Finland to host School Meals Coalition Summit in 2027

Finland will host the Global Summit of the School Meals Coalition in Helsinki in October 2027.

Finland will be the host of the next Summit of the School Meals Coalition. This was announced by Permanent State Secretary Tuomas Tapio at the Task Force meeting of the Coalition in Rome on 14 October 2026.

The School Meals Coalition comprises 113 countries, six regional bodies and over 160 partners. The aim is that, by 2030, all schoolchildren will have access to school meals. Finland is one of the founding members and co-chairs of the Coalition, which was launched in 2021. The School Meals Coalition is one of the multilateral coalitions that has expanded the fastest in recent years.

The Ministerial Task Force meeting in Rome announced Kenya as the fourth co-chair of the School Meals Coalition. This means that, together with Finland, France and Brazil, Kenya will have a leading role in the Coalition in future.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio serves as a high-level ambassador for the Coalition.

“Hosting such an important summit is indeed a source of national pride for Finland. We have a long tradition in serving meals in schools and we are strongly committed to the Coalition’s work. In most cases the countries themselves provide the funding for school meals. The aim is to support the children’s learning, health and equality, as well as the development of value chains for local food. We are also very pleased to welcome Kenya as the fourth co-chair of the School Meals Coalition. It is in Africa where the provision of school meals is growing the fastest,” Minister Tavio says.