WHO urges healthy eating in schools to shape lifelong habits

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on countries to prioritise healthy eating in schools, highlighting the crucial role of school food environments in shaping children’s long-term health. In a statement, the organisation released a new global guideline offering evidence-based policies and interventions aimed at improving nutrition for students worldwide.

For the first time, WHO recommends a whole-school approach to ensure that all food and beverages provided and available within school environments are nutritious and supportive of healthy diets. The organization said this approach is critical in addressing the so-called “double burden of malnutrition”—where childhood overweight and obesity rise alongside persistent u ndernutrition. “In 2025, about one in ten school-aged children and adolescents—roughly 188 million—were living with obesity worldwide, surpassing for the first time the number of children who are underweight,” WHO noted, underscoring the scale of the problem.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, stressed that the foods children consume at school—and the environments shaping their choices—have profound implications for both learning and lifelong health. “Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life and creating healthier adults,” Ghebreyesus said.

Children spend a significant portion of their day in school, he added, making the school setting a powerful platform for instilling healthy dietary habits and reducing nutrition inequities. Yet, despite the fact that an estimated 466 million children worldwide receive school meals, there remains limited information on the nutritional quality of those meals. The new guideline urges countries to improve school food provision to encourage greater consumption of nutritious foods while limiting unhealthy options. Among the recommendations are the adoption of standards that increase the availability of healthy foods and beverages, alongside interventions that “nudge” children toward better choices. Such nudges could involve changing the placement, presentation, or pricing of food items to make healthier options more appealing and accessible.

However, Ghebreyesus emphasized that policies alone are not enough. Effective implementation requires strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure consistent compliance. According to data from the WHO Global Database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action, as of October 2025, 104 member states had policies promoting healthy school food. Nearly three-quarters of these include mandatory criteria guiding the composition of school meals, though only 48 countries restrict the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats.

The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary team of international experts through a transparent, evidence-based process, reflecting the latest research on childhood nutrition. Ghebreyesus described it as a cornerstone of WHO’s broader mission to create healthier food environments, implemented under initiatives such as the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and the Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative.

The recommendations also recognize the importance of local action. National, state, and city authorities all have roles to play in advancing school food initiatives, adapting policies to the realities of each community. WHO has pledged to support member states through technical assistance, knowledge-sharing, and collaborative efforts to implement the guideline effectively. Ultimately, WHO’s call underscores a simple but powerful idea: schools are not just places for learning mathematics and language—they are vital settings for shaping lifelong health habits. By improving what children eat at school and guiding them toward better choices, countries can make meaningful progress against obesity, undernutrition, and chronic disease, laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient generation.