Parents opting out of the Hot School Meals scheme risk stigmatising poorer children whose families cannot afford to do so, a journalist has argued. 

The Hot School Meals Scheme began as a pilot in 2019 and has now been rolled out in primary schools across the country. 

However, some parents have complained about the quality of food provided to their children. 

Cork South West TD Michael Collins has said some of the food served in his constituency as part of the Hot School Meals scheme is of “absolutely appalling” quality. 

Research released by Fine Gael earlier this month found that only 43% of parents who responded to the party’s survey planned to continue using the scheme.

78% of parents said their children did not like the variety of food on offer, while 29% said they prefer meals from home. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Irish Independent journalist Fionnan Sheahan said the quality of the food is not nearly as bad as Fine Gael’s report suggests. 

“They're basically saying the kind of negative publicity, the rhetoric around it is actually prompting people to drop out of it,” he explained. 

“So, not even necessarily their own experience, but because they're hearing other people complaining about it, they're deciding, ‘Okay, we're going to drop out.’” 

Mr Sheahan continued that the Hot School Meals scheme is “very socially progressive” and has hugely benefited children from deprived backgrounds. 

“The benefits of it are enormous, both societally and academically in terms of kids participation, both attendance at school and their ability to learn by getting these meals,” he said. 

“And I'd be worried that we're going to create a stigma around it.”

Children eating lunch. Picture by: Alamy.com.

With that in mind, Mr Sheahan said he worries about the impact of families dropping out of the Hot School Meals scheme. 

“I think it creates a stigma around it, such that you end up with kids basically feeling, ‘Oh, you can only afford that lunch as opposed to the next child who brings their own one in their carefully prepared pre-packed meal from  their parents’,” he argued. 

“And then I would question as well, if there's going to be we're going to have future investment in this scheme, the plan is to roll it out at secondary school level.

“I'd be concerned that if basically the word is going back that actually this isn't providing a societal value, that it won't get the enhanced funding that it deserves.” 

In the Programme for Government, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil promised to ensure that Hot School Meals scheme “suppliers adhere to robust guidelines on the nutritional value of meals”.

Main image: A school lunch. Picture by: Alamy.com.