The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first-ever global guidelines on healthy and balanced nutrition in schools. This marks an important shift: school meals are now formally recognized not merely as a form of social assistance, but as a practical and effective tool for protecting and promoting children’s health.
WHO emphasizes that what children eat at school and how their meals are organized directly shape their long-term eating habits. The new guidance brings together evidence-based recommendations and practical solutions to help schools establish clear, consistent, and health-oriented feeding systems.
Why schools?
Today, the world faces two parallel challenges related to poor nutrition. In some countries, children continue to suffer from undernutrition and deficiencies in essential macro- and micronutrients critical for growth and development. In others, rates of overweight and obesity among children are rising rapidly.
According to WHO, by 2025, an estimated 188 million school-aged children and adolescents worldwide are living with obesity, which is roughly one in ten children. For the first time in history, the number of children who are overweight exceeds those who are underweight.
This is why schools have become a central focus. They provide a unique opportunity to influence children’s diets every day, systematically and equitably, regardless of household income or social background.
School meals shape lifelong habits
Healthy eating habits are formed early in life. As children spend a significant portion of their day at school, the school environment plays a decisive role in shaping their attitudes toward food and their future choices.
For many children, a school lunch is the most consistent and nutritionally complete meal of the day. This is particularly important for families with limited financial resources.
WHO estimates that 466 million children worldwide currently receive school meals. However, reliable information about the nutritional quality and balance of these meals remains limited.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscores the long-term importance of school nutrition:
“The quality of food provided to schoolchildren and the conditions in which their diets are shaped can significantly affect learning outcomes and have lasting consequences for their health and well-being. Well-designed school feeding programs are essential for disease prevention and for building a healthier adult population.”
It’s not just about school canteen
One of the key innovations in the WHO recommendations is a comprehensive, whole-school approach to nutrition.
WHO encourages schools to consider everything children consume throughout the school day, not only canteen meals, but also:
food sold at canteens,
snacks and beverages from vending machines,
treats provided during school events and extracurricular activities.
The school is viewed as a single, integrated food environment, one in which healthy choices should be easier and more accessible than less nutritious alternatives.
What changes does WHO recommend?
The guidelines place particular emphasis on measures that can be implemented immediately.
First, schools should introduce standards and policies that:
make healthy foods more accessible by increasing the availability of whole grains, fruits, nuts, and legumes;
limit the availability of products high in sugar, salt, and trans fats.
This is considered the primary and mandatory recommendation.
Second, WHO advises introducing complementary measures that help children choose healthier options more frequently. These include practical factors such as:
how food is displayed and positioned,
how meals are presented,
how easy they are to select,
and how they are priced.
The goal is not to impose strict prohibitions, but to ensure that the healthy choice becomes the easiest and most convenient one.
Rules alone are not enough
Having policies and standards in place does not automatically guarantee results unless their implementation is properly monitored and enforced.
According to WHO data, as of October 2025:
healthy school meal policies were implemented in 104 countries;
nearly three-quarters had introduced mandatory nutrition standards for school meals;
however, only 48 countries had restricted the advertising and promotion of foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
These figures demonstrate that a considerable gap still exists between policy adoption and meaningful change in schools.
WHO emphasizes that progress depends not only on national governments, but also on local authorities, municipalities, and individual schools, where many of the decisions that directly shape children’s everyday life are made.
In conclusion
The new WHO recommendations highlight a simple but important truth: a child’s health is shaped every day, both at home and at school, at the family table and during a hot lunch with classmates.
When healthy eating becomes part of the educational process, schools do more than provide meals. They help children grow, develop, and build the foundation for lifelong well-being.