Children are facing an unprecedented health crisis. According to UNICEF’s new report, Feeding Profit: How food environments are failing children, shows that overweight and obesity among school-aged children and adolescents have now overtaken underweight worldwide. Nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools, once safe spaces for learning and growth, are being inundated with unhealthy food marketing, vending machines, and cheap ultra-processed snacks that put children’s health at risk.
From nursery lunches to secondary school canteens, the influence of the food industry is increasing. Ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks are heavily promoted to children through advertising, sponsorships, and digital campaigns, often within or around schools. Meanwhile, nutritious foods remain out of reach for too many families.
“Nurseries, primary and secondary schools should be places where children learn and thrive, not exploited by the food industry,” said Kathy Lewis, Registered Nutritionist. “When a child walks into their nursery or secondary school, they deserve an environment that supports their health, not one where sugary drinks, cereal bars and salty snacks are cheaper and more visible than fruit and whole meals.”
UNICEF’s report makes clear: schools must be frontline defenders of children’s right to healthy food. With strong policies, nurseries and schools can model positive eating habits, shield children from predatory marketing, and ensure every child, regardless of income, has access to nutritious meals.
“Every day in classrooms, teachers are trying to set children up for a better future. But how can they succeed if the food sold and marketed in and around schools undermines those efforts? Governments must step in, and health experts, such as Registered Nutritionists, should support, because no school should fight this battle alone,” said Kathy Lewis.
UNICEF calls on governments and communities to take urgent steps to protect nurseries and schools from harmful food environments:
- Ban junk food marketing in and around schools, including sponsorships, vending machines and digital targeting of pupils.
- Guarantee healthy, affordable school meals that prioritise fresh, local foods.
- Educate for lifelong health by embedding nutrition literacy in the curriculum from nursery through secondary school.
- Support parents and staff with resources to make healthy lunchboxes and meal choices easier.
- Fund protective policies through taxes on sugary drinks and cheap, unhealthy foods.
“Children spend much of their lives in nurseries and schools. These spaces must become safe havens from unhealthy food environments, places where the healthy choice is the easy choice,” said Kathy Lewis.
Read the full UNICEF report, Feeding Profit: How food environments are failing children (September 2025). Feeding Profit | UNICEF
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Media Contact
Kathy Lewis, RNut.,
School Nutrition
Kathy.Lewis@schoolnutrition.co.uk
07961 317 621
Notes to editors
1. Publication: Feeding Profit: How food environments are failing children — UNICEF, September 2025. Feeding Profit | UNICEF
2. Files available: full report (PDF), report brief and data tables.
3. School Nutrition was established in 2024 to provide expert, independent advice on nutrition in nurseries and schools. Unlike other nutrition advisory organisations, it is run entirely by Registered Nutritionists and receives no funding from the food industry.
