School meals take-up fails to hit government target

10 July 2009 1 min read Neil Puffett Education Health

A government target of increasing school meals take-up by 10 per cent is set to be missed after new figures showed less than four in 10 pupils eat them.

School Food Trust statistics show 39.3 per cent of primary school pupils and 35.1 per cent of secondary school pupils eat school meals.

The figure represents a small rise in take-up of less than one per cent, but a government target of a 10 per cent rise on 2005/06 figures will be missed.

Prue Leith, chair of the School Food Trust, said she was encouraged by the results: "I am heartened that take-up has increased slightly in primary schools following the introduction of new nutrient-based standards and am convinced we are winning the battle for the hearts, minds and tastebuds of children and parents."

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