Upcoming events
Good Practices from School Meal Programmes in Africa
Friday 10 July
14:00–15:30 UTC+1 (UK)
Join via Zoom
This webinar, co-organized by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the African Union Commission, will explore what the world can learn from exemplary school meal programmes across Africa.
Drawing on a global comparative analysis of implementation data from 99 countries conducted by the Research Consortium’s Good Examples and Analytics & Metrics Communities of Practice, the session will showcase a typology of national programmes and evidence-based good practices, with a particular focus on the lessons emerging from the African region. Participants will also gain an early look at a new Solutions Toolbox currently under development to help countries apply these insights in practice.
Hear directly from Lesotho, home to one of Africa's longest-running national school meals programmes, as it reflects on the lessons learned since the establishment of its National School Feeding Programme (NFSP) in 1961. The African Union Commission will also share its perspective on the pivotal role of school meals across the continent, and why documenting and sharing good practice is essential to accelerating regional learning.
Speakers:
- Sylvie Avallone – Institut Agro Montpellier, France
- Donald Bundy – LSHTM, UK
- Edward Makumbe – African Union Commission, Ethiopia
- Ralph Nehme – Institut Agro Montpellier, France
- Mothusi Nyofane – National University of Lesotho
- Stéphane Verguet – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA
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Past events
2026
- June 2026
Transforming School Meals Through City Action
This webinar launched the first case studies jointly developed by the Research Consortium and Cities Feeding the Future, two initiatives of the School Meals Coalition. It will highlighted the role cities can play in designing and implementing quality school meal programmes that provide healthy, diversified, and locally sourced meals.
Through documenting the experiences of Milan and Montpellier, participants explored how local governments can develop effective school meal programmes and how collaboration between science and public policy can support more sustainable and resilient urban food systems.
- March 2026
School meals: Improving child health and leveraging food systems transformation
Co-hosted by the Research Consortium’s Diets & Planetary Health Community of Practice and LSHTM’s Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health, this hybrid event explored how school meals can do more than nourish children – they can drive healthier futures, support sustainable food systems and accelerate progress towards net zero. The event celebrates our new Special Collection on planet-friendly school meals in The Lancet Planetary Health, and authors presented key findings from the collection on nutrition, education, sustainability and planetary health, including an early look at our new Planet-Friendly School Meals Toolkit.
2025
- Annual Showcase 2025
Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition Annual Showcase 2025
The Consortium's 4th Annual Showcase brought together more than 350 researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from 71 countries for three days of discussion on why governments are investing in national school meals programmes at an unprecedented global scale.
Over three sessions, world-leading speakers explored how school meals drive economic growth and future prosperity; why they offer a critical window of opportunity to transform the health of both people and the planet; and what we’re learning from the countries already successfully expanding their programmes in practice. We also shone a spotlight on three of the world’s longest-standing national school meals programmes, taking in the lessons learned as we enter this new era of global investment in school meals.
Watch Session 1 | Feeding Growth: School Meals and Human Capital
Watch Session 2 | School Meals in Action: Becoming Public Policy
Watch Session 3 | Future Generations: Building Habits for Healthier People & Planet
- October 2025
Lessons Learned and Experience Sharing from the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh
This webinar highlighted recent case studies coordinated by the “Good Examples” Community of Practice published from Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea. It also presented the scientific method used by the Community of Practice and the first results of the analysis of global trends in school meals best practices to classify and identify smart ideas and solutions emerging from cross-country comparisons worldwide.
- September 2025
From Meals to Systems: A New Understanding of Home-Grown School Feeding
Co-hosted by the AU and the Research Consortium's "Impact & Evidence" Community of Practice, this session provided an overview of school meals in Africa and presents HGSF as an intervention that goes beyond the plate, examining the transformative and catalytic role it plays in systems strengthening and generating multisectoral impacts. The webinar showcases the key achievements, challenges, and innovations, and the evidence on the impact of school meals in Africa.
International School Meals Science Day
Ahead of the School Meals Coalition's (SMC) second biennial Global Summit, hosted by SMC Co-Chair President Lula da Silva in Fortaleza, Brazil, the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition held an official online pre-summit event.
Co-hosted with the Government of Brazil, this scientific showcase bridges cutting-edge academic research with real-world policy impact, featuring insights from the Research Consortium's Global Academy of 1,200+ academics across 117+ countries. Discover breakthrough global evidence on designing efficient programmes, gain deeper insight into how Brazil successfully runs the world's second-largest school meals programme, and learn from country success stories spanning five continents.
- July 2025
Nutrition and Education: Learn to Eat Well
In this webinar in partnership with the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, we explored the key implications our influential joint paper Learn to Eat Well published earlier this year. The webinar offers a deep-dive into how education can be a powerful tool for achieving nutrition and health goals, and how quality nutrition improves learning outcomes.
This is the second in the GEM Report’s three-part series exploring education’s role in achieving the SDGs, and focuses on how learning throughout life—from early years to adulthood—can help improve diets and transform food systems.
Hear insights from across the Research Consortium alongside global partners including WFP, World Vision and PMNCH, and discover how countries are putting these ideas into practice.
- June 2025
Introducing the new Planetary Health CoPs
In this webinar, we launched our two new Communities of Practice (CoPs) dedicated to advancing solutions at the intersection of school meals, sustainability, and health. In response to growing government demand for integrated solutions for rising food insecurity, climate change, and malnutrition, we have expanded the scope of our former Diet & Food Systems CoP and launched two new Communities of Practice in its place:
- Food Systems Transformation: exploring how school meals can support shifts toward regenerative, equitable, and sustainable food systems—from production to procurement.
- Diets & Planetary Health: focusing on planet-friendly school food consumption, including healthy menus, cooking methods, waste management, and holistic food education that supports lifelong habits.
Catch up with the session to meet the new co-Chairs, learn about each CoP’s vision, and explore upcoming themes and outputs.
- May 2025
From Latin America and the Caribbean to the World - New Case Studies and Global Reflections
What can we learn from school meals programmes around the world? In their annual Spring Webinar, our ‘Good Examples’ Community of Practice highlighted their global progress in supporting 50 countries to document their school meals landscape using a shared template. The authors of three new case studies from Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia presented the key features of their school meals programmes and explored common successes and challenges as they relate to public policy. The session also highlighted how the Community of Practice is classifying and identifying smart ideas and solutions emerging from cross-country comparisons worldwide.
Simultaneous translation is available in English and Spanish.
- March 2025
The Surprising Science of School Meals: Learning from 1,000 Experts, 13 March
What can we learn from more than 1,000 experts on school meals? Marking five years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared as well as celebrating International School Meals Day, this special webinar highlighted the progress that has taken place since COVID-19 towards ensuring children around the world receive a nutritious meal at school.
We also celebrated a very special milestone for the Research Consortium – our Global Academy reaching over 1,000 experts in 107 countries! Diverse voices across our Academy shared the extensive—and perhaps surprising—impacts of school meals, and what they could mean for building a happier, healthier future for both people and planet.
We were not able to play Wawira Njiru's full presentation during the webinar, so please click here to watch her personal account of why she is committed to improving school meals in Kenya.
2024
- Annual Showcase 2024
Between 24 and 27 September 2024, the Research Consortium held our second Annual Showcase, 'A New Understanding Of School Meals'.
While school meals are already well-understood by many countries as an effective way of ensuring vulnerable children do not go hungry, more recent evidence points towards their unique power to provide benefits that go far beyond the school canteen – with the potential to enhance overall child health and wellbeing, improve education outcomes, boost economic development, drive sustainable food systems transformation, influence healthier lifelong dietary habits, and much more.
With four exciting sessions, this year’s Showcase takes you on a tour of the emerging evidence around school meals, with thought leaders from across our global research network sharing the latest insights on how the evidence landscape is evolving to inform a new understanding of school meals as more than just a plate of food.
- July 2024
Nutrition CoP: 'Nutrition and the Next 7,000 Days: The Importance of Quality Evidence', 31 July
It is well understood that good nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life is critical for an infant's physical and cognitive development. But what happens after that? Emerging evidence shows that the "next 7,000 days" - from early childhood through to late adolescence - are of equal importance if a child is to reach their full potential. It is during this time that children are educated, go through puberty, and establish habits and behaviour patterns that can stay with them for life.
This webinar from our Nutrition Community of Practice explored what we know so far about the role of nutrition during the next 7,000 days - and why it is critical to prioritize quality evidence to support children to flourish, both at school and beyond.
Diet & Food Systems: Transforming Food Systems Through School Gardens, 5 July
Part of a series about planet-friendly approaches to school meals programming, this session explored how school gardens can provide a unique opportunity for children to pick up essential skills and practical knowledge around food systems, health, and the environment – equipping them to take their learning back to their homes and communities, and to make well-informed decisions throughout their life to drive transformation towards a healthier planet.
- May 2024
Good Examples: Spring Meeting, 16 May
What can we learn from national school feeding programs? In the spring meeting of our Good Examples Community of Practice, we heard presentations from six countries in Africa and Europe to see the diversity of school food organisation and best practices to encourage. This recording is available in English and French.
Diet & Food Systems: Food system challenges for Home-Grown School Feeding programmes: Supply-side factors, 2 May
Co-hosted the Diet & Food Systems Community of Practice, Wasafiri, and the Ministry of General Education in Zambia, this webinar presented examples of food system challenges for Home-Grown School Feeding programmes (HGSFPs), focusing on upstream sub-systems’ of homegrown school feeding programmes as a pathway for sustainable food production, improved climate resilience, gender and inclusivity.
- April 2024
Analytics & Metrics: 'School Meals Impact: Gathering Evidence from Ethiopia and India', 24 April
Discover what the Research Consortium's Analytics & Metrics Community of Practice are learning about the impact of investing in the school meals programmes in Ethiopia and India.
- March 2024
Diet and Food Systems: 'Aquatic foods in school meals', 25 March
Co-hosted by the Research Consortium’s Diet & Food Systems Community of Practice, FAO and WorldFish, this webinar presents an overview of the important role that aquatic foods play in school feeding, as well as some of the international research projects and programmes demonstrating their effectiveness.
- January 2024
'School Meals & Food Systems: Building a Community of Practice', 24 January
In its first webinar of the year, the Diet & Food Systems Community of Practice shared an update on the white paper on 'School Meals and Food Systems: Rethinking the consequences for climate, environment, biodiversity and food sovereignty', detailing plans for how the Community of Practice will support countries to take the paper's insights forward and implement planet-friendly school meals programmes. A discussion was also had about key priorities for the Community of Practice moving forward.
2023
- The Research Consortium at COP28, December 2023
'Nourishing the Planet, Sustaining Futures', hosted by the School Meals Coalition, 8 Dec
The School Meals Coalition’s flagship COP28 event saw Research Consortium Director Professor Donald Bundy discuss the white paper’s key insights on how governments can harness the power of school meals towards a healthier future for both people and planet. Kenya then became one of the first countries to announce its intention to take the insights forward, stating its commitment to providing nourishing, planet-friendly meals to 10 million children by 2030, an increase from the current 2.3 million children being reached.
'School Meals and Food Systems: Rethinking the consequences for climate, environment, biodiversity, and food sovereignty', hosted by the Research Consortium at the RewirED Summit, 8 Dec
The Research Consortium hosted its own session at the Dubai Cares RewirED Summit, in which the white paper’s editorial team shared the background and approach to producing the paper, including a presentation from Professor Marco Springmann (EAT Lancet/LSHTM) on his analysis of the potential health and environmental impacts of planet-friendly school meals programmes across different income settings. Penholder Dr Silvia Pastorino (LSHTM) shared how governments can create both immediate and long-term change through the design of planet-friendly school meals programmes.
H.E. Conrad Omalikeh Sackey, Minister of Basic & Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone, then discussed how Sierra Leone plans to use the paper’s insights to develop a planet-friendly school feeding model moving forwards.
'Little Fish, Big Impact', hosted by the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition, 10 Dec
In this session hosted by the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition, Professor Donald Bundy discussed the white paper’s insights on the potential of school food menus high in aquatic foods for driving sustainable food systems transformation globally.
'Beans for Accelerating Change in Africa', hosted by the SDG2 Beans is How Campaign, 10 Dec
In the Research Consortium’s final session of the week, the white paper’s penholder Dr Silvia Pastorino joined a panel at the ‘Beans for Accelerating Change in Africa’ event hosted by the SDG2 Beans is How Campaign. Dr Pastorino discussed the evidence sumarized in the white paper about beans and pulses on school food menus.
- November 2023
'How to Write a Winning Grant Application' by the Early Career Researcher & Young Scientist Network, 14 Nov
With insights from across the Research Consortium’s global network of academics and scholars, this session by the Early Career Researcher & Young Scientist Network was an opportunity to hear from those on both sides of the grant award process for practical advice and useful insights on how to write a winning application.
- October 2023
Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition Annual Showcase, virtual, 3-5 Oct
Between 3 and 5 October 2023, the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition held its inaugural Annual Showcase. With six virtual sessions across three days, the Showcase was an opportunity for the Consortium to share its key findings on the design, cost, implementation and impact of school meals from across all six of its global Communities of Practice throughout the last year. Taking place two weeks ahead of the annual School Meals Coalition Ministerial Meeting in Paris, the Annual Showcase provided an in-depth insight into everything we know about effective school meals programming to date.
Global Forum for Adolescents by the Partnership for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (PMNCH), 12 Oct
On 12 October, the Research Consortium co-lead a session at the Global Forum for Adolescents (GFA) on the intersection between education and nutrition and the power of effective school-based nutrition programmes for adolescents to achieve their full potential. More information to follow.
- September 2023
5th Congress Hidden Hunger, Stuttgart, Germany, 4-6 September
Research Consortium director Professor Bundy holds a position on the Scientific Advisory Board of the 5th Annual Congress on Hidden Hunger hosted by the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany.
The focus of the three-day congress is to promote dialogue between scientists, researchers, policy makers and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, the general public and the private sector, as well as other stakeholders and interested parties. Following his keynote speech at the Online Pre-Symposium in November, Professor Bundy will chair a session onsite at the congress in September 2023.
Launch of case study on France's national school meals programme, 4 September
As part of the work of the Research Consortium's "Good Examples" Community of Practice of documenting the school meals programmes of the member states of the School Meals Coalition, the CoP members are due to launch the French case study on 4th September.
France's experience in the field of school meal has been described in terms of implementation (coverage, type of menus, programme costs) and public policies. The authors of this case study will share with the audience the good practices, the innovative initiatives as well as the challenges to be met.
A question and answer session with the audience will follow. These discussions will serve as a prelude to the debates that will take place at the interministerial meetings organised by the School Meals Coalition from 18 to 19 October in Paris. A simultaneous translation from French into English will be available.
- May 2023
LAUNCH: Early Career Researcher & Young Scientist Network, 4 May
On Thursday 4 May the Research Consortium launched its newest Community of Practice: the Early Career Researcher & Young Scientist Network. The Network aims to cultivate the talent of young people interested in entering the field of school health and nutrition research, by providing skills workshops, networking opportunities, and ways to contribute to the Research Consortium's research outputs. In this interactive launch event, we were joined by two brilliant guests who both work in a different area of school health and nutrition. Our guests will share their personal career journeys, providing insights and advice on how to pursue a career in the field.
- June 2023
On Monday 19 June, the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition’s Good Examples Community of Practice (CoP) held its first Summer Meeting: an opportunity to reflect on progress to date in documenting examples of best practice in school meals programming from around the world.
Open to anyone interested in the documentation of school meals programmes globally, the meeting was a chance for those who have completed national case studies on their country’s school meals programme to share their insights on both the successes and challenges of the process, with the aim of providing guidance to countries seeking to develop their own case studies.
2022
- January 2022
Strengthening evidence on the benefits of school health and nutrition interventions to inform policy action and investment priorities, LSHTM Seminar organised by the School-Based Interventions Interest Group, 26th January
LSHTM staff and collaborators participated in this seminar introducing the School Meals Coalition, the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, and the work of the Consortium's Communities of Practice. Three key areas of research were explored during the seminar: (i) value-for-money of school meals; (ii) the effect of school food on learning-adjusted years of schooling; and (iii) the current evidence and impact of school health interventions.
Watch the recording
Public Meeting hosted by the Coalition for Health School Food, Canada, 27th January
Professor Bundy presented on behalf of the Research Consortium and provided an update on global evidence for school food programmes.
Watch the recording
- February 2022
OECD Webinar: How to Make Better Policies for School Meals, 10th February
Following on from the Making Better Policies for Food Systems report the OECD’s Trade and Agriculture Directorate is now focusing on how to overcome evidence gaps in food systems to support policy makers around the world develop better policies for food systems. School meal programmes are included as part of a deep dive on food assistance programmes in OECD countries. As a knowledge partner to the UNFSS process the OECD has convened a webinar to discuss school meal programmes within OECD states. Professor Bundy presented on the launch of the School Meals Coalition, the Research Consortium, and the efforts of the Good Examples Community of Practice to document lessons learned from long-standing national school meal programs.
Watch the recording
Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery, US, 20th February
Professor Bundy presented to a global audience of surgeons on the opportunities for intervention within the first 8,000 days of life, with an emphasis on preventable disability among children and adolescents. Professor Bundy also provided a forward look to the fourth edition of the Disease Control Priorities and the vision to include an emphasis on the life-course within this publication.
University of Oxford International Health & Tropical Medicine - Presentation to MSc students on multi-sectoral benefits of school meals programmes and the role of the School Meals Coalition, 23rd February
Professor Bundy presented to the University of Oxford International Health & Tropical Medicine MSc students on the multi-sector benefits of school meals programmes and the role of the School Meals Coalition with supporting governments to re-establish and scale school meal programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- March 2022
Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development – Knowledge Indicating Dietary Sufficiency (BOND-KIDS) workshops; 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th March
BOND-KIDS is a global partnership, led by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD/NIH), the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA/FAS) and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), that aims to describe factors affecting health and nutrition in school-aged children and to guide assessment of nutrition programs. A series of public workshops took place throughout March to discuss the research of the four working groups.
Watch all four event recordings below:
- Workshop 1 – Nutrition and Biology – Friday 4 March
- Workshop 2 – Environment – Friday 11 March
- Workshop 3 – Assessment – Friday 18 March
- Workshop 4 – Translation and Implementation – Friday 25 March
LSHTM Environmental Health Group Seminar, 9th March
LSHTM's Environmental Health Group hosted a seminar featuring three presentations on school-based WASH studies, followed by a presentation on the work of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition.
Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetics Society 2nd International Conference in Karachi, 10th-13th March
The Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the Nutrition Society hosted a workshop focusing on investing in the next 8,000 days, as part of the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetics Society 2nd International Conference in Karachi.
Transitioning to a sustainable food system and delivering on the SDGs – The potential of school meals, EURGAGRI/CIRAD conference, 21st March
The European Agricultural Research Initiative (EURAGRI) and CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement) co-hosted a conference bringing together European academics and stakeholders to discuss the benefits of school feeding programmes for children, as well as for societies and local economies. Professor Bundy provided an update on the global picture of school feeding and presented the roles of the School Meals Coalition and Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition in this context.
- April 2022
Regional School Feeding Forum, Barranquilla, Colombia, 5th-7th April
Representatives from the Research Consortium and School Meals Coalition took part in a high-level panel alongside ECLAC, IFPRI and INSP (the Mexican National Institute of public health) to discuss school feeding as a game changer for human capital development.
Sustainable School Food: Global Challenges, Local Solutions, Barcelona, 28th April
Representatives from the Research Consortium presented at the virtual Sustainable School Food conference, hosted by Catalan NGO Fundesplai. The conference explored different countries and realities in order to see how they are reacting to shared challenges regarding school food programmes: minimising waste, reducing the consumption of animal proteins and increasing the consumption of fresh and local foods.
- May 2022
Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS) meeting in Bergen, 2nd-4th May 2022
The Research Consortium team took part in the BCEPS meeting to discuss collaboration and ways forward to promote fair and efficient priority setting in national health systems.
Healthy and Climate-Friendly School Food: Coming soon to a place near you? World Food Summit side event, Bergen, 5th May 2022
Representatives from the Research Consortium spoke at this Danish World Food Summit side event about the different approaches to school feeding in the Nordic region and the transition to greater public engagement in school health and nutrition.
National Consultation on School Meals Programme, Pakistan, 10th May 2022
Professor Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, delivered the keynote speech at the National Consultation on School Meals Programme, convened by the Government of Pakistan with support from WFP. He discussed the multi-benefits of school meals programmes for overall child health and nutrition, education, wellbeing, and economic development.
Measuring Success: What makes an effective school feeding programme? - Analytics & Metrics COP, 30th May 2022
The Research Consortium for School Health & Nutrition hosted its first seminar with its Analytics & Metrics Community of Practice (COP) on the effective measurement of school health and nutrition programmes globally.
Representatives from the Ethiopian and Malawi governments, the African Union, the World Food Programme, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine provided insights on the most meaningful evidence and metrics for measuring the impact of school meals around the world.
- June 2022
Good Food For All - The Bean Challenge, OmVed Gardens, London, 13th-14th June 2022
Representatives from the Research Consortium attended an advocacy event held by Good Food For All, an inititative of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, on increasing the global consumption of beans as a way of addressing world hunger.
School Health & Nutrition: What does the evidence tell us? - Impact & Evidence COP, 23rd June 2022
The Research Consortium for School Health & Nutrition's Impact & Evidence Community of Practice (COP) shared recent progress on their Cochrane Collaboration Systematic Review of School Meals and School Health, including insights from across the Global South.
Launch of FAO 'School Food Global Hub', 23rd June 2022
On 23 June 2022, Research Consortium Director Professor Bundy spoke at the launch of the 'School Food Global Hub', established by the FAO, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, and the School Meals Coalition.
The hub enables the sharing of evidence, best practices and lessons learned on school feeding, to enhance the global dialogue around the need and potential of improving the quality of school food and food education, therefore strengthening school programmes around the world.
- August 2022
CASE Europe Annual Conference, Glasgow, 30th August
Professor Bundy delivered the opening keynote speech at the CASE Europe Annual Conference, Europe's leading conference geared towards fundraising, advancement and alumni relations within higher education. Under the this year's theme of 'reimagine', Professor Bundy's session was titled: 'Caring for 1.5 billion lost children: How universities have helped reimagine a worldwide recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic'.
- September 2022
School Food Webinar, University of Copenhagen, 21st September
The University of Copenhagen's Department of Geosciences and Nature Management held a school food webinar in September, attended by the Danish Food Minister, MR Rasmus Prehn. Professor Bundy shared the achievements of the Research Consortium to date.
Early Career & Youth Network Focus Groups, 28th September
To help inform the development of a new academic Community of Pratice (COP), the Early Career & Youth Network, the Research Consortium held two virtual focus groups on 28th September. The Early Career & Youth Network aims to elevate youth voices and cultivate talent within the field of school health and nutrition research, providing young people and early career researchers with access to a network of academics with shared interests, as well as the opportunity contribute to the Consortium’s overall research strategy and outputs.
The focus groups were open to any early career researcher or young person interested in the field of school health and nutrition research, who would like to help shape the COP's strategic priorities. For the purposes of this COP, early career researcher is defined as anyone who is up to 7 years post-graduate. Youth is defined as being between 15-24 years old.
- October 2022
Implementation and evaluation of comprehensive school-based health services: Two innovative programmes in Zimbabwe and Zambia | LSHTM School-Based Interventions Special Interest Group, 10th October
The LSHTM School-Based Interventions Special Interest Group – a collaboration between the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the MARCH Centre – held a webinar on the implementation and evaluation of school-based health services, spotlighting two innovative programmes in Zimbabwe and Zambia. This session explored how comprehensive school-based health interventions can address some of the major health challenges faced by school-age children in low- and middle-income settings.
Representatives from Y-Check, a multi-partner initiative involving researchers from LSHTM based in Zimbabwe, discussed their work into providing routine health and well-being check-ups for young people to improve the prevention, early identification and treatment of key health issues. This was followed by a talk from representatives from Healthy Learners, an initiative based in Zambia focused on keeping children healthy through school-based interventions to optimize their ability to learn and ultimately reach their full potential. The session concluded with a Q&A featuring Malalu Mulundika, Director of School Health and Nutrition for the Government of Zambia.
School Meals Coalition Week, 10th-14th October
The first ever School Meals Coalition (SMC) Week took place from 10-14 October 2022, one year after the formation of the Coalition by more than 70 national governments at the UN Food Systems Summit 2021. It celebrated the activities of the School Meals Coalition and its partners to date, coming at a time when school meals programmes are needed more than ever – with 153 million school children facing acute food insecurity according to new data from 82 countries released by WFP. The Research Consortium will hold two sessions to share the evidence it has generated so far on school health and nutrition programmes in the year since the Coalition's formation.
Research Consortium Update 1: What is the case for investment in school meals and school health?
This session is the first of two related updates from the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, describing research during the first year of the School Meals Coalition. This first session focused on making the investment case for national school health and nutrition programmes, and started with a keynote from Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, on understanding the economics of school-based health interventions. This was complemented by perspectives from across the Consortium’s global network-of-networks, including on how it is co-creating value-for-money research studies with SMC countries and engaging with innovative partners with exceptional global reach and national coverage, including the IAPB and the Global Schistosomiasis Alliance (GSA), to support the health and wellbeing of school-age children. The session demonstrated how the Research Consortium’s network-building approach is allowing it to meet the scale of the challenges that countries face as they rebuild from COVID-19, particularly through alignment with the School Meals Coalition’s Sustainable Financing Initiative to develop innovative financial solutions.
Research Consortium Update 2: What are we learning from national programmes in school health and nutrition?
In the second of two updates from the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, this session provided an overview of the evidence generated on school health and nutrition programmes in practice in the year since the Coalition’s formation. The Consortium presented progress to date on the ongoing Cochrane Systematic Review, the first since 2007 on the impact of school meals on the physical and psychological wellbeing of school children. It then shared insights on the use of the new education metric, Learning Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS), for deepening our understanding of how school-based health interventions can improve education outcomes, complemented by inputs from the across Consortium’s network on malaria and neglected tropical disease (NTD) interventions in schools. The Consortium also shared progress in developing case studies to document practice of national school meals programmes in all member countries, to launch the new Good Examples Community of Practice. Finally, the session provided an insight into how the Consortium works closely with the School Meals Coalition’s new Data & Monitoring Initiative to evaluate the impact and efficiency of school health and nutrition programmes around the world.
School Meals Coalition Ministerial Meeting, Helsinki, 18th October
Following the School Meals Coalition Week, SMC hosted its first ever Ministerial Meeting in Helsinki: a convening of the 12 ministers who sit on the SMC Taskforce to establish priorities and strategic direction of the Coalition.
- November 2022
The Superpowers of School Meals, Westminster, London, 8th November
During UK School Meals Week 2022, Professor Bundy spoke to MPs at the House of Parliament at the 'Superpowers of School Meals' event, hosted by the Food Foundation, School Food Matters, Bite Back 2030, Chefs in Schools and the NEU on behalf of the School Food Review Working Group network.
Professor Bundy presented the current international context around school meals, providing an overview of the ongoing action towards universal school meals coverage by the 70+ countries of the School Meals Coalition and the lessons learned about policy and programming worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deadline 2030: Unlocking Action on Sanitation (World Toilet Day), London, 15th November
Professor Bundy contributed to a panel discussion at this World Toilet Day event hosted by Unilever, where they asked the question: has sanitation had its moment?
“Impacts of COVID-19 on catering in all day-care centers and schools” Digital Symposium, University of Hohenheim, Germany, 16th November
Professor Bundy contributed to this online Symposium hosted by the organisers of the Hidden Hunger Congress, with a special focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications on school feeding. The Symposium came ahead of the anticipated 5th Congress Hidden Hunger in March 2023.
UK Case Study Launch, Finnish Ambassador's Residence, London, 17th November
On 17th November, the Research Consortium's Good Examples Community of Practice, together with WFP UK, formally launched its case studies into the current status of school meals in the four UK devolved nations, developed by interlocutors from the respective nations. Hosted by the Finnish Ambassador at his London residence, the event was also an opportunity to launch the Finnish case study.
- December 2022
Exploring causal mechansims in process evaluation of two whole school interventions, LSHTM School-Based Interventions Special Interest Group, 7th December
In our second seminar of the academic year, LSHTM's School-Based Interventions Special Interest Group - a collaboration between the Research Consortium and LSHTM's MARCH Centre - shared two examples of causal mechanisms in evaluating whole school interventions.
2021
- May 2021 - Virtual launch of the Global School Health and Research Consortium
Read the annotated agenda of the launch of the global Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition
Read the research priorities identified at the symposium of the global Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition
Full recordings of the Launch and Symposium:
Launch event
Symposium event
- July 2021
Seventh International Conference on Poverty Reduction and Child Development, Beijing (Government of China and China Development Research Foundation) - 24th July
The conference established the factors that allowed China to declare the End of Absolute Poverty in December 2020. Professor Bundy spoke on a panel focused on child nutrition and food safety under the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the outcome of the 100 year “Compulsory Education Students Nutrition Programme”.
Food Systems Pre-Summit, Rome (UN Food agencies; planning for the UN Food Systems Summit, New York City, September) - 26th - 28th July
The UN World Food Programme convened governments, agencies, and academia to solidify commitments for the School Meals Coalition, which was launched at the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021.
Global Education Summit, hybrid virtual/in-person conference - 28th - 29th July
The Global Partnership for Education hosted a virtual summit featuring 70 presentations as part of the Financing GPE 2021-2025 campaign.
- August 2021
Annual Conference on Ensuring Food and Nutrition Security, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai: from the originators of the Green Revolution - 9th August
Professor Bundy presented the keynote on nutrition security policies that support women and children.
- September 2021
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO Health Network Brunch): School as a platform for sexual and reproductive health and rights interventions - 2nd September
At the invitation of the FCDO, Professors Donald Bundy and Aoife Doyle presented on the role of health/gender policies to promote adolescent girls’ retention in secondary schools.
UN Food Systems Summit, New York City, 23rd September
The UN Secretary-General convened the 2021 Food Systems Summit with the aim of maximizing the co-benefits of a food systems approach across the entire 2030 Agenda and meeting the challenges of climate change. The School Meals Coalition was launched alongside the Summit.
- October 2021
LACA, Birmingham, the annual meeting of the UK-wide professional body representing school nutrition services; 550 organisations including local authorities, schools, academies, institutions and the private sector - 13th October
Professor Bundy gave the keynote presentation on the global impact of school meal service interruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Food Day - 16th October
In celebration of World Food Day, the World Food Programme UK Office, together with the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the Chefs’ Manifesto, hosted an event to develop and strengthen the network of school feeding stakeholders in the UK.
All Party Parliamentary Group on School Food Meeting, House of Commons, London - 21st October
Professor Bundy provided an update on the structure, 10-year agenda and roles of the Global Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition.
Sowing the Seeds of a Movement, UK, 26th October
The World Food Programme, OmVed Gardens, and the Research Consortium on School Health and Nutrition hosted a diverse group of individuals working in the area of school food in the UK to exchange experiences and lessons learned.
- November 2021
UK National School Meals Week 2021, 8th-12th November
OmVed Gardens, the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, and the World Food Programme, UK jointly authored an opinion piece in celebration of the UK National School Meals Week, entitled School Food: What Have we Learned from the UK’s 115 Years of Experience.
Lecture series on nutrition organised by World Food Programme LAC Region and Economic Policy Research Institute, Panama, 11th November
Professor Bundy lectured on school meals, their reach, and impact across Latin America as part of a professional development training course designed for the World Food Programme LAC Region staff.
Universal Provision of Free School Meals, Scotland, 17th November
Scotland has committed to extend universal provision of free school meals to all children in primary schools. The Scottish Poverty and Inequity Research Unit convened global school meal experts to reflect on early progress in delivering this in Scotland and we learn from wider work to extend school meal provision across the globe. Professor Bundy presented an overview of international work to on the universal provision of school meals. The full recording can be accessed here.
French School Feeding Network, France, 18th November
The French School Feeding Network invited researchers to present their research experience on school feeding to its network members, with a focus on “Ma cantine autrement” in Montpellier and "Cantine égalité" in Paris and its ramifications in Madagascar and India. Researchers discussed the success factors, barriers, and impacts of school catering projects.
Bilateral Meetings with UN Agencies, Italy, 22nd-26th November
The Secretariat of the Consortium organised bilateral meetings with Rome-based UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, the International Fund for Agriculture Development, and with the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Coalition for Healthy School Food, Canada, 24th November
Professor Bundy joined a panel focused on big picture insights for implementing a school food programme in Canada. His intervention provided a global lens to school meal programs.
Nutrition During the Next 7,000 Days of Life: Middle Childhood and Adolescence, Side Event of the Nutrition for Growth Summit, Japan, 29th November
This event brought together the government of Finland, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Research Consortium for School Health & Nutrition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to discuss how practitioners can address the nutritional needs of school-age children and adolescents.
- December 2021
Seminar in Nutrition and Global Health. Hosted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, 6th December
Professor Bundy presented how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how countries care for the world’s schoolchildren, and how the pandemic has prompted a rethinking of the “next 7000 days” in a young person’s life. Watch his presentation here.
Nutrition for Growth Summit, Japan, 7th-8th December
The flagship N4G Summit was hosted by the Government of Japan in December 7-8, 2021. The event convened a cross-section of stakeholders to announce final financial and policy commitments and chart the path toward 2030 with concrete recommendations to the global community.
RewirED Summit, United Arab Emirates, 12th-14th December
RewirED – a global platform to rewire education for a prosperous and sustainable future –is organized by Dubai Cares, in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai and in close coordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. On 14 December, Professor Bundy presented on the Research Consortium at a high-level investor’s roundtable and also moderated a session on financing approaches non-state actors utilize to finance school health and nutrition interventions. Watch the videos here and here.
10th Anniversary of the Nutrition Improvement Plan, hosted by the China Development Research Foundation, China, 18th December
The theme of this conference was Investing in Child Nutrition for Healthy Future with a focus on the achievement of China’s Nutrition Improvement Plan for Rural Students in Compulsory Education. Professor Bundy presented as part of the Child Nutrition and Rural Vitalisation plenary.