The paper explains, with supporting facts and figures, that unless urgent action is taken by the Government the school meals service will be non-existent in some areas of the country and under severe threat of failure in most areas.
Bidfood’s third annual paper directed to Government outlines key actions to review, acknowledge and take action in order for the school meal provision to simply survive. The key actions are:
- Ringfence the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) Allowance and the Benefited Free School Allowance to the meal providers.
- Increasing the eligibility of free school meals to support children whose parents are in receipt of Universal Credit
- Extend Universal Free School Meals to Key Stage 2
- Extend Universal Infant Free School Meals generally
September 2024 marked eighty years since the 1944 Education Act was introduced by the Labour Government of that time. It stated that all children attending a state school in the UK would be entitled to receive a nutritionally balanced hot meal at lunchtime.
A Bidfood spokesperson said: “The purpose of this paper is to highlight one of the most critical issues facing our youngest generation within England and this is something that has been highlighted by countless industry bodies whose voices continue to be either ignored or not understood.
“This paper highlights, in a non-political way and with absolute fact, the cause and effect of previous and current Government action and in a period of uncertainty and yet with great anticipation we are hoping that this Government will reverse what could be the loss of a critical service being made available to all of our children in state education.”
Read the full report below.