25th Jul 2008 - 00:00
Abstract
Labour-affiliated unions have today called for all primary school children to have access to school meals and the current means testing approach to be scrapped.
Recently, a pilot scheme in Hull was put in operation and despite being successful was ditched by the local Labour government after costs became too high. Labour's National Policy Forum was held this week in Warwick and it is here that delegates made the calls for change. Sharon Hodgson, MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, told the BBC: "All parents are feeling the pinch and universal free school meals would ease the pressure on purse strings at home and, eventually, in the Treasury. The chance to influence the eating habits of all children is one not to be missed." She added: "Serving up a free healthy lunch in every school would bring benefits to the nation's collective health, educational attainment and environmental credentials." A DCSF spokesman said: "We've invested over £650 million to transform school lunches - to improve nutritional standards and training; build new kitchens; and raise take up, particularly among the 210,000 children who we know qualify for free school meals but do not claim them. "Local authorities already have the power to extend free school meals provision to those they consider need it. We are looking at Hull's experiment of offering free school meals to all primary school pupils but have no current plans to change existing national policy."