School meal

A school meal (whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or evening meal) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world offer various kinds of school meal programs, and altogether, these are among the world's largest social safety nets.^[1] An estimated 380 million school children around the world receive meals (or snacks or take-home rations) at their respective schools.^[2] The extent of school feeding coverage varies from country to country, and as of 2020, the aggregate coverage rate worldwide is estimated to be 27% (and 40% specifically for primary school-age children).^[3]

The objectives and benefits of school meals vary. In developing countries, school meals provide food security at times of crisis and help children to become healthy and productive adults, thus helping to break the cycle of poverty and hunger. They can address micronutrient deficiencies by serving diverse foods or including fortified foods.^[4] They also serve as an incentive to send children to school and continue their education, and they can be leveraged specifically to reduce barriers to schooling for girls.^[5] When school meals are targeted toward low-income or vulnerable children, they serve as a social safety net.^[6] Especially in developed countries, school meals are structured to encourage healthy eating habits.^[7] School meal programs can also be aimed at supporting the domestic or local agricultural sector.^[8]