Written answers
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
School Meals Programme
Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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331. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline her engagements regarding the hot school meals programme. [31315/25]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
The School Meals programme has grown from a small pilot of 30 schools to a nationwide programme available to all remaining primary schools this year. This means that 3,200 schools and 550,000 children will now be eligible for hot school meals from September 2025. This is an extremely progressive programme, and I am determined to ensure that we continue to build on the great success of the scheme.
In total, 3,700 schools and 682,000 children, will be eligible for the School Meals Programme in 2025. As part of the Programme for Government I plan to commence the rollout of Hot School Meals to secondary schools over the lifetime of this Government.
My department has established an interdepartmental working group, which includes the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Department of Children, Equality and Disability, to oversee and make recommendations on the operation of the scheme, including nutrition, inspection and evaluation.
There is a nutritional standard in place for the School Meals Programme since it’s inception. A specific standard was set for School Meals under the Nutritional Standards for School Meals and Nutritional Standards for Hot School Meals. A technical Nutrition Sub Group comprised of Dietitians from the following organisations was involved in developing these standards:
- The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland,
- The HSE,
- Safefood, and
- The Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
I have directed that a review of the scheme’s nutritional standards be undertaken. This will be conducted by a dietician who will be supervised by the Department of Health and in coordination with the Interdepartmental Group on School Meals. I have asked for a report on the nutritional standards be submitted to me by the end of the year.
My department also has an oversight role in relation to the school meals programme and conducts regular inspections of schools. Under the existing audit process, some 400 schools are inspected annually by my department. These inspections assist my department in ensuring standards are being met in relation to different areas of the School Meals Programme.
In the meantime, food that is high in saturated fat, sugar and salt will be removed from the school menus by September 2025. Up to now this food had been permitted once a week at most and only when selected by the child's parents.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
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