Hot School Meals review must address issues of nutrition, food poverty and underfunding of Deis and Deis Plus schools – Louise O’Reilly TD
11 April 2025
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, Louise O’Reilly TD, has said the Department of Social Protection’s Review of Hot School Meals Programme must be comprehensive in its scope, and fully address pressing issues of nutrition, underfunding of Deis and Deis Plus schools and food poverty.
Teachta O’Reilly said:
”We understand the importance of the Hot School Meals Programme but it is equally important that when kids are availing of this programme, the food is decent, of good quality, healthy and nutritious.
“I know from talking to teachers in my constituency that, for some kids, these meals may represent a significant proportion of the food they eat on any given day. It is important that those standards are upheld.
”Irish Country Living has found that traceability of the food can be poor and that ingredients are often just listed as ‘pasta sauce’ on the website, and this has been widely reported in the media.
“We also know that the same amount of funding, €3.20 per meal, and the same portion sizes are given to children from junior infants right up to sixth class. That should be looked at because children’s nutritional needs change and grow as they get older.
”I have written to the Minister for Social Protection urging that this newly announced review examines other options for school meal providers beyond further tender of for-profit companies whose record on nutrition, traceability and portion sizes is poor.
“I have urged the recommendation that community groups such as Meals on Wheels be considered as a cost-effective, nutritious, high-quality option going forward.
”As it is, schools are still responsible for 10% of the costs of school meal provision, many schools rely on a ‘voluntary contribution’ from parents to make up these costs. For Deis and Deis Plust schools, this is not an option. The reality is that schools are struggling to meet these costs and using non-profit community school meal providers is a commonsense alternative.”
