Teaching children to eat well must begin in school

The Hindu

25-04-2025

Last month, world leaders gathered in Paris for the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit. It was also a time for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to announce the extension of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, from its original timeframe of 2016-25, to 2030. This extension seeks to sustain the global momentum to end all forms of malnutrition and align efforts more closely with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This could be a turning point in nutrition not only to accelerate progress but also to shift the focus beyond food access — to understanding what people eat, how they eat, and why they eat, especially when it comes to children. Nutrition is not just a health concern. It is intricately connected to education, equity and environmental sustainability.
So far, global nutrition efforts have rightly focused on the first 1,000 days of life — from conception to two years of age — as a critical window to prevent malnutrition. But we now know that the next 4,000 days matter just as much. This includes the period of adolescent growth spurt — a time of rapid physical, emotional, and behavioural changes and offering a second window of opportunity to overcome early childhood deficits.
Good nutrition during this phase can help children catch up on growth and set the foundation for long-term health. But to do that, we must shift our focus from just feeding children to teaching them how to eat well.
A side event at the Paris summit — 'Learn to Eat Well: Bio-diverse Diets and Youth as Agents of Change' — made this point loud and clear. It signals a global shift in thinking: that food and nutrition education must begin in schools, go beyond counting calories, and help children make choices that are good for themselves and the planet.
A changing world
Today, children are growing up in a world where food is everywhere — ordered with a tap, delivered to the door, and heavily marketed. Choosing what to eat has become increasingly complex.
Most children lack the knowledge and the skills to make healthy choices. Their diets are often shaped by habits, peer influence, or advertising rather than nutrition or tradition. As a result, many children skip breakfast, eat too few fruits and vegetables, and consume too much sugar and processed food.
Importance of dietary diversity
A key casualty is dietary diversity — eating a variety of foods to get all the nutrients the body needs. The UN recently adopted Minimum Dietary Diversity as a global indicator under Sustainable Development Goal 2 (End Hunger). It simply asks: did a child eat at least five of 10 food groups in the last 24 hours?
Sadly, in many places — including both cities and villages in India — most children do not. Their diets lack variety, which harms their health and reflects deeper problems in our food systems and education.
Poor diets are linked to malnutrition, childhood obesity, chronic diseases such as diabetes, and mental health issues. Research shows that almost 70% preventable adult diseases begin with habits formed in childhood — especially eating habits. This highlights the urgent need to start early, and schools are the best place to build healthy habits.
Yet, food and nutrition education is missing in most classrooms or is out-dated and not linked to real life. The absence of a proper curriculum and age-appropriate learning resources make it even harder to teach children how to eat well. Teachers often lack the training and the tools to teach it well. Without structured guidance, schools struggle to deliver meaningful food and nutrition education.
This is why we need a structured and age-appropriate curriculum that goes beyond food groups and includes lifestyle habits and environmental awareness. It should start early — at the preschool level — and grow with the child until at least the middle stage, helping them connect the dots between food, health, identity, and sustainability.
Such a curriculum could cover everything from how the human body works and the importance of diverse foods in our diets, to how food systems impact the environment. A central part of this must be promoting bio-diverse diets — ones that include a variety of local, seasonal, and culturally familiar foods. These diets provide better nutrition, support local farmers, reduce environmental impact, and preserve traditional food knowledge.
It must be a part of school life
Teaching children to eat well should not be limited to one-off awareness sessions or occasional activities. It needs to be woven into school life. This means having weekly lessons with age-appropriate, well-designed learning materials, supported by healthier school canteens, kitchen gardens, simple cooking sessions, and student-led campaigns. These real-life experiences help children build lasting knowledge, habits, and values around food, health, and well-being.
Around the world, schools are already showing what is possible — students growing vegetables, cooking simple meals, reading food labels, and learning how their food choices affect their health and the planet.
In India, the National Education Policy and the School Health and Wellness Programme have created room for such integrated learning. But we need a clearer structure, comprehensive curriculum, at least one dedicated weekly session all through the academic year, appropriate learning resources, and properly trained teachers.
Children must be seen not only as learners but also as key influencers. With the right knowledge and tools, they can influence their families, friends, and even their communities — whether by asking for better school meals, reducing food waste, or spreading awareness about healthy eating. In the end, learning to eat well is not just about food. It is about helping children to care for their health, understand their culture, respect the planet, and grow into thoughtful, responsible citizens. In a world facing the dual burdens of under-nutrition and overconsumption, climate change and cultural loss, food literacy is no longer a luxury — it is essential.
If we want to raise a generation that is healthier, more compassionate, and better prepared for the future, we must start by making learning to eat well a part of every child's education — starting today.
Pawan Agarwal is Founder-CEO, Food Future Foundation and former CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)