The Hot School Meals Programme will be extended to an additional 17 primary schools across Waterford, according to Fine Gael Senator John Cummins.
This is part of the government's plan announced earlier this year which will ensure all children in primary schools nationally will receive a hot school meal by 2030.
Senator Cummins, a former teacher, has spoken about the benefits of the hot school programme in Seanad Eireann on several occasions, most recently when addressing Minister Paschal Donohoe following Budget 2024 which expanded the programme to a further 900 schools.
He said: “Ensuring children have nutritious meals in school has many positive benefits, not only in ensuring children are adequately fed which is vitally important but it also helps them concentrate on their education. There are a lot of research papers that support this view and I have seen first-hand the impact of healthy eating in the school environment”.
Announcing details of the 900 schools, Minister Humphreys said: “I am delighted to announce today that an additional 900 primary schools have been approved for the Hot School Meals Programme. When I was appointed Minister for Social Protection in June 2020, 30 schools were receiving Hot Meals. Today’s announcement means that from April next year, there will be over 1,400 primary schools benefitting from Hot School Meals.
“As Minister, I am absolutely determined to continue to expand the Hot School Meals Programme to every Primary School in Ireland. My ambition is that a child born in Ireland today will be guaranteed access to a Hot Meal by the time they start school. The major expansion I am announcing today means we are now well on course to achieve that objective.”
