The Government's investment in school breakfasts has increased to over £30 million in 2025-26 to ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day. This is just 10% of the Government’s manifesto pledge of £315m by the 2028-29 financial year.
The 2024 LACA Main Event featured the theme ‘Levelling Up School Food’ to highlight the disparity in school meals funding seen across the UK. LACA had previously launched a campaign urging all the pollical parties ahead of the general election to commit to a minimum funding level of £3 per meal (index linked).
The Cost of a School Meal report by charity School Food Matters found that the current funding rate of £2.53 per school meal in England is 63p below what is needed, making the ‘true cost’ £3.16. This includes £1.16 for food, £1.66 to employ an appropriately skilled team, 32p for overheads and an additional 2p earmarked for quality assurance.
Industry reaction:
LACA: “LACA is deeply disappointed that, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis and the significant challenges facing our sector, additional funding has not been allocated to fund the provision of free school lunches In England.
“Rising food costs, inflation, and operational pressures have placed unprecedented strain on school catering services. Without this critical support, we fear many providers may be forced to close, jeopardising the future of nutritious school meals for children across the country. We urge the Government to reconsider and prioritise the essential role of school meals in supporting young people’s health, well-being, and education.”
No Child Left Behind: “The Government understands children need food to learn well and reiterated its plans to roll out free school breakfasts in #Budget2024. Universal breakfasts are a great start. Universal lunches would guarantee pupils are engaged throughout the day.
“When we speak to educators and parents, they tell us that a hot school dinner at midday is key. It gives pupils the energy to: play, learn and socialise. We’re going to keep pushing for this until every primary school child in England has the essentials to succeed.”
Magic Breakfast: "We are very pleased that the Government's investment in school breakfasts has increased to over £30 million in 2025-26 to ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day. We look forward to understanding how this funding will be allocated and will continue to work closely with the Government to ensure its breakfast commitment is hunger-focused, stigma and barrier free."
Child Poverty Action Group: “The Chancellor brought good news on breakfast clubs and universal credit deductions but this was not a Budget of bold action on child poverty. The Chancellor missed a golden chance to scrap the two-child limit, a policy that will pull 16,000 extra children into poverty.”
School Food Matters: “We applaud the Government’s focus on investing in the next generation and are pleased to see this reflected in the Autumn Budget. The announcement is in line with our 2024 Manifesto ask to ensure no child starts the day too hungry to learn.
“Our Cost of a School Meal report highlights how investing just 63p more per school meal can have huge benefits for children and provide stability across the sector. The Budget was a welcome step forward in prioritising children's health through breakfast clubs, but there's a lot more work to be done.”
Sustain: “Good nutrition is absolutely vital to children’s health and ability to learn. Whilst we welcome the Chancellor’s confirmation of funding for expanding school breakfast clubs, there were no crumbs of hope in this Autumn budget that the Government will progressively end the disastrous means-testing in our school lunch system. We can only hope that the Child Wellbeing Bill and Child Poverty Taskforce will ensure every child has the vital nutritional safety nets, including Healthy Start and healthy school meals, they need.”
Bite Back 2030: "We're glad to see the Budget announcements on the soft drinks industry levy. They're a good step towards better health - now we urge the Government to go further if they truly want to achieve the healthiest generation of children ever."
Food Foundation: "The £30 million towards primary school breakfast clubs is still only 10% of what was promised in the Labour manifesto. We are concerned however children, particularly those in the poorest households, have been overlooked.
“Meanwhile, the issue of school lunches drags on. We still have 900,000 children living in poverty in England who do not get a free hot meal at lunchtime. Those children should be a priority for a Labour government. Proposals to raise the Soft Drinks Industry Levy with inflation are sensible, and overdue. It is not, however, anywhere near enough to meet the Government’s promise for the ‘healthiest generation of children ever."