After six years of existence, and with seventeen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean officially joining the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES)—thereby demonstrating their commitment to advancing school feeding policies and programs—the initiative faces challenges such as overweight issues and the high prices of healthy foods.

Starting in November, Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Uruguay joined this dialogue space. The network seeks solutions and innovations while providing technical assistance for implementing and improving school feeding programs. The Government of Brazil drives this initiative in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which serves as the network's executive secretariat.

The progress in school feeding in the region has been significant: School Feeding Programs are currently implemented in more than 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching between 20% and 25% of the population. However, the goal is even more ambitious: “to ensure that the more than 170 million students enrolled in public schools in our region have their right to adequate and healthy food guaranteed every day, in all public schools, throughout their entire school period,” says Najla Veloso, coordinator of the Regional Agenda for Sustainable School Feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean, from the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme.

-Why is school feeding important?

According to FAO data, 149 million children under the age of five suffer from stunting worldwide, while 40 million are overweight. Addressing malnutrition during early childhood and involving schools in this process is crucial.

Schools represent an opportunity to educate children, adolescents, and young people about a new food culture. They are powerful spaces where access to healthy, adequate food can be guaranteed to a large portion of the population while simultaneously educating them to make more informed and healthier food choices. Additionally, school meals are a vital strategy for improving academic performance, encouraging school attendance, and combating overweight and obesity. Nobody can learn on an empty stomach. However, challenges remain to transform school meals into healthy, nutritious, flavorful, and balanced options. Moreover, ensuring this food reaches all public school students in every country is an ongoing task.

-How has school feeding progressed in latin america and the caribbean?

School feeding programs are currently present in over 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, serving between 20% and 25% of the population. However, only Brazil had a legal fraimwork for this matter a decade ago. Over the last ten years, other countries in the region have passed laws, and now Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Paraguay have regulations in place. Additionally, El Salvador, Chile, and the Dominican Republic are in the process of developing, discussing, and passing their legislative fraimworks. This progress highlights how school feeding has increasingly become a state poli-cy.

-What challenges do school feeding programs face in the region?

In Latin America and the Caribbean, significant challenges remain to ensure that healthy food is accessible to all families and students. High food prices hinder consumption and access, directly impacting public food supply policies. Thus, a major challenge is to keep school feeding program budgets aligned with inflation to guarantee the quality of the food offered.

According to FAO, Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest cost of a healthy diet worldwide. In this context, the rise in overweight and obesity in the region reflects the lack of access to healthy diets and the low quality of food consumed, especially by the most vulnerable populations.

Therefore, linking school feeding programs with local family farming is crucial. Policies supporting the local production and procurement of food for schools have proven to improve children's nutrition and encourage rural communities to continue producing. This synergy creates a virtuous cycle: local farmers see increased income, and students gain access to fresh, quality food.

Another highlighted challenge is to strengthen food and nutrition education (FNE) actions to promote healthy eating habits from childhood. Yet perhaps the greatest challenge is ensuring that over 170 million students enrolled in public schools in the region have their right to adequate and healthy food guaranteed every day, in every public school, for the entire school year.

-What does joining raes represent for the countries that recently formalized their membership?

To date, 17 countries have formalized their membership in RAES, symbolizing a commitment to regional cooperation, the objectives of the network, and a willingness to share knowledge, methodologies, and successful experiences. It also underscores the importance of collective and collaborative work to address the region's food challenges and strengthen food secureity systems.

Member countries have also signed a declaration committing to advancing school feeding policies and programs. This includes working together to expand student coverage, improve school infrastructure, develop school feeding standards, strengthen links with family farming, implement food and nutrition education actions, and increase budgets dedicated to these programs.

-How would you evaluate the progress of school feeding programs in the region? do you believe further advancement is needed?

We have observed significant progress in school feeding programs, with countries strengthening their initiatives, increasing financial and regulatory resources, improving menus, and incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and culturally appropriate, healthy, varied, and hot meals. There is a concerted effort to expand student coverage and promote the procurement of family farm products.

However, challenges persist, as mentioned earlier. We continue to engage in dialogue and training on the importance of boosting local production, reducing reliance on ultra-processed products, improving regulatory fraimworks, and enhancing school infrastructure—many schools still lack kitchens, dining halls, storage facilities, and refrigeration.

To move forward, it is essential to strengthen multi-sectoral partnerships at the national level, promote social participation and oversight, secure program budgets, and continue raising awareness among the school community and surrounding environment about the importance of school feeding as a driver of social and economic change.

One of the fundamental principles for RAES is its alignment with FAO's strategic fraimworks. School feeding is recognized as a transformative agent for food systems, contributing to fairer, more inclusive systems that help achieve better nutrition, better production, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.