Strategies and outcomes in school meal programmes : analysing the impact of domestic and international sourcing on feeding modalities

Abstract

PURPOSE : The feeding modalities used in school meal programmes – such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and take-home rations – are influenced by various factors, including supply chain constraints and technical challenges in food distribution. The methods of supply sourcing, whether through domestic or foreign food reserves via in-kind donations or purchases, play a critical role in shaping the feeding options provided. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between various supply-sourcing strategies, i.e. domestic and foreign in-kind donations and purchases and the feeding modalities applied in school meal programmes. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework, combining the reasoning strengths of Mindsponge Theory and inference advantages of Bayesian analysis, was employed on a dataset of government representatives who manage large-scale school meal programmes across 126 countries. FINDINGS : The findings revealed that sourcing supplies through in-kind donations from neighbouring or distant countries showed a highly reliable negative relationship with the feeding modalities of school meal programmes, while those from the national bodies showed an ambiguous relationship. The purchasing methods – whether domestic or foreign – tended to exhibit positive relationships with feeding modalities, though these relationships were only weakly reliable. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The findings reveal substantial room for improvement in the effectiveness of supply purchasing strategies in enhancing school meal programmes’ feeding modalities. Further research is needed to examine the impact of sourcing supplies through domestic in-kind donations on feeding outcomes. Additionally, developing strategic plans to optimize the use of in-kind donations from international organizations is strongly recommended to avoid their negative consequences and further enhance programme effectiveness.