Free School Meals: Coronavirus

(asked on 2nd February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what value of service credits has been applied to Chartwells’ contract to provide food hampers as free school meals.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 8th February 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.

School catering contracts are agreed locally, and are held by the school, academy trust or the local authority. The department does not hold a contract with Chartwells UK or any food company for the provision of free school meals or lunch parcels to children. We have guidance in place allowing schools to decide the best approach for their pupils. This can be through lunch parcels, locally arranged vouchers, or the national voucher scheme.

Edenred are contracted to deliver the national voucher scheme. The department does not comment on the commercial arrangements of third parties but can confirm that we have only paid for the face value of goods delivered, in this case vouchers.

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