£2.53 per meal? No wonder our school kids are being fed cold potatoes

A headteacher in Southampton has apologised to parents for the ‘completely unacceptable’ lunches being fed to students. But what do we expect, asks Dayna Brackley – when it comes to food, you get what you pay for...

A Southampton headmaster sent a letter to parents despairing at his school’s food offer (Redbridge Community School/PA)

What can you buy for £2.53? A Sainsbury’s meal deal? Nope, that’s £3.50. A two-pack of chicken breasts? £4.25. For a latte you’ll need at least £2.80. With rampant food inflation over the last couple of years, there’s not a lot you can get for £2.53 – but that is the meal rate set by the government for a school lunch (oh, and you need to pay for school cooks and kitchens out of that, too).

It’s International School Meals Day today, and there’s a lot of focus on school food quality after a Southampton headmaster sent a letter to parents despairing that the school food offer was “completely unacceptable”. Now admittedly this food doesn’t look great – undercooked baked potatoes, ultra-processed food, and not an appetising vegetable in sight – but I think we’re focusing our dismay in the wrong place. It is the government that sets what is called the “per meal rate” and that per meal rate is £2.53.

It was £2.30 way back in 2013, and has only recently started to increase. In that time the price of food has skyrocketed, staff costs have increased, and energy bills have risen. It is not surprising that some caterers struggle to deliver healthy, nutritious food.