World Food Programme.
Recognizing their transformative potential, a group of member states launched the School Meals Coalition at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.
88 countries from North to South have joined the Coalition and 98 partners are supporting governments in achieving their objectives.
The Coalition is supported by a Secretariat hosted by the UN World Food Programme.
School meal programmes




School meal programmes




The school meals provided by WFP are a great support to parents like her who struggle to keep food on the table.
The school meals provided by WFP are a great support to parents like her who struggle to keep food on the table.

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