Argentina’s School Food System Needs to Break Free of Fragmentation

School food is Argentina’s oldest continuing nutrition policy, but it remains weak and uneven. More than 5 million students receive at least one meal in nearly 25,000 schools, under a system in which each principal largely manages the service. As a result, quality depends more on individual capacity than on a consistent national design.

The financing reflects the same fragmentation. The national government distributes 173 billion pesos to the provinces under the 2026 budget, while local contributions vary widely. Daily transfers per student range from 715 pesos for breakfast and 1,478 pesos for lunch in Buenos Aires, to 1,700 pesos for both meals in Entre Ríos, and 356 pesos for breakfast and 1,028 pesos for lunch in Neuquén. Schools must also organize purchases, distribution and separate financial reports.

The article cites CEPEA estimates from July 2026, based on food prices in Buenos Aires City. A healthy breakfast costs at least 900 to 1,100 pesos, depending on whether it includes fruit, while lunch costs 1,600 pesos. The decentralized model also brings scattered purchasing, uneven infrastructure and logistics, limited traceability, inconsistent nutritional quality, insufficient staff training and weak monitoring, auditing and evaluation.

The nutritional model, the article argues, remains rooted in an earlier era when school cafeterias primarily addressed undernutrition. A CEPEA study of 250 meals in five provinces found that school food supplied an average of 30% of daily energy, but also 60% and 72% of the recommended maximums for sugar and “empty” calories. Fruit, vegetables, legumes and dairy products were scarce.

The 2019 National Nutrition Survey found that four in 10 schoolchildren were overweight or obese, while many consumed too little calcium and vitamins D, A, C and B9, and too many calories, sugars and sodium. The article calls for stronger state leadership, scientifically defined nutrition targets, standardized menus based on the total diet, real-time digital information systems and common food-quality standards. It suggests prioritizing breakfast because it is easier to standardize and track than lunch.