Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the impact of food price rises on the provision of food by public
sector organisations, in particular the nutrient levels of school
lunches.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education () (Con)
My Lords, we recognise cost pressures that schools and suppliers
are facing. Officials are holding regular meetings with food
industry representatives, covering issues including public sector
food supplies. Schools manage their own contracts, using
government funding to procure services from private sector
caterers or local authorities, or to fund their in-house
catering. The school food standards set out in regulations what
schools should and should not serve to children during the school
day.
(LD)
My Lords, in December, food price inflation was 16.9%. It is a
fact that this has caused a reduction in the portion size and
nutritional value of school meals. This affects poorer children
the most and contributes to health inequalities. Because of the
price of energy, some schools are providing only cold meals. Does
the Minister accept that the Government’s policies on school food
standards, using British food and supporting SMEs, will not be
achieved unless there is realistic and regular renegotiation of
these contracts? Will the Minister please look into this?
(Con)
As always, I will be interested if the noble Baroness has
specific examples to share with the department, as that is not
the picture we are getting. The picture that we are getting is
that there are, of course, pressures on food inflation, but clear
standards on nutritional value continue to be met. There is a
real focus on reducing waste and, in some cases, that means
reducing the number of options available to pupils, but not the
quality.
(CB)
My Lords, based on research we have done at Feeding Britain, I
can say that around £88 million every year does not get through
to the school food budget. One reason is that poorer pupils are
unable to roll over their daily allowance. It has also been true
that councils, to a lesser extent, and schools themselves—because
food is something that you can reduce while still delivering a
meal—have been using some of that money because they are so
cash-strapped. No blame is afforded here, because budgets
everywhere are very tight, but would the Minister agree that this
is an extremely false economy? Will she agree to talk to me and
Feeding Britain about whether we can review it and ring-fence the
money? As the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, pointed out, the
amount is not enough at the moment to make sure that these meals
are healthy and nutritious. For many kids, it is all that they
are getting.
(Con)
I absolutely agree with the noble Baroness that schools need to
use the funding provided for them to feed the children eligible
for free school meals. We are monitoring the implementation of
our policies, and we are investing in a pilot training scheme for
school governors so that they are well equipped to understand
what is happening in their schools.
(Con)
My Lords—
(Lab)
My Lords—
(Con)
My Lords, we have loads of time. Let us hear from my noble friend
and then from the noble Baroness opposite.
(Con)
My Lords, what could be easier to source and more nutritious than
locally produced food? Will my noble friend the Minister and the
Government endeavour to ensure that there are more locally
sourced meat, fruit and vegetables available for schools and
other public sector organisations, such as prisons and military
garrisons?
(Con)
The Government absolutely support the spirit of my noble friend’s
remarks in terms of supporting the local economy and making sure
that children and others—in hospitals and elsewhere—who receive
government-funded meals get the highest quality. It is important,
however, that they have the flexibility and discretion to decide
for themselves how they source the food.
(Lab)
My Lords, a recent open letter to the Prime Minister from the
heads of leading public health organisations, supported by a
number of noble Lords, including myself, called for the extension
of free school meals and the national school breakfast programme
on the grounds that access to nutritious food at school improves
children’s health, development and ability to learn. At a time
when low-income parents are struggling more than ever, will the
Government use the forthcoming Budget to ensure that children
have access to nutritious food from school dinners and
breakfasts?
(Con)
This Government have made huge strides in extending access to
free school meals, with the introduction of universal infant free
school meals and the introduction of free school meals in further
education. More than a third of pupils are now eligible for free
school meals. We keep the situation under constant review.
My Lords, security is one of the most fundamental
responsibilities of any Government, yet with huge hikes in the
cost of food from overseas, our domestic market is declining.
Take, for example, the outstanding market garden sector in the
Lea Valley in my diocese. About 10% of them had to close in the
last year because of the cost of heating. What are the Government
going to do to ensure that those market gardens are able to
sustain themselves, to guarantee our basic food security in this
country?
(Con)
I cannot comment on the specific market gardens to which the
right reverend Prelate refers, but I absolutely get the spirit of
his question. He will be aware that Defra works very closely with
the food industry in this country to monitor where risks are in
relation to supply and to make sure that any disruption can be
addressed.
(DUP)
My Lords, we would all acknowledge that a lot of good work
operates through schools in providing nutritious meals, but we
should be aware that schools are not in session for about a
quarter of the year. What action are the Government taking to try
to tackle the problem of holiday hunger for vulnerable
children?
(Con)
The Government have committed £200 million to the holiday
activities and food fund. It reached about 600,000 children in
the summer of 2021, which is the last year for which we have
data. I visited a primary school in Ipswich on Friday that was
using that funding very creatively through the holidays, working
with families to make sure that it reached the children who
needed it most.
(Lab)
My Lords, a study published by Imperial College last year
highlighted that, across primary and secondary schools, 64% of
calories consumed by pupils at lunchtime were from
ultra-processed food. Given the long-term health implications
that this presents and the important role played by good
nutrition in pupil attainment, does the Minister intend to take
on board the report’s recommendation to cap the levels of
ultra-processed food in school meals?
(Con)
Our guidelines are clear in respect of the quality of food that
children should receive in their lunchtime meals. They are clear
about the range of fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates and protein
that they should get.
Lord Swire (Con)
My noble friend the Minister is right to point out the huge
inflationary pressures on school budgets and other budgets in the
public sector. At the same time, can she reassure us that
everything is being done to prioritise the purchase by the public
sector of British-sourced products to support our own
hard-pressed farming community?
(Con)
I think that I in part addressed that point in response to my
noble friend earlier. We absolutely are supporting our domestic
farmers and food production industry, but equally it is important
that we give flexibility to schools to respond to opportunities
in their local markets. They understand their needs and can
deliver for the children in their care.
(LD)
My Lords, the Minister will agree that we want all children to
have a nutritional hot dinner, particularly at lunchtime. She
will also be aware that, when the coalition Government introduced
free meals at key stage 1, there was a massive take-up of young
people having a hot school dinner. Now we see a large and
increasing number of families coming to school with a packed
lunch, which in many cases is not nutritional and certainly is
not warm. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that
packed lunches are of nutritional value to the children who bring
them into school?
(Con)
There is obviously a limit to the extent to which the Government
should direct individual parents on the food they provide for
their children. We are ambitious for our children’s understanding
of the importance of nutrition and for their own opportunities to
cook at school and become more confident in how to cook
nutritious and affordable food. Again, I am aware of a number of
examples of schools working closely with parents to equip them
with those skills not just for lunchtime but for the evening.
