Call for school meals to be brought back in-house

A council is being urged to bring school meals back in-house after a union said there had been a drop in quality.

In March 2024 North Tyneside Council suspended its school catering service amid declining uptake and a £3m annual shortfall.

There are now calls by the GMB for this to be reversed after it said there had been a a drop in quality and hike in prices, and a national report found most English secondary school meals failed to reach health standards.

The council said the decision was necessary due to financial pressures and it continued to work with schools to support healthy eating and ensure pupils had access to nutritious meals.

According to the food charity Bite Back, three out of four menus from 391 secondary schools in England contain at least one standards breach, often offering kids unhealthy foods too frequently.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that a GMB spokesman described this as no surprise.

He said: "We've seen the rising cost of school meals year-on-year and a drop in the quality of ingredients.

"The council should be leading the way and taking back the service from the private companies.

"Children's health and meals should not be left in the hands of the cheapest option."

Stephen Ballantyne, interim director of resources at the council said: "Like councils across the country, we continue to face significant financial pressures and must regularly review services to ensure resources are being used in the most effective and sustainable way.

"Since the transition in 2024, we have continued to work positively with school leaders to support healthy eating and ensure pupils have access to nutritious meals throughout the school day.

"By reviewing services and focusing our resources where they can have the greatest impact, we can continue to support the residents and communities who need us most."

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