School meals with processed foods preferred to healthy options, audit finds

Processed food was more likely to be chosen over healthy options under the Government’s hot school meals programme, an audit of the scheme has found.Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary ordered the audit of the free school meals programme after what the department described as criticism of “perceived deficiencies in nutritional standards”. More than 360 meals provided by 15 suppliers were examined. The review, which involved visits to 54 schools, has made a number of recommendations set to be implemented over the next year. The review found that while the overwhelming majority of meals offered under the scheme were not high in fat, salt or sugar, those based on processed foods like chicken goujons, sausages or fried potatoes were often chosen over healthier options on the same menu. The review noted that more vegetables, fruit, salad or healthier carbohydrates like brown rice and wholemeal bread needed to be provided under the scheme.READ MOREOnly 20 per cent of vegan or vegetarian options contained enough protein, compared with 74 per cent of meat options. Portion sizes offered to older children were found to be too small.The review found that almost a fifth of hot school meals were “uneaten”, but this was blamed on absenteeism. The report said that when absences are accounted for, the proportion of uneaten meals fell to 11.1 per cent.As well as the audit, which was carried out by a dietitian, Calleary also ordered a survey of pupils’, parents’ and schoolteachers’ views on the scheme. Ipsos/Behaviour and Attitudes was tasked with polling 6,884 children, 86,637 parents and guardians, 2,420 teachers and principals, and 47 suppliers across 747 schools.It found that the overwhelming majority of children, 85 per cent, liked their lunch. The survey found that 63 per cent of teachers and principals “believe the Hot School Meals Scheme has had a generally positive impact”. The same survey also suggested that food waste was an issue that predated the hot school meals programme. Almost half of parents said that their children had brought uneaten lunch home before school meals were introduced. Most parents wanted their children to also have the option of a cold school meal, with 84 per cent telling the study that they felt this should be an option. The main concerns raised by parents were “perceptions of processed foods, children’s dislike of certain meals and concerns regarding fruit and vegetable content”. Since 2025, every primary school in the country has been eligible to apply for the scheme, which started as a pilot in 37 Deis schools in 2019. It is estimated that more than 550,000 children across 3,200 schools now benefit from the scheme. The Department of Social Protection estimates that the financial benefit of the programme to a family with primary school-aged children each year is €1,152.