Home / Health / Third of School Meals Lack Nutrients
Third of School Meals Lack Nutrients
18 Feb
Summary
- At least one-third of hot school meals do not meet basic nutritional standards.
- A dietitian found issues with fruit and vegetable availability in assessed meals.
- The hot school meals programme is projected to cost 280 million euro in 2026.
At least one-third of hot school meals provided across primary schools in Ireland are not meeting basic nutritional standards. Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary stated that an initial assessment by an appointed dietitian found deficiencies in approximately a third of the meals evaluated.
Concerns have been raised regarding the availability of fruit and vegetables in these meals. The dietitian's review focused on five key nutritional values out of sixteen provided as guidance to suppliers. The hot school meals programme, which began as a pilot in 2019, is slated to cost an estimated 280 million euro in 2026 and serves 550,000 eligible students across 3,200 schools.
Minister Calleary also highlighted recent directives to remove high-fat, high-salt 'treat' foods, with 80% of suppliers having complied. He aims to eliminate the remaining 20% of such ultra-processed foods from the programme. The dietitian will continue random inspections in schools to further assess the quality and nutritional content of the meals being offered.
