Fears children will suffer as meal costs hit new high

The Food Foundation has said that more children are to become at risk of being denied access to a healthy diet, as a survey shows that the average price of a school meal will rise to £2.65 this year.
 
The survey carried out by the Local Authority Catering Association (LACA, which represents more than 3,300 school food suppliers and kitchen staff, shows an average rise of almost 20% in the cost of a school meal since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, when it was around £2.24.
 
School caterers say they are seeing rising debts as increasing numbers of children come to school with no lunch money. There are fears that many more will fall through the cracks because their families cannot afford to pay for school food, but do not meet the threshold for free meals.
 
The Food Foundation is calling for the expansion of free school meal provision so all the estimated 800,000 children from families living below the poverty line can access them as part of the Feed the Future campaign.

Zoe McIntyre, Children’s Right2Food project manager at The Food Foundation, said: "This jump in the price of a school meal will hit families very hard when so many are already struggling with the continuing rise in the cost of food and other bills, and it is particularly concerning for the 800,000 children living in poverty who don't qualify for a Free School Meal because the eligibility criteria is too restrictive.

"For many of these children, a nutritious school meal will be totally unaffordable, forcing families to make difficult choices to ensure their children can eat during the school day.

"It's likely we'll see more children switching to packed lunches which cost families less, but we also know that less than 2% of children’s lunchboxes meet school food standards.

"Extending Free School Meals for children in households on Universal Credit is an urgent step needed to ensure these children get proper food  at school in these challenging times."