WHO Urges Schools Worldwide to Promote Healthy Eating for Children

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on schools globally to foster healthier eating habits in children. In its latest global guideline, WHO emphasizes evidence-based policies and interventions that create healthy school food environments, advising countries to adopt a whole-school approach. This approach ensures that the food and beverages offered in schools, as well as those available in broader school environments, are nutritious and support healthy eating.

Childhood overweight and obesity rates are rising at an alarming rate globally, while undernutrition continues to present challenges. WHO highlights that schools are at the forefront of tackling this double burden of malnutrition. By 2025, approximately 188 million children and adolescents, or about 1 in 10, are projected to be living with obesity, surpassing the number of children affected by underweight for the first time.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, "The food children eat at school, and the environments that shape what they eat, can have a profound impact on their learning, and lifelong consequences for their health and well-being. Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life and creating healthier adults."

School meals are a critical opportunity to shape lifelong dietary habits, as children spend a significant portion of their day at school. WHO underscores that the school environment is crucial for addressing health and nutrition disparities early on. Globally, around 466 million children receive school meals, but information regarding the nutritional quality of these meals remains limited.

WHO's new guidelines recommend that schools improve food provision to promote the consumption of healthy foods and beverages. Key recommendations include:

          1. Setting standards or rules to increase the availability and consumption of healthy foods and beverages while limiting unhealthy options (strong recommendation).

          2. Implementing nudging interventions to encourage children to select and consume healthier foods (conditional recommendation). These interventions could include changes to food placement, presentation, or pricing in school cafeterias.

However, policies alone are not sufficient. WHO emphasizes the need for monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that guidelines are consistently applied. As of October 2025, 104 WHO Member States had policies on healthy school food, with nearly three-quarters including mandatory criteria on school food composition. Yet, only 48 countries had policies restricting the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats.

WHO developed these guidelines through a transparent, evidence-based process, involving a diverse group of international experts. This work aligns with WHO's broader mission to promote healthy food environments globally, supporting initiatives like the WHO acceleration plan to stop obesity and the nutrition-friendly schools initiative.

The guidelines aim to support local and national actions, recognizing the crucial role that subnational and city authorities play in advancing school food initiatives. To assist countries in adopting and implementing the guidelines, WHO will provide technical support, share knowledge, and foster collaborations.

To mark the launch, WHO is hosting a global webinar on January 27, 2026, from 13:00–14:00 CET.

 

 

Source: World Health Organization