WHO’s New Guidelines on Healthy School Meals Explained – InfoCons Consumer Protection Informs You
What children eat during their school years has a lasting impact on their health, development, and future well-being. With millions of children consuming at least one meal a day at school, educational institutions have a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to promote healthier eating habits. Recognizing this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new global guideline urging countries to strengthen healthy food environments in schools worldwide.
A Growing Global Nutrition Challenge Among Children
Childhood nutrition is facing a dual crisis. On one hand, undernutrition continues to affect many children globally. On the other, rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents are rising at an alarming pace. In 2025, approximately 188 million school-aged children—around one in ten worldwide—were living with obesity, exceeding for the first time the number of underweight children.
Schools sit on the front line of this challenge, as they reach children from diverse social and economic backgrounds every day.
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Why Schools Are Critical for Lifelong Healthy Eating Habits
Healthy dietary habits are formed early in life. Since children spend a large portion of their day at school, the food available in and around school premises strongly influences their choices, preferences, and routines. A supportive school food environment can help reduce health inequalities and set the foundation for better long-term health outcomes.
Globally, an estimated 466 million children receive school meals, yet information on the nutritional quality of these meals remains limited in many countries.
WHO’s Whole-School Approach to Healthy Food Environments
For the first time, WHO is recommending a whole-school approach to nutrition. This means ensuring that all foods and beverages provided within schools—and across the wider school environment—are healthy, safe, and nutritious.
The new guideline encourages schools to actively promote foods that support a balanced diet, rather than simply offering healthier options alongside unhealthy ones.
Key Policy Recommendations for Healthier School Food
According to the WHO guideline, effective school food policies should include:
- Clear nutrition standards or rules that increase the availability and consumption of healthy foods and drinks, while limiting unhealthy options (strong recommendation);
- Behavioral “nudging” interventions that make healthier choices easier and more attractive for children (conditional recommendation), such as improving food placement, presentation, or pricing.
These strategies aim to gently guide children toward healthier decisions without restricting choice.
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From Policy to Practice: The Importance of Monitoring
WHO emphasizes that policies alone are not sufficient. Strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are essential to ensure that school food guidelines are applied consistently and effectively.
Data from the WHO Global database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action (GIFNA) shows that as of October 2025, 104 countries had policies on healthy school food. However, only 48 countries had measures restricting the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats—highlighting a significant implementation gap.
Evidence-Based Action and Global Collaboration
The guideline was developed by a diverse group of international experts through a rigorous, transparent, and evidence-based process. It supports WHO’s broader mission to create healthier food environments and aligns with initiatives such as the WHO acceleration plan to stop obesity and the nutrition-friendly schools initiative.
Importantly, the guideline recognizes that local, regional, and city authorities play a crucial role in implementing school food policies and adapting them to local needs.
Investing in Healthier School Meals Means Investing in the Future
By improving the quality of food served in schools, countries can help children build healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. WHO’s new guideline provides a clear roadmap for action—one that combines strong standards, practical interventions, and effective monitoring.
Healthy school food environments are not just about meals; they are about giving children a healthier start in life. InfoCons informs you so you can better understand the policies shaping children’s health and well-being worldwide.
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Source : World Health Organization
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