School Meal Programs Around the World: Results from the 2024 Global Survey of School Meal Programs © Survey Report Launch GCNF and IFPRI February 4, 2025 The Global Survey of School Meal Programs© • 167 countries have participated in the survey at least once. • 142 countries have participated in the survey at least twice. • 81 countries have participated three times. • In Survey Wave 3 (reflecting the 2022 school year), 142 countries participated and provided detailed information on 207 programs. Topics Covered School Feeding Coverage Home-Grown School Feeding Environmental Sustainability Emergencies Employment and Community Participation Infrastructure Agricultural and Private Sector Engagement Successes and Challenges Budget Targeting Food Sources Complementary Programs Modalities National Laws Food Basket Countries Without Large-Scale School Feeding Nutrition Management A Few Important Numbers • At least 407.8 million children globally received some food through their schools in the 2022 school year. • 25% of all school-age children received some school food. • 39% of enrolled primary school students received some school food. • The aggregate budget for school meal programs globally was at least 67.2 billion USD. Link Between School Feeding and School Enrollment • A key objective of school meal programs is to reduce barriers to education. • In a cross section, we see a positive association between the school feeding coverage rate and the enrollment rate at both the primary and secondary level. Link Between School Feeding and School Enrollment • A key objective of school meal programs is to reduce barriers to education. • In a cross section, we see a positive association between the school feeding coverage rate and the enrollment rate at both the primary and secondary level. • In a panel regression with country fixed effects (omitting survey wave 2), we again see a positive association between a country’s school feeding coverage rate and its enrollment rate. • Underscores the potentially transformative impact of school feeding. The School Menu • The Global Survey captured the rate at which different food categories were (planned to be) served in school meal programs. • Both legumes and liquid oils were reported to be served more often in lower-income settings. • Fruits, cruciferous vegetables, and dairy were much more commonly found on the school menu in higher-income settings. % of programs serving each healthy food category, by income level The School Menu • A large majority (71%) of programs reported that they served refined/milled grains, and this was more common than the rate at which they planned to serve whole grains. • It was fairly uncommon for school meal programs to report serving other foods that were considered unhealthy, such as deep-fried foods (19%) or sugar-sweetened beverages (14%). • The provision of unhealthy foods was more common in higher-income settings. • Programs in upper middle-income countries were most likely to serve unhealthy foods, compared to those in high-income countries. % of programs serving each food category, by income level School Feeding in a Time of Emergency • 60% of programs were affected by at least one emergency during the 2022 school year. • Among those, 18% experienced an interruption in school meal program operations. • Natural disasters, economic crises, and conflict were significantly associated with an interruption. • Some aspects of program design seemed to mitigate the impact of shocks. • Government funding reduced the likelihood of disruption during a natural disaster. • The direct engagement of farmers reduced the likelihood of disruption during an economic crises. Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Survey resources can be found at gcnf.org/global-survey/ https://gcnf.org/global-survey/ Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Resources • Access the database at https://gcnf.org/global-survey/. • The data are made freely available for government decision makers, donors, researchers, and others dedicated to making data-informed decisions about school meal programs. • The data have been rapidly incorporated into major global reports such as GCNF’s School Meal Programs Around the World, World Food Programme’s State of School Feeding Worldwide, and UNESCO’s Ready to Learn and Thrive report. This is a key part of the monitoring mechanism of the School Meals Coalition. • Data in Excel and Stata formats, with many pre-constructed indicators made available. Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs https://gcnf.org/global-survey/ Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Resources Country Reports Global Report Survey Highlights Infographics Data Interactive Dashboard Articles & Briefs Looking Ahead We hope that... • School meal practitioners will use the report and other resources to make data-informed decisions about their programs. • Policy makers will use the country reports to learn about and advocate for school feeding. • Researchers will access the Global Survey data and use it for their own research purposes. • Development partners will refer to the results to set priorities and identify opportunities. • The Global Survey will be sustained into the future, with its value growing over time. Contact info@gcnf.org if you are interested in collaboration. We would love to hear from you! mailto:info@gcnf.org Extra Slides Sources of Funding Sources of funding for school meal programs (cross-country averages) Sources of Funding • Across all countries, an average of 73% of their school feeding budget came from government sources (summing over national, regional, and local governments). Government funding for school meal programs (cross-country averages) • In aggregate, 42% of all funding in low-income countries came from government sources. This value was 76% for lower middle-income countries. Sources of Energy in School Meals • 58% of school meal programs relied on wood stoves or charcoal stoves for food preparation, and among these, 78.5% took some steps to reduce the use of firewood/charcoal as fuel. • The most common step taken was the use of fuel efficient (energy efficient) stoves. • It was very uncommon for programs to use solar energy for cooking. Practices to reduce the use of firewood or charcoal Note: This figure is limited to those programs that took steps to limit the use of firewood or charcoal as fuel (n=86). Sources of Energy in School Meals • 58% of school meal programs relied on wood stoves or charcoal stoves for food preparation, and among these, 78.5% took some steps to reduce the use of firewood/charcoal as fuel. • The most common step taken was the use of fuel efficient (energy efficient) stoves. • It was very uncommon for programs to use solar energy for cooking. • Solar panels were very rarely reported to be found in “all” or “most” schools in a country. • Solar energy, in general, has not made significant inroads into school meal programs. Rate at which infrastructure was found in “all” or “most” schools Slide Number 1 The Global Survey of School Meal Programs© Topics Covered A Few Important Numbers Link Between School Feeding and School Enrollment Link Between School Feeding and School Enrollment The School Menu The School Menu School Feeding in a Time of Emergency Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Resources Looking Ahead Slide Number 18 Sources of Funding Sources of Funding Sources of Energy in School Meals Sources of Energy in School Meals