WHO Calls on Schools Globally to Promote Healthy Eating

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), healthy food in schools can help children develop lifelong healthy dietary habits. WHO has released a new global guideline on evidence-based policies and interventions to create healthy school food environments. For the first time, WHO advises countries to adopt a whole-school approach that ensures the food and beverages provided in schools, as well as those available throughout the broader school food environments, are healthy and nutritious.

Childhood overweight and obesity are rising globally, while undernutrition remains a significant issue. Schools are at the forefront of addressing this dual challenge of malnutrition. By 2025, it is estimated that around 1 in 10 school-aged children and adolescents, totaling 188 million, will be living with obesity worldwide, which will be the first instance where this figure surpasses the number of underweight children.

"The food children consume at school, along with the environments that influence their dietary choices, can significantly impact their learning and have lifelong implications for their health and well-being,” stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Ensuring proper nutrition at schools is crucial for preventing diseases later in life and fostering healthier adults.”

Healthy dietary practices are established early in life. Children spend a considerable amount of time in school, making it a pivotal environment for forming lifelong dietary habits and reducing health and nutrition disparities.

Currently, an estimated 466 million children worldwide receive school meals; however, there is still insufficient information regarding the nutritional quality of the food they receive.

In the guideline, WHO recommends that schools improve food offerings to encourage the increased consumption of foods and beverages that contribute to a healthy diet. Specifically:

Policies alone are inadequate; monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are essential to ensure that guidelines are effectively and consistently executed in schools. According to the WHO Global database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action (GIFNA), as of October 2025, 104 Member States had policies regarding healthy school food, with nearly three-quarters incorporating mandatory criteria to guide the composition of school meals. However, only 48 countries have policies that restrict the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats.

WHO brought together a diverse, multidisciplinary group of international experts to develop this guideline through a rigorous, transparent, and evidence-based process. This initiative is a cornerstone of WHO’s broader mission to create healthy food environments and is part of global efforts such as WHO's acceleration plan to halt obesity and the nutrition-friendly schools initiative.

The guideline aims to support actions at both local and national levels, recognizing the significant role that subnational and municipal authorities play in promoting and implementing school food initiatives.

WHO will assist Member States in adapting and implementing the guideline by providing technical support, sharing knowledge, and fostering collaborations. To celebrate the launch, WHO will host a global webinar on January 27, 2026, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET.

Watch webinar recording