Aquatic Foods in School Meals: A Pathway to Healthier Diets and Resilience

The side event Making a difference with aquatic foods: from resilient production to nutritious school meals brought together experiences from Bolivia, Honduras, Belize, and Malawi. It highlighted how integrating aquatic foods into home-grown school feeding programmes can support local fish production, promote nutrition education and contribute to more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems.

Speakers emphasized that fish and other aquatic foods, as important sources of protein and essential micronutrients, should play a more prominent place in food security and nutrition. They also stressed, however, that increasing production alone is not enough: nutritious foods must reach children safely, affordably and reliably.

From local fish to school meals

In Malawi, a pilot project aims to support small-scale entrepreneurs in processing locally sourced small fish into powder for school meals. Experiences from Bolivia, Belize and Honduras highlighted the importance of adequate processing and cold storage facilities, reliable transport, food safety and traceability systems, and the capacity of small-scale suppliers to meet public procurement requirements.

The expert panel addressed two questions: what enables aquatic food systems to supply school meals reliably, and what action should be prioritised amid climate shocks such as El Niño?

Responses converged on the need to diversify production, strengthen post-harvest handling, and establish predictable public procurement. Stable demand can encourage fishers, fish farmers and processors to invest, but procurement rules must remain accessible to small-scale suppliers without compromising food safety.

Climate change also disrupts both production and deliveries through floods, droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events. Speakers called for better climate information, early warning systems, improved water management and greater access to climate finance; investment and research often focus on production while neglecting processing, storage, transport and markets. Building resilience along the entire value chain is therefore essential to maintaining a reliable supply of aquatic foods to schools.

Reflects SASI-SPi work

These discussions closely reflect two strands of SASI-SPi work: Exploring pathways towards sustainable aquaculture development in sub-Saharan Africa and assessing the contribution of school feeding programs to broader food systems outcomes.

Both highlight the importance of considering environmental sustainability, economic viability and social inclusion when identifying pathways for food systems transformation. In this context, strengthening the links between sustainable aquatic food production, local value chains and school meal programmes can help translate the potential of aquatic foods into tangible benefits for children and communities.