New Research Finds Regenerative School Meals Could Feed Nearly 8 Million More Children Worldwide

BELÉM, Brazil , Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- During the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil (COP30), Stanford University, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, released new research that projects school meal programs could reach 8 million more children for the same cost with regeneratively grown staple foods (like rice, wheat, maize, and soy). The analysis draws on data from the Global Survey of School Meal Programs, country food basket data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and regional weather and agricultural production data. Climate Resilient School Meals is the first systematic empirical study to assess climate risks to school feeding programs globally. In addition to demonstrating how regeneratively grown staples fa