Public Health Nutrition - Press release

Changes needed to hit free school meal targets, study reveals

Quality and size portions, rather than stigma, are the main reasons that pupils are not taking up their free school meals, according to new research by Leeds Metropolitan University, published this week in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

In England, children from low income families in receipt of state benefits are entitled to receive free school meals. Previous research highlights that pupils receiving free school meals obtain a higher proportion of their daily energy and nutrient intake from their meal compared with those who pay. But, of the 1.5 million families entitled, only 1.2 million register and only 1 million children actually consume their free meal. The study set out to discover why.

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