Food Foundation urges UK government to expand free school meals programs for all

07 Sep 2023 --- Emphasizing that investments will lead to long-term benefits to a child’s life, health and prosperity, the Food Foundation calls for the UK government to make free school meals an election issue. 

Nutrition Insight speaks with Zoe McIntyre, advocacy manager at the Food Foundation, about the benefits of free school meals for children and the organization’s plea to expand free meals to all UK school children. 

“Poll after poll shows strong public support for free school meals – even before the current cost-of-living crisis – and the fact that nearly 4 million children are experiencing food insecurity in the UK can no longer be ignored,” underscores McIntyre.

A poll released this week found that 71% of UK voters think the current income threshold for free school meals is inadequate or should not exist.

“We also know free school meals are much healthier than packed lunches,” highlights McIntyre. “Only 1.6% of packed lunches meet the Government’s School Food Standards. Packed lunches are more likely to contain confectionery, savory snacks and sweetened drinks and less likely to contain vegetables than free school meals.”

For example, evidence shows children who eat free school meals consume more fruit and vegetables. 

She adds that free school meals can help to reduce obesity. For example, providing Universal Infant free school meals in some boroughs in London reduced obesity rates and a higher proportion of children within a healthy weight range. 

Financial and economic benefits 
In addition, there are direct financial benefits of free school meals for a child’s family on free school meals, which McIntyre highlights is particularly important in the current intense financial pressure and high food inflation. 

Only 1.6% of packed lunches meet the Government’s School Food Standards.“Parents can save hundreds of pounds a year by not having to pay for school meals or packed lunches. A family with two children, living in poverty but not eligible for free school meals, currently has to pay around £450 (US$561) a year if paying for a school lunch each.” 

“We know the benefits of free school meals on children have an economic impact at a societal level too. Detailed economic analysis from Sweden’s free school meal program shows a 3% increase in lifetime income for those exposed to free school meals during their entire time at primary school.” 

She adds that the economic benefit was more pronounced for children from the poorest households, which suggests that free school meals reduced socioeconomic inequalities in adulthood. Children from families in the bottom quartile by household income who received free school meals for nine years increased their lifetime income by almost 6%.

This tallies with a new analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers in England showing significant return on investment for extending free school meals – this shows effective economic recovery looking at expanding free school meals to children from families on Universal Credit and to every school child in state-funded education. 

What needs to be done? 
McIntyre stresses that 900,000 children cannot access free school meals in England despite their families being on Universal Credit, which means they live below the poverty line. 

“Therefore, the next steps we need for the government to take is to expand the eligibility and make school meals fairly accessible for children across the UK no matter where they live or their background.” 

This means providing free school meals to all children, starting with raising the household earnings threshold to cover all children from families receiving universal credit to providing universal free school meals.

McIntyre explains that the Food Foundation is engaging with MPs at the party conferences this winter. 

“We are working hard to ensure that free school meals are still on the agenda for politicians – next week we’ll be supporting some brave young people who all have experiences of the free school meals campaign outside of the houses of parliament.” 

The Food Foundation also looks forward to seeing more evidence of the benefits of free school meals as the London Mayor’s one-year London-wide extension of free school meals progresses.

The Food Foundation urges policymakers in Westminster to act immediately on the evidence.Call on UK government 
McIntyre notes that the Food Foundation urges policymakers in Westminster to act immediately on the evidence. 

“As we look toward our next election, it seems largely the opposition relates to funding – in a time of economic downturn, spending commitments are hard to come by.” 

“However, if we look at the cost-benefit analysis, school meals deliver extremely good value for money, with wide-ranging benefits and with returns on investment of up to £1.71 (US$2.15) for every £1 (US$1.25) spent. It is not that it is expensive to take action but that it will be expensive not to take action.”

McIntyre suggests that political opposition to expanding the program can also be ideological. Some politicians fundamentally oppose the free school meals extension as they see it as an expansion of the state, on which they believe the government should be making people less reliant. 

“This is, of course, short-sighted,” she emphasizes. “Today in the UK, one in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school and nearly a quarter of five-year-olds in England have had obvious tooth decay. The rise in diet-related disease and poor health will only weigh more heavily on our NHS if we don’t take preventive measures now.” 

Allowing children a hot, nutritious meal at school through free school meals is a crucial way to support their health and happiness, both now and in the future.

Challenges in free school meals 
McIntyre explains that increased uptake due to the extension of free school meals may mean school kitchen infrastructure needs to be improved. “There may be more logistical issues – such as increasing staff. However, all these issues can be overcome – it is already happening in Wales, Scotland and now in London.” 

She urges that if free school meals were first extended to children from families on Universal Credit, it would be manageable without a significant overhaul to dining rooms or the length of the lunch breaks. 

McIntyre stresses that 900,000 children living below the poverty line cannot access free school meals.Moreover, she notes that caterers support the extension of free school meals and are confident that extension to all children could be accommodated in the future.

Receiving free school meals can be a stigmatizing experience, continues McIntyre, as it singles them out to their peers as being poor. “This can reduce take-up and result in children not receiving the nutritious lunch to which they are entitled.” 

“Universal free school meals can help reduce stigma, as income threshold no longer defines eligibility. Evidence shows that uptake by those eligible for means-tested free school meals increases when the offer is universal.” 

She adds that stigma can also be reduced when schools use electronic cards and fingerprint-based systems. 

Cornerstone of the education system 
According to the Food Foundation, free school meals have been a cornerstone of the UK’s state education system since 1906. Over the decades, every political party has supported the policy’s progress. 

McIntyre continues: “For example, the Conservatives Universal Infant free school meals were introduced in 2014, while in Coalition Government with the Liberal Democrats. It was Welsh Labour who committed to roll out universal primary school meals in Wales under the current Government as part of a cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru.” 

“While there has been some significant progress on free school meals, we know that provision is falling short. For many children, a free school meal can be their main source of hot, nutritious food.” 

In England, all children in the first three years of primary school (Reception to Year 2) receive a free school meal. From Year 3 onwards, a threshold for free school meals entitlement comes into force, set at annual household earnings of less than £7,400 (US$9,291) – not including benefits and after taxes. 

“The free school meals criteria in England are the least generous across the UK nations,” concludes McIntyre. “They are increasingly divergent from Wales and Scotland (where universal provision across all primary schools is being rolled out) and Northern Ireland where eligibility is set at £14,000 (US$17,468) – double the level in England.” 

By Jolanda van Hal