To ask the Minister of Education what advice has been given to schools’ catering departments regarding making school dinners affordable but nutritious in the face of rising food and energy costs.

The Education Authority (EA) is responsible for the provision of school meals in grant-aided nursery, primary, post-primary and special schools with the exception of voluntary grammar or grant-maintained integrated schools where those schools are responsible for this provision. The price of a school meal in the schools for which the EA is responsible is determined by the EA. In determining this price, the EA is conscious of the potential impact that any rise in price would have on families paying for school meals. As a result, the EA has not raised the price of a school meal since 2017. The EA continues to keep this price under review.

Nutritional standards apply to school lunches as set by the Department which include the recommended portion sizes and nutritional requirements within each food category. This ensures that all pupils can access a healthy and nutritious school lunch that is suitable as their main meal of the day.