Governments use food for education (FFE) programs to increase school participation and support learning through better nutrition. But how effective are these programs? This food policy review surveys the empirical literature to assess the impact of FFE programs on the students' schooling, learning, and nutrition. It examines the economic rationale for FFEs, critically assesses the evidence on their effectiveness, identifies areas where further research is needed, and offers guidelines for future program design and use.

Food for education (FFE) programs, including meals served in school and take-home rations conditional on school attendance, have received renewed attention recently as a policy instrument for achieving the Millennium Development Goals of universal primary education and the reduction of hunger in developing countries. This review study presents a rationale for FFE programs and undertakes a critical assessment of the causal evidence on the impact of FFE programs on education participation and attainment, learning, cognitive development, and nutrition. Despite a large literature on the impact of FFE programs, many studies suffer from methodological shortcomings that limit the quality of their contribution. Results from the most careful studies show that in-school meals programs improve primary school attendance of enrolled students where initial attendance was low. Potential impacts on school participation by children not previously enrolled in school are not well known. There is mixed evidence that school meals can improve performance on math and literacy tests and they may improve cognitive development, depending on the type of food provided, the size of the food rations, and program duration. Several well-designed controlled trials have shown that school meals have a positive impact on nutrition outcomes, though these results have received less support from field trials in more typical settings. There are few studies of scaled-up take-home ration programs, but one study from Bangladesh shows a significant impact on school participation. In general, FFE programs have larger impacts in areas with low school participation and on children with greater initial malnutrition. The impacts of the programs may also be higher when combined with complementary programs to improve schools or child health.

This review was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group and the World Food Programme (WFP), building on the comparative advantages of both organizations. It examines the evidence base for school feeding programs with the objective of better understanding how to develop and implement effective school feeding programs in two contexts: a productive safety net, as part of the response to the social shocks of the global food, fuel and financial crises, and a fiscally sustainable investment in human capital, as part of long-term global efforts to achieve Education for All and provide social protect.

More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and ChildNutrition Program (MGD Program) provides donations of U.S.agricultural products and financial and technical assistance for school feeding programs in the developing world. With about $200 million in funding in fiscal year 2010, the MGD Program served about 5 million beneficiaries in 28 countries. In 2006 and 2007, USDA¿s Office of the Inspector General audited the department¿s food aid programs and identified significant weaknesses. This report examines: (1) USDA¿s oversight of the MGD Program; and (2) the extent to which USDA has addressed the program¿s internal control weaknesses. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.

Globally, the food system and the relationship of the individual to that system, continues to change and grow in complexity. Eating is an everyday event that is part of everyone’s lives. There are many commentaries on the nature of these changes to what, where and how we eat and their socio-cultural, environmental, educational, economic and health consequences. Among this discussion, the term "food literacy" has emerged to acknowledge the broad role food and eating play in our lives and the empowerment that comes from meeting food needs well. In this book, contributors from Australia, China, United Kingdom and North America provide a review of international research on food literacy and how this can be applied in schools, health care settings and public education and communication at the individual, group and population level. These varying perspectives will give the reader an introduction to this emerging concept. The book gathers current insights and provides a platform for discussion to further understanding and application in this field. It stimulates the reader to conceptualise what food literacy means to their practice and to critically review its potential contribution to a range of outcomes.

In July 2000, Pres. Clinton proposed a Global Food for Educ. Initiative (GFEI) whereby developed countries would provide school breakfasts or lunches to needy children in poor countries. The goal is to contribute to universal educ. by using school meals to attract children to school, keep them attending once they enroll, and improve learning. This report examines: lessons that can be drawn from expert views on the effectiveness and cost of school feeding programs in promoting these goals; the extent to which the U.S. pilot program (PP) has built upon these lessons; whether the PP is being managed so as to ensure that the food aid and proceeds are efficiently used; and the views of other major donors regarding support for a comprehensive, long-term GFEI.

This framework fosters the replication and scaling up of home-grown school feeding models and the mapping of opportunities for linking such programmes with relevant agricultural development and rural transformation investments.