Free school meals for all poor children in Europe: An important and affordable target?

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

One of the objectives of the newly adopted European Child Guarantee is to ensure effective and free access to at least one healthy meal each school day for all children at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Europe. However, little is known about the starting point of Member States in terms of school meal provision. This paper aims to fill this information gap. It maps the current free school meal provision in the 27 Member States, reviews existing relevant evidence to illustrate the expected impact and presents estimates of the public budget needed to meet the Child Guarantee's objective.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1627-1645
Number of pages19
JournalChildren & Society
Volume37
Issue number5
Early online date19 Feb 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

This work has been supported by the European Commission—DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (VT2019-037).

Keywords

  • children in need
  • food and diet
  • health and well-being
  • poverty

Cite this