Transitioning to a sustainable food system and delivering on the SDGs – The potential of school meals

Webinar : 21st March 2.00 – 5.00 pm

In 2021, the first United Nations Summit on Food Systems (UNFSS) took place to address food security and food systems’ sustainability and their contribution to achieve the SDG’s. These issues are widely recognised to be among the most significant challenges humanity is facing today alongside associated issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Many people lack access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Furthermore, food has enormous social, cultural and political significance influencing how policies are formulated and how pathways to a more just and sustainable food system are identified.

In preparation of and during the summit, actors at many levels, government representatives, civil society, the research community, and the private sector, engaged in discussions which resulted in several coalitions taking a systems approach to create networks, share knowledge, coordinate actions and achieve impact of policy schemes. Among them the “School Meals Coalition: Nutrition, Health and Education for Every Child” was established, and actively supported by most states. It is accompanied by an Global Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition led by Professor Donald Bundy (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine).

This coalition approach is of great interest to develop best practices concerning transformational research and systematic evaluation of the impact of interventions to achieve transformation.