Jersey Urged to Expand School Meal Funding to Aid Families With Cost of Living
A States Assembly debate over school food provision prompted calls for more investment in funded meals and locally grown produce to help parents.
At a glance
- Jersey incorporated fresh fruit into primary school hot meals after a standalone fruit initiative caused food wastage.
- Politician Doublet called for expanded school meal funding to relieve cost-of-living pressures on parents.
- Hot meals for Jersey government primary schools are supplied frozen by UK firm Apetito Limited.
Calls have been made in Jersey for increased government funding for school meals and locally grown healthy food to help families navigate high living costs. The appeal followed a debate in the States Assembly on 29 September concerning recent changes to primary school meal provisions across the island.
The discussion centred on an announcement made by the government in September confirming that fresh fruit would be incorporated into the school food programme, which supplies hot meals to government primary schools. Catherine Curtis, the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, previously indicated that the existing standalone free fruit initiative had led to significant food wastage. Curtis stated that parents had actively asked for fruit to be included directly in the hot school meals programme instead.
During the assembly debate, politician Doublet acknowledged the evidence presented by the minister showing that the previous fruit initiative had not generated a meaningful rise in pupils' consumption of fruit and vegetables. However, Doublet argued that the potential benefits regarding household expenses were left unmeasured by the assessment of the scheme.
Doublet voiced support for greater public investment in nutritious provisions, highlighting locally grown food as an effective way to help households cope with financial strain. She called for funded meal initiatives to be extended further, arguing that the policy directly relieves cost-of-living pressures for parents while guaranteeing that children receive healthy food at school.
The debate also addressed the government's catering contract with UK-based firm Apetito Limited, which provides hot meals across Jersey's state primary schools. Doublet described the contract as the best available option, addressing public concerns over freshness by clarifying her understanding that the meals are frozen rather than artificially preserved.
Source: BBC Business.
