Over half of parents have said that they plan to drop out of the hot school meals scheme, as a damning new survey reveals deep dissatisfaction with the programme. The survey found that just 43% of parents who took part planned to continue to avail of the hot school meal scheme in its current format, with 57% of parents saying they would not. It found that 80% of parents said their children would be more likely to eat a fresh lunch rather than a hot school meal. Suppliers also responded to the survey and warned that “offering both hot and cold options is not economically viable”. All primary schools can now avail of the hot school meals programme, which originally started as a pilot in 2019.

Source: Irish Examiner March 19, 2026 08:30 UTC