IBL News | New York
Two United Nations agencies, with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), launched last month launched an initiative to improve the diet for schools meals, contributing to their nutrition needs.
In many countries, school meals are a significant portion of children’s daily diet.
FAO’s Deputy Director of the agency’s Food and Nutrition Division, Nancy Aburto, said that her institution aims to support governments and institutions in providing healthier school food to children and adolescents, marking a step forward towards ensuring their Right to Food.”
“We have a global consensus now around the need for school meals and its benefits to various sectors. School meals go far beyond the plate of food – they can impact education, nutrition, health, agriculture, and food systems,” said Carmen Burbano, Director of the School-based Programmes Division at WFP.
The project, School food nutrition guidelines and standards for safeguarding children and adolescents’ right to food, will be piloted in Cambodia and Ghana.
The participant partners will also produce guidance for schools to implement hands-on food education strategies, including how to use school meal menus as learning materials in the classroom.
Other interventions will also be promoted, such as restricting the marketing of sugary beverages in school.
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