School feeding programs are politically popular interventions yet it is difficult to assess their effectiveness since their impact is partially on education and partially on school health. They are a means to augment consumption by vulnerable populations. The authors review new evidence and argue that while these programs can have an impact on education and, to a lesser degree, augment nutrition for the families of beneficiaries, they are best viewed as transfer programs that provide a social safety net and promote human capital investments.
Alderman, H., Bundy, D. Oxford University Press (2012).