Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has welcomed the government\u2019s announcement of increased investment in the School Meals Programme but warned that without stronger accountability and a commitment to provide locally sourced, nutritious food, the scheme risks falling short of its goals.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins, who represents Dublin South Central and is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cNo child should be expected to learn on an empty stomach, so the expansion of the Free Hot School Meals Programme is a step in the right direction. However, parents, teachers and school staff have sounded the alarm about meals being high in salt, fat and preservatives, which is not acceptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the government has highlighted ongoing audits and nutritional standards, responses I received to my parliamentary questions reveal that just 400 schools \u2014 out of over 2,000 participating \u2014 are inspected annually by the Department of Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith only around 20 per cent of schools being inspected each year, there is a glaring gap in oversight. We cannot claim to be delivering nutritious meals when we don\u2019t actually know what\u2019s being served in four out of every five schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are also concerns that the current procurement model prioritises cost over quality, allowing large catering companies with a focus on profit margins to dominate the supply of school meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools are being left to navigate a complex procurement process on their own, which often means the cheapest bidder wins. That is not how we build a food programme rooted in children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood provided in schools should be local, seasonal, and consumed for the public good \u2013 not for shareholder returns.<\/p>\n
\u201cFigures I obtained from the Department of Education show that \u20ac49 million was allocated to schools in Dublin alone under the programme for the 2024\u20132025 year, with counties like Cork and Donegal receiving \u20ac24 million and \u20ac12 million respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this level of investment, we have a duty to ensure we are supporting Irish farmers, sustainable food producers, and most importantly, the long-term health of our children.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing today\u2019s announcement, I am now calling for mandatory annual inspections for all participating schools; clear public reporting on the nutritional value and sourcing of meals; incentives for schools to source from local producers; and stronger support for schools in navigating procurement to ensure they can choose quality over cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe School Meals Programme must be more than a box-ticking exercise. It should be a cornerstone of education and public health policy, nourishing young minds with proper food while supporting local business communities in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 11, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has welcomed the government\u2019s announcement of increased investment in the School Meals Programme but warned that without stronger accountability and a commitment to provide locally sourced, nutritious food, the scheme risks falling short of its goals. Deputy Cummins, who represents Dublin South Central and is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n