Schools standards minister David Milliband approved Hull Council's proposal - the first of its kind in the country - to entitle all children at primary schools to a free breakfast, lunch and after-school snack.
Children under the age of 11 will receive a healthy choice every day, including chicken risotto, fresh mince and vegetable hotpot, roast turkey and spaghetti bolognese.
Under the Department for Education and Skills' Power to Innovate programme, Hull will be exempted from section 2 of the Education Act 2002, which prevents schools providing free meals for all. At present, only 26 per cent of Hull's primary school pupils are entitled to free meals.
Colin Inglis, the leader of the council, said: "This is a huge first for Hull, linking education and health in a radical and pioneering programme, which should set new standards for the whole country.
"We also expect it will dramatically affect levels of attendance and attainment in Hull schools," he added.
A similar scheme operates in Finland, where every child receives a free healthy school lunch as part of a public education campaign promoting healthy diet and exercise.
Meanwhile, a joint report from the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health detailed the threat to children's health from rising obesity.
More than nine per cent of two- to four-year-old children are obese, while the figure stands at 16 per cent for six- to 15-year-olds. If current trends continue, at least one fifth of boys and one third of girls will be obese by 2020.
- www.rcplondon.ac.uk.
