Sri Lanka hosts inaugural National School Meal Forum

Sri Lanka has launched its inaugural National School Meal Forum in partnership with the international organization Save the Children. The forum brought together government officials, educators, and nutrition specialists to discuss strengthening school feeding infrastructure, improving meal diversity, and identifying sustainable funding mechanisms.

For the 2026 period, the government has allocated Rs 33.6 billion toward the school nutrition programme. While this represents a significant financial commitment during a period of tight fiscal constraints, questions remain regarding the actual nutritional outcomes. Experts emphasize the need to evaluate how much is spent per child per day and whether the allocation can keep pace with the rising costs of basic foods such as rice, vegetables, eggs, and fish.