Robust school meals programs are one of the easiest ways for governments to help spur food systems reform, government and United Nations’ officials said Monday at the opening session at the U.N. Food Systems Summit stocktaking event in Rome.
Ensuring that children have access to a nutritious school meal each day provides a host of benefits for the child, society, and food systems, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the session, which highlighted the School Meals Coalition led by the World Food Programme.
The coalition was created in 2021 at the inaugural U.N. Food Systems Summit to help governments provide food to all schoolchildren. She called school meals “the biggest public safety net that we have available to support future generations.”
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
