Families face soaring cost of school meals

Families across the country are facing increases in school meal prices of up to 25 per cent, it was revealed today.

There are concerns that the rises could lead to children eating packed lunches full of junk food.

Cash-strapped parents are already battling against rising food and energy bills and now, according to consumer magazine Which?, two thirds of councils are putting up the price of school dinners. There have already been increases across the Black Country this year.

But Staffordshire County Council has frozen the price of its school dinners at £2.10.

Sandwell Council announced a hike of 50p per child per week last month, up to £1.90 a day in primary schools and £1.95 in secondaries.

In Wolverhampton, char-ges for primary and special school meals rose from £1.90 to £2 and in secondary schools from £2 to £2.10.

School dinners in Walsall cost £1.85 for both primary and secondary school children and in Dudley they cost £1.80.

Nationally, the average price increase is 2.5 per cent, taking a typical meal to around £2, but some councils are imposing much higher rises.

Bolton has seen the biggest rise at 25 per cent, although its school meal prices remain the lowest in the country at £1.25.

It is feared that the price increases are putting at risk the improvements in nutrition and health championed by TV chef Jamie Oliver.

Which? found that parents would rather give their children packed lunches as they are cheaper – but many fill lunch boxes with junk foods, chocolate, crisps and snacks that are banned from school canteens.

Another blow is that the School Dinner Grant, which was set up to subsidise the meals, is no longer ring-fenced – meaning that councils can raid the cash pot for other education purposes.