{"id":96471,"date":"2025-10-01T08:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T08:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/96471\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T08:15:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T08:15:11","slug":"your-verdict-on-free-hot-school-meals-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/96471\/","title":{"rendered":"Your verdict on free hot school meals \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Access for all primary<\/a> schoolchildren in the State to free hot meals under the school meals scheme has been widely welcomed. However, the scheme has faced criticism from some parents who have underlined a need for an improvement in the standard of food on offer.<\/p>\n

In an article<\/a> last week, French woman Claire-Marie Murray spoke about being \u201chorrified at the quality\u201d of the mass-produced food for schools in the State.<\/p>\n

Introduced in 2003, the scheme started to include hot meals in 2019 with a small pilot scheme of 37 schools. Rate increases for the programme were introduced last year, bringing the rate up to 75c for breakfast, \u20ac1.70 for cold lunch, \u20ac2.50 for dinner and \u20ac3.20 for hot school meals.<\/p>\n

Mandatory procurement targets for sourcing from local and organic farms are among the changes being called for by concerned NGOs and parents such as Murray who have seen the evolution of similar schemes abroad.<\/p>\n

We asked readers to share their thoughts and experiences of the free hot meals scheme. Their responses cover a huge range of issues, from food waste and nutritional value to single-use packaging and underfunding.<\/p>\n

\u2018I believe we are creating a health crisis for our pupils\u2019<\/p>\n

Sinead Mangan (63), Co Roscommon<\/p>\n

As a recently retired primary school principal, lecturer and school tutor I am horrified at what I see appearing in schools as school dinners. Everything is overcooked or left sitting in congealed lard until pupils get their turn to eat; sausages, burgers, goujons, chips etc. Not the food associated with good health. Pasta dishes are stodgy and covered in cream, even the smell of food entering school is the opposite of appealing. <\/p>\n

Some parents send a second healthy lunch into school hoping that their children will not be tempted, is that not saying enough? There is so much waste, so much extra work for staff and it is not necessary for all pupils to avail of this scheme. Schools partake to please time-strapped parents but I believe we are creating a health crisis for our pupils. My grandchild in Brussels gets fresh, wholesome food daily, why can\u2019t we provide the same? <\/p>\n

\u2018The scheme is well intentioned but in my opinion it\u2019s just a huge waste of food\u2019<\/p>\n

Jane Coakley (48), Co Cork<\/p>\n

My son (11) is not complimentary about his school lunches and refuses to eat from the limited number of options available. It seems good quality food but deteriorates in the packaging and tastes largely of cardboard by the time he gets it. The scheme is well intentioned but in my opinion it\u2019s just a huge waste of food, my son and another teacher I know say that most of the food provided is thrown away.<\/p>\n

\u2018As a working mother it is a huge help and a financial assistance to me and my family\u2019<\/p>\n

Kiya Schon (45), Co Wexford <\/p>\n

I am extremely happy and grateful for this wonderful resource. As a working mother it is a huge help and a financial assistance to me and my family. I am amazed at what is on offer for my daughter each day considering that the lunch company [FreshToday] only has \u20ac3.20 per meal to work with. Only 12 per cent of her nutrition comes from her school lunch daily, the other 88 per cent comes from home. <\/p>\n

I am shocked that there is so much finger pointing and negativity about a free school meal being offered. If people are unhappy with the meals they have the option of being removed from the scheme, however it is in place for the most vulnerable children who rely on this provision. For some it may be the only hot meal they receive. I think people need to remember that when being so critical. There are so many children in need, especially in Deis schools and this is who the scheme was designed for.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Breakfast clubs in Deis primary schools: \u2018If it wasn\u2019t here and you\u2019d had no breakfast you\u2019d be on the yard hungry\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s not for you then pack your child a lunch, don\u2019t ruin it for the rest of us who are delighted with the help.<\/p>\n

\"ChickenChicken and gravy with potatoes, carrots and cabbage. A meal option from FreshToday’s 2024\/25 winter menu that Kiya’s children opted for. \u2018The very first thing that needs to happen with school meals is that it needs to be properly funded\u2019<\/p>\n

Brian McGee (48), managing director of FreshToday, Co Wexford<\/p>\n

School meals are funded at a rate of \u20ac3.20 per student. You cannot buy a bag of chips for that amount. The very first thing that needs to happen with school meals is that it needs to be properly funded. The School Meals Scheme has had one rate increase in 20 years. That increase only arrived in 2023, when the scheme was on the verge of collapse nationwide. There is a complete disparity between the expectation parents have of the scheme and the funding that\u2019s available.<\/p>\n

Recently there have been national media articles of suppliers pulling out of schools<\/a> and out of the scheme due to viability. Until the scheme is funded with credible rates per student, it is pointless talking about organic produce. <\/p>\n

\u2018I think the long-term goal should be for new schools to be built with kitchens and cafeterias\u2019 <\/p>\n

Elizabeth Bolger (43), Co Dublin<\/p>\n

When we lived in Barcelona my daughter went to the local state school and had a hot lunch cooked in the school kitchen every day. Every school is built with a kitchen and cafeteria for the children to eat lunch together. The menu is seasonal with organic and local produce. There was a great variety of dishes, with fish once a week and yoghurt or fruit for dessert. The quality was really high and it was great knowing that my daughter was happily eating a healthy meal each day. <\/p>\n

Her school in Dublin hasn\u2019t started the hot lunch programme yet but I think the long-term goal here should be for new schools to be built with kitchens and cafeterias to allow students to eat healthy freshly prepared food together, which is also great for them socially. It also eliminates packaging waste as proper cutlery and plates can be used. <\/p>\n

\u2018Oil-soaked brown packaging, a weird orange tinge to every meal and \u2018bounceable\u2019 food\u2019<\/p>\n

Gillian Carroll (40s), Cork City<\/p>\n

Having easily made more than 1,000 lunches for my children at this stage \u2013 but who\u2019s counting \u2013 I really wanted the school lunch scheme to work. At first I turned a deaf ear to the children\u2019s rumbles about all options tasting the same. I turned a blind eye to the uneaten packages arriving home every evening, but I eventually had to fess up. I wouldn\u2019t eat them myself. Oil-soaked brown packaging from fat seeping through, weird orange tinge to every meal, food that seems like it might be \u2018bounceable\u2019. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018The best foods don\u2019t have a nutrition label\u2019: simple tips towards a healthier dietOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

I had to bite the bullet and come back to the daily grind of making lunches at home. The reality is small primary-going children only need soup and a roll and a piece of fruit, or a simple sandwich. They don\u2019t need grease-laden hot meals, despite best efforts and good intentions. My opinion: Nice idea but must try harder.<\/p>\n

\u2018This programme seems to require parents to take on even more responsibility for balancing children\u2019s diets\u2019<\/p>\n

Deirdre McGrath (48), Co Dublin<\/p>\n

My son\u2019s school has not started the programme yet. I was initially delighted to think he would receive a hot meal at lunchtime. Now I am not so sure. <\/p>\n

I have some concerns. I am annoyed this programme seems to require parents to take on even more responsibility for balancing children\u2019s diets. The minimum recommendation is about five fruit and veg per day, with at least two fruit and three vegetables. In my head that means two vegetables to be included in each dinner the child has. I had a look at menus from several providers and they did not seem to have this. <\/p>\n

Another concern is the idea of treat Fridays. I don\u2019t want my child eating treat foods at school. I want to be able to make a decision about giving them a pizza at home, not feel bad because they have already had this in school. I am also concerned about packaging and waste. I\u2019m trying to reduce plastic and single-use items in the house and now it seems this will be increasing for my children. <\/p>\n

I like the thought of a hot meal, of a few choices, of food from local sources. I would like to see options such as soup and bread, very healthy and nutritious as an everyday choice for the lunch menu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Access for all primary schoolchildren in the State to free hot meals under the school meals scheme has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,18,19,17,22617],"class_list":{"0":"post-96471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-primary-level"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}