‘Eat for the Health of It’- was the theme of International School Meals Day in 2021. This year the theme is going to be ‘Celebrating School Meals’ – sharing ideas, stories and experiences of the past, present and future.
The motive of International School Meals Day is to raise awareness and make healthy food habits in school. It was launched in 2013 for the first time in the UK and the USA but now some countries from Asia, Uk and USA provide free school meals to all children or students in compulsory education. As they don’t have the ability to pay, there are so many developing countries in the world that provide meals to improve attendance rates.
The World Food Programme declares that millions of children around the world go to school on an empty stomach and hunger affects their concentration and ability to learn. The most pathetic part is that most of the girls do not go to school because their families need them to help in the fields or perform domestic chores.
The WFP has much more experience with school feeding and health initiatives. They have working experience with more than 100 countries to set up sustainable national school feeding programmes. WFP also declared that they are one of the proud supporters of ISMD, which aims at improving sustainable school meal programmes. It ensures that every child should have the opportunity to receive a healthy and nutritious meal in school in the future.
International School Meals Day has also brought the teachers and students together to take part in food activities. They share recipes for good food with each other, share food and consult with nutrition specialists. Businesses and health professionals have the chance to discuss the importance of school meals globally and how much it impacts well-being and education.
The day takes place on the second Thursday of March every year. This year it will be the tenth and ISMD will be held on 10th March 2022.
