WHO Urges Whole-School Food Reforms as Childhood Obesity Overtakes Undernutrition

The guidance comes as childhood obesity continues to rise worldwide, even as undernutrition remains a persistent challenge.

Healthy food environments in schools are critical to tackling the global nutrition crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, as it launches a new global guideline urging countries to overhaul how food is provided and promoted in schools.

For the first time, WHO is recommending a whole-school approach to ensure that all food and beverages available on school premises — from meals to canteens and vendors — are healthy, nutritious and supportive of lifelong dietary habits.

Schools at the frontline of a growing nutrition crisis

The guidance comes as childhood obesity continues to rise worldwide, even as undernutrition remains a persistent challenge. In 2025, an estimated 188 million school-aged children and adolescents — about one in ten globally — were living with obesity, surpassing the number of children who are underweight for the first time.

“Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life and creating healthier adults,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The food children eat at school, and the environments that shape those choices, have lifelong consequences for health and wellbeing.”

What WHO is recommending

Under the new guideline, WHO calls on governments to strengthen school food environments by:

• Setting mandatory standards or rules to increase access to healthy foods and beverages while limiting unhealthy options (strong recommendation)

• Using nudging interventions — such as changes in food placement, presentation or pricing — to encourage children to choose healthier options (conditional recommendation)

WHO stresses that policies alone are not enough, and must be backed by effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure consistent implementation.

Gaps in current policies

Globally, around 466 million children receive school meals, yet there is limited information on the nutritional quality of those meals. According to WHO’s Global database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action (GIFNA), as of October 2025:

• 104 countries had policies on healthy school food

• Nearly three-quarters included mandatory nutrition criteria

• Only 48 countries restricted the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt or unhealthy fats in schools

WHO says these gaps undermine efforts to address obesity, diet-related disease and health inequities.

A global framework for local action

The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary group of international experts through a rigorous, evidence-based process. It forms part of WHO’s broader efforts to create healthier food environments, including the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and the Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative.

The guidance is designed to support action at national, local and city levels, recognising the critical role subnational authorities play in implementing school food reforms.

WHO will support countries through technical assistance, knowledge-sharing and partnerships. To mark the launch, WHO is hosting a global webinar on 27 January 2026 (13:00–14:00 CET).