School meal programs are one of the most widely used and effective ways to support children’s learning, health, and wellbeing, especially in low- and middle-income countries. They sit at the intersection of education, health, nutrition, and social protection, and are uniquely positioned to strengthen human capital, reduce inequality, and enhance child wellbeing.
Some donors remain sceptical about the value of school meals compared to other approaches, and a lack of coordination across sectors makes it harder for programs to succeed and last.
We need to better understand how school meals can deliver on their promise. CGD researchers are working to generate new evidence and policy solutions to improve the effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability of school meal programs in low- and middle-income countries. Our research explores the multi-sectoral impacts of school meals on children and communities, the role of school feeding in emergencies, the operational and political challenges of delivering meals at scale, and the global financing architecture that supports these programs.
By building a stronger foundation of evidence and action, we aim to help make school meal programs more responsive, equitable, and resilient, so every child has the chance to learn free from hunger.
Our work focuses on four key areas:
- Evidence generation and reviews of impact of school feeding programs, to establish the relevance and effectiveness of school feeding as large-scale safety nets.
- School feeding in emergencies and protracted crises, to understand program implementation drivers and priorities in humanitarian contexts.
- Operational and financial analysis, to understand the tension between fiscal space and programme quality, and sustainability.
- Global policy and financing architecture, to understand the adequacy and efficiency of programs at scale.
Our upcoming work explores models that are more adaptive and equitable—such as proportionate universalism, and a global anticipatory insurance mechanism—to help ensure sustainable, government-led programs that can withstand future shocks.
