A call for a balanced approach to free school meals

Following the latest news on a Free School Meals consultation, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Natasha Asghar MS, has highlighted the need for more practical solutions to ensure taxpayer money is used effectively while supporting children’s health and well-being. This comes after concerns were raised with Natasha by kitchen staff in schools within South Wales who are concerned by the amount of wasted food at the end of each lunchtime. In response, the Welsh Conservatives have called for improved monitoring systems to identify inefficiencies and optimise spending on the nearly £100 million Free School Meals scheme.

The Welsh Conservatives acknowledge the importance of healthy eating and have also welcomed aspects of the consultation, particularly the focus on more appropriate portion sizes tailored to pupils of all ages—a concern raised numerous times by the Welsh Conservatives.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Natasha Asghar MS, said:

“Whilst we welcome the consultation on healthy food options and appropriate portion sizes, we recognise the need to balance nutritional aspirations with practicality.

“Offering a balanced meal is the right thing to do. However, many parents may worry that overly restrictive meal choices may leave some children hungry, as fussy eating remains a challenge.

“The current costs of free school meals is nearly £100 million, a staggering amount of money, when you consider the amount of wasted food scraped into bins at the end of every lunchtime, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Lib dems are literally throwing taxpayers money in the bin and it is imperative that a sustainable, long lasting and efficient financial solution is established.”

Image from https://lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz/how-to-reduce-food-waste-in-schools/