More children in Manchester schools are taking a school meal than ever before, according to a survey published by the School Food Trust.
Manchester Fayre’s take-up figure for primary schools was 66.6%, more than 20% higher than the national average - while the result for secondary schools was 51.4%, more than 11% above the national average.
Nationally, the average take-up figures for school meals are 46.3% in primary schools and 39.8% in secondary schools.
Executive member for finance and human resources, Councillor Jeff Smith, said: "We pride ourselves on the quality, taste and nutritional value of our school meals and the results speak for themselves.
"This is the third year in a row Manchester Fayre has seen an increase in the uptake of school meals, which shows that healthy, nutritious food can also be popular and tasty.
"These figures show that our hard work in delivering this service and promoting healthy eating is really paying off."