Expanding the national school meals programme in Ukraine

WHO/Europe published a policy brief on expanding the national school meal programme in Ukraine as a way to not only improve children’s wellbeing and educational outcomes but also the country’s economy.

This policy brief advocates for a universal free school meals (UFSM) system, a policy whereby all students within a school, region or country receive a school meal at no cost. This not only can improve children’s health and academic performance but can also be beneficial for the economy.

It is estimated that a UFSM policy will be able to create around 55 000 new jobs in schools and corresponding farms and businesses that support the production of school meals. Research has also found that through these benefits to agriculture, education, health and social protection, there is a return of $9 for each $1 invested – a nine-fold return on investment.

Read about the programme here.