School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?

School meal programs are popular social programs. They are provided to 61 percent of primary students in high-income countries but to a smaller share of students in less wealthy countries. There is a body of evidence documenting their contribution to education, health and nutrition, and social prote...

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Autores principales: Alderman, Harold, Bundy, Donald, Gelli, Aulo
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140729
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author Alderman, Harold
Bundy, Donald
Gelli, Aulo
author_browse Alderman, Harold
Bundy, Donald
Gelli, Aulo
author_facet Alderman, Harold
Bundy, Donald
Gelli, Aulo
author_sort Alderman, Harold
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description School meal programs are popular social programs. They are provided to 61 percent of primary students in high-income countries but to a smaller share of students in less wealthy countries. There is a body of evidence documenting their contribution to education, health and nutrition, and social protection. But in each domain, program objectives have evolved: schooling is recognized to be more about learning than grades obtained; nutrition goals include healthy diets that reduce risks of non-communicable diseases and are more environmentally responsible; social protection programs aim to respond to acute crises and address chronic poverty. In addition to assisting in these sectors, school meal programs are tasked with creating food systems that assist smallholder farmers, an endeavor that has yet to be extensively studied. This review examines the latest evidence on these evolving dimensions of school meal programs. Findings suggest that while there is a strong evidence base for school meals, there are also specific gaps in the evidence of effectiveness and a particular lack of clarity around costs. The country-led School Meals Coalition, developed in response to COVID pandemic-related school closures, has brought new momentum to national programs and new urgency for reliable evidence on effectiveness and costs.
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spelling CGSpace1407292025-12-09T19:55:57Z School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up? Alderman, Harold Bundy, Donald Gelli, Aulo education health nutrition school feeding social services School meal programs are popular social programs. They are provided to 61 percent of primary students in high-income countries but to a smaller share of students in less wealthy countries. There is a body of evidence documenting their contribution to education, health and nutrition, and social protection. But in each domain, program objectives have evolved: schooling is recognized to be more about learning than grades obtained; nutrition goals include healthy diets that reduce risks of non-communicable diseases and are more environmentally responsible; social protection programs aim to respond to acute crises and address chronic poverty. In addition to assisting in these sectors, school meal programs are tasked with creating food systems that assist smallholder farmers, an endeavor that has yet to be extensively studied. This review examines the latest evidence on these evolving dimensions of school meal programs. Findings suggest that while there is a strong evidence base for school meals, there are also specific gaps in the evidence of effectiveness and a particular lack of clarity around costs. The country-led School Meals Coalition, developed in response to COVID pandemic-related school closures, has brought new momentum to national programs and new urgency for reliable evidence on effectiveness and costs. 2024-07-18 2024-04-02T20:12:46Z 2024-04-02T20:12:46Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140729 en Limited Access Oxford University Press Alderman, Harold; Bundy, Donald; and Gelli, Aulo. 2024. School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up? World Bank Research Observer 38(2): 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkad012
spellingShingle education
health
nutrition
school feeding
social services
Alderman, Harold
Bundy, Donald
Gelli, Aulo
School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title_full School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title_fullStr School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title_full_unstemmed School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title_short School meals are evolving: Has the evidence kept up?
title_sort school meals are evolving has the evidence kept up
topic education
health
nutrition
school feeding
social services
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140729
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