School meals for children around the world
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) promotes school meals worldwide. The global School Meals Coalition, led by Finland, France, Brazil and Kenya, supports WFP’s efforts.
WFP supports the development of school meal programmes, particularly in low-income countries. Nearly half of the world’s primary school students received school meals in 2024. School meal programmes reached nearly 470 million children that year, almost 80 million more than in 2020.
The School Meals Coalition was established in 2021 to promote school meals worldwide. Finland is a founding member and co-chairs the Coalition with France, Brazil and Kenya. Kenya was announced as the Coalition’s fourth co-chair at the Task Force meeting held in Rome in October 2026.
By 2026, the Coalition had grown to include 113 countries, six regional bodies and over 160 partners. Its goal is to ensure that all schoolchildren worldwide have access to healthy and nutritious school meals by 2030.
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, serves as a high-level ambassador for the School Meals Coalition.
Background
Although school meal programmes reached nearly 470 million children worldwide in 2024, WFP estimates that around half of primary school-age children who do not receive school meals are those who would benefit from them the most. In low-income countries, only 27 per cent of primary school pupils have access to school meals.
School meals encourage families to send their children to school. A lunch or snack provided at school reduces the expenses of vulnerable households by about 10 per cent. It also delays the marriage of girls, positively impacting educational attainment, health and gender equality. In humanitarian crises, school meals provide many children with their only meal of the day.
Support and funding
Finland has supported global school meals initiatives since 2021. In 2026, Finland allocated EUR 4 million in funding to WFP’s school meal programmes and activities.