UNESCO Report: Less Than Two-Thirds of Countries Regulate Food and Beverages in Schools

Urgent Need for Stronger Global School Food Policies, Report Warns

NEW DELHI — A recent Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report by UNESCO has found that fewer than two-thirds of countries worldwide have legislation or standards governing food and beverages provided in schools. Released in collaboration with the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the findings reveal critical gaps in global efforts to regulate student nutrition.

Of the 187 countries reviewed, only 93 have some form of compulsory legislation or guidance related to school food environments. However, just 60 per cent of these nations implement standards for what can be served, and a mere 29 per cent have policies in place restricting marketing of unhealthy food and beverages on school campuses.

Nutrition Education Lacks Integration and Accountability

The GEM report also found that nutrition education in schools, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is often relegated to extracurricular or project-based learning. Among 30 surveyed countries, only three regularly assessed outcomes related to student knowledge, food practices, or nutritional status.

“Most school meal programmes have education, health, and social protection objectives,” the report noted, “but relatively few have explicit strategies to combat or prevent obesity.” This lack of alignment reflects missed opportunities to address rising childhood obesity rates and poor dietary habits.

Weak Restrictions on Food Marketing and Unhealthy Options

The report highlighted that 72 per cent of countries surveyed impose at least some limitations on food marketing within school grounds. Yet, only 52 per cent enforce national-level restrictions on what foods may be sold in or around schools, raising concerns about the exposure of children to processed and high-sugar products.

In high-income nations, policy actions focused more on encouraging behavior change through education and labelling than on comprehensive regulation of the food environment. The report pointed to a general overemphasis on individual responsibility over structural interventions such as product reformulation, advertising bans, or nutritional legislation.

Call for a Whole-School Approach to Nutrition

To combat this global shortfall, the GEM Report calls for a whole-school approach that integrates school meals, nutrition education, physical activity, and broader community engagement. It also advocates for improved food literacy, positioning it as a lifelong skill taught across formal, informal, and non-formal education settings.

“Despite clear interdependencies, the linkages between education and nutrition remain under-researched,” the report states. It urges investment in capacity-building across education, health, agriculture, and food systems, along with improved data collection and programme monitoring.

UNESCO’s findings serve as a reminder that school environments play a pivotal role in shaping lifelong health outcomes and that robust policies are essential to ensure children everywhere grow up with access to nutritious food and informed choices.