Tag: School meal programs

According to the World Health Organization, in 2022, nearly 40% of the world's population did not have access to a healthy diet, leading to malnutrition in all its forms, from undernutrition to obesity. The healthy Meal Initiative represents a global effort by governments, non-profits, and communities to combat this issue by ensuring vulnerable populations have consistent access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food.

According to the World Food Programme, a recent study in Bangladesh found that providing nutrient-fortified biscuits to schoolchildren led to a 14.2% increase in enrollment. This statistic highlights the undeniable connection between nutrition and academic outcomes, and is a strong indication of why is food important to education.

According to the World Health Organization, over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 were overweight in 2022. Yet, efforts to combat this by introducing healthy school lunches have sometimes faced criticism for increasing food waste. This article explores the complex relationship between nutritional improvements and uneaten food in school cafeterias.