Schoolgirl in Haiti receiving WFP meal. Photo: WFP/Antoine Vallas

School Feeding Coalition Formation: A Game Changing Effort

The number of children living in households that are struggling to put food on the table has doubled during the pandemic, approximately “38 million children were acutely hungry in 2019 and the pandemic could push this further… taking the total to 74 million”. Under the coordination of UN Nutrition, a coalition on school feeding is being formed in 2021 to address these challenges, in the context of the Food Systems Summit and key education sector discussions such as the Global Education Forum, Global Education Summit.

The IUNS International Malnutrition Task Force has been actively involved the early stages of the formation of this coalition. An update is available to provide information on the evolution of the coalition formation and provides information for those interested in joining the coalition.

Credit: WFP/Ahmed Haleem

New Publication: IUNS TF and World Food Programme- State of School Feeding Worldwide 2020 Report

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched the current report analysing the State of School Feeding Worldwide, an inter-agency undertaking with extensive engagement of UNESCO, UNICEF and others. The IUNS International Malnutrition Task Force has worked directly with the inter-agency group.
The report includes “A paediatric nutritionist’s perspective on food, schools and school feeding”, contributed by the Co-Chair of the IUNS International Malnutrition Task Force, Prof. Alan A. Jackson.


The report uses the best available data sources to describe key aspects of coverage, implementation practices and costs of school-based health and nutrition programmes worldwide. Additionally the report seeks to analyse the direction and scale of change between the previous report (2013) and 2020, and to provide an update on advances in evidence and understanding of school feeding programmes. The report includes analysis of the impact the COVID-19 Pandemic has had on the global growth of school feeding programmes.

The report is available here State of School Feeding Worldwide 2020 | World Food Programme (wfp.org)


During 2020 the UN Network for the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) merged to form UN Nutrition. This inter-agency collaboration is focused on tackling School Feeding and the effective prevention and treatment of severe malnutrition infants and young children. The International Malnutrition Task Force will continue engagement with the activities of UN Nutrition.