Free School Meals

(asked on 13th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what dicussions he plans to have with Chartwells UK on the adequacy of food parcels supplied to families eligible for free school meals.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 25th January 2021

The continuing provision of free school meals to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government.

The government does not hold any direct contracts with school catering companies. School catering contracts are agreed locally, and are held at school, academy trust, or local authority level. We have guidance in place allowing schools to decide the best approach for supporting free school meal pupils who are at home. This can be through lunch parcels, local vouchers or the national voucher scheme which re-opened on Monday 18 January 2021.

The images circulating of poor-quality food parcels are unacceptable. On 13 January 2021, both my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and I met with Chartwells and other leading school food suppliers and caterers to insist on urgent action to make sure lunch parcels meet the standards we expect. We are grateful to those firms who are working hard with schools to provide nutritious, balanced lunches for children.

If a parent is concerned about the standards of their lunch parcel, they should speak directly with their school. If a parent cannot resolve their concern through their school, they can contact the department. The department will contact suppliers where concerns are escalated, to ensure they are working to a high standard. We will also alert the school to confirm appropriate contract management arrangements are in place, so that immediate improvements are made.



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