"UNESCO's 2025 Report Reveals Only 60% of Countries Have Food and Beverage Regulations in Schools, Highlighting Health Concerns".

International

In April 2025, the Paris (France)-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) released its latest Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report, revealing that only 60% of countries have implemented legislations or standards regulating food and beverages in schools. This finding raises concerns about the global commitment to ensuring student health and well-being.


      - The report, which focuses on the importance of nutrition in education, was released in partnership with the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition.

      - It is also supported by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine under the School Meal Coalition, highlighting the ongoing efforts to promote healthy eating in schools worldwide.

      - According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report, only 93 out of 187 countries have legislation, compulsory standards, or norms regulating school food and beverages. It was further revealed that only 29% of these countries have measures to restrict food and beverage marketing in schools.

Main Point :-   (i) The report showed that in 30 low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), food and nutrition education in schools is mainly integrated through extracurricular activities or project-based initiatives rather than as a standalone subject across the curriculum.

      (ii) The report highlighted that only 3 out of 28 countries regularly assess changes in attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and practices related to food and nutrition. It also noted that 72% of countries have some restrictions on food marketing on school grounds, while 52% have national-level restrictions on food permitted near schools. This indicates a need for more comprehensive and consistent policies to promote better student health worldwide.

(iii) India's school meal program, now called PM-POSHAN, was nationalized in 2001 after a Supreme Court order, showing that children who received meals throughout primary school scored 18% higher in reading and 9% higher in math. Tamil Nadu, which pioneered school meals in 1925, introduced a breakfast program in 2022, increasing attendance from 60-70% to 90-95%.
About UNESCO

Director-General: Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters: Paris, France
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