More than 39 billion school meals missed globally since Covid-19 pandemic began

UN agencies say hundreds of millions of schoolchildren are missing out on vital source of nutrition

Unicef and the WFP said some 24 million children could drop out of school because of the pandemic, which would reverse decades of progress. AFP / Unicef / Ricardo Franco

Covid-19 lockdowns led to more than 39 billion in-schools meals being missed globally since the start of the pandemic last year, UN agencies said, meaning hundreds of millions of children went without crucial daily nutrition.

About 370 million children around the world missed on average 40 per cent of in-school meals because of restrictions that led to the closure of classrooms, research by Unicef and the World Food Programme found.

Unicef’s executive director Henrietta Fore said millions of children faced school closures despite “clear evidence” that they are not a primary driver of infections.

“Children who depend on schools for their daily meals are not only losing out on an education but also on a reliable source of nutrition,” she said.

“As we respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and await vaccine distribution, we must prioritise the reopening of schools and take action to make them as safe as possible, including through renewed investments in proven infection prevention measures like clean water and soap in every school around the world.”

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  A staff member of the World Food Programme checks boxes that arrived, mostly personal protective equipment (PPE), at Ethiopian Airlines' cargo facility at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on April 14. Samuel Habtab / AFP

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  A girl waits outside her home in Cairo to see if she and her family will get a carton filled with food from the non-governmental organisation Resala Nour Ala Nour. Nariman El-Mofty / AFP

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  An Egyptian worker distributes food boxes by the Egyptian Food Bank to people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, in New Cairo, Egypt. Khaled Elfiqi / EPA

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  A security force member stands guard as women line up to receive rations distributed by the World Food Programme in Herat, Afghanistan, 31 March. Jalil Rezayee / EPA

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  Rohingya refugees at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Aid workers are bracing for a possible outbreak of coronavirus in one of the world's largest refugee camps in Bangladesh. Officials warn that containing the disease among more than one million tightly packed Rohingya Muslims will be a daunting task. Suzauddin Rubel / AP

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  Palestinian workers at the United Nation Relief and Works Agency prepare rations for refugee families at Al Shatea refugee camp, Gaza City. Mohammed Saber / EPA

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  A volunteer prepares boxes with food and other basic goods at the Montessori School grounds in Nairobi, Kenya. The boxes will be delivered in the slums to people affected by the measures adopted by the Kenyan Government to stop the spread of Covid-19. Luis Tato / AFP

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  Boxes with food and other basic goods that are delivered to people in Nairobi's slums affected by the measures adopted by the Kenyan Government to stop the spread of Covid-19, March 28. Luis Tato / AFP

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  Aid boxes prepared by a volunteer to be delivered in the slums in Nairobi, Kenya on March 28. Luis Tato / AFP

Evidence suggests that offering food in schools can incentivise the most vulnerable children to return to education. Unicef and the WFP said about 24 million children could drop out of school because of the pandemic, which would reverse decades of progress.

Girls missing education face the added risk of early marriage or forced transactional sex, the UN agencies said.

“Missing out on nutritious school meals is jeopardising the futures of millions of the world’s poorest children. We risk losing a whole generation,” said David Beasley, the WFP’s executive director.

“We must support governments to safely reopen schools and start feeding these children again. For many, the nutritious meal they get in school is the only food they will receive all day.”

Even before the pandemic, data from 68 countries showed that about 50 per cent of children aged 13-17 had experienced feelings of hunger.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak led to a rise in food insecurity in countries affected that already suffered from high instances of malnutrition. There are fears the same is happening again with Covid-19 in places such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Unicef and the WFP said work needed to be done to identify those most at risk of nutrition shocks and school drop-out. They also recommended that safely reopening schools be prioritised. If this is not possible, there should be an adaptation of “school feeding programmes as take-home rations or cash transfers”.