School meals have multiple benefits and there is hard evidence that supports this claim. However, due to the multi-faceted nature of school meals, it is difficult to obtain a complete overview of the evidence.

This paper attempts to give such an overview. It collects existing, independent evidence of the benefits and impacts of school meals and uses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as thematic areas to organize the evidence. The paper also gives an indication of the specific targets to which school meals can contribute.