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On 3 August 2022, the National Assembly of Nicaragua held an event to examine  legislative experiences on school feeding programs. The Development Law Service (LEGN) participated in this activity, in cooperation with the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO Nicaragua, and the Spain-FAO Program for Latin America and the Caribbean, together with the Parliamentary Front against Hunger (FPH-ALC) and the international cooperation agencies of Spain and Mexico.

At this event, FAO experts and Nicaraguan parliamentarians shared different laws, experiences, and governmental actions that could serve as models for future developments in the country.

School food and nutrition programs are key instruments for the realization of the right to adequate food, the right to education, and the right to health of children. However, "a holistic legal framework for school food and nutrition not only benefits children and adolescents but also the socio-economic development of local communities", said FAO Legal Officer, Manuela Cuvi Rodríguez, who was one of the presenters at the event.

According to the latest SOFI, moderate and severe food insecurity increased in Latin America and the Caribbean from 27.6% in 2014-2016 to 37.3% in 2019-2021. In the region, at least nine countries have school food and nutrition laws, in addition to the Framework Law on School Feeding issued by the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO).

Parliamentarians play a key role both in their countries and at the regional level in promoting school food and nutrition laws; hence, FAO recommended a number of parliamentary actions.

For more information, please refer to the following publications:

Legislar para una alimentación y nutrición escolar adecuada - Nota de orientación jurídica para parlamentarios en América Latina y el Caribe No. 3 (Only in Spanish)

Legal guide on school food and nutrition - Legislating for a healthy school food environment #2

 For more information, please contact  [email protected].