Nutrition Review of the Hot School Meals Programme and a Major National Survey of Parents, Children, Teachers and Suppliers

• Reports show that a wide variety of nutritious and balanced meals are available across the scheme, confirm that most meals do not contain foods high in fat, salt or sugar and indicate high levels of satisfaction with the programme
• Large scale survey of 747 schools, 6,884 children, 86,637 parents and guardians, 2,420 teachers and principals, and 47 suppliers
• 78% of teachers rated meals as acceptable, good or excellent for nutritional value, and 79% rated meals as acceptable, good, or excellent on quality
• While the overall findings are positive, the reports highlight challenges around meal acceptance, particularly among older children and concerns regarding consistency in nutritional quality
• Both reports found that schools and parents continue to raise concerns about menu choice; provision for children with special dietary requirements and providing options for both hot and cold meals
• Minister to act on recommendations

Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary TD, today published the reports of two independent studies examining food standards and student, parent and teacher experience on the school meals programme.

Announcing the publications, Minister Calleary said:

“Ensuring that children have access to healthy, nutritious food is a key priority for this Government. We are committed to building an education system that works for all children, and the Schools Meals Programme plays an important role in achieving that goal. By providing regular, nutritious meals, we are helping children to fully engage in their education, while at the same time reducing the costs faced by their parents. The State invests €300m each year in School Meals programme. It saves a family with two children in primary school around €1,152 per year. This shows that value of the scheme is not just the educational benefit but also the support it provides to families in reducing their own direct household expenses.”

The Minister continued:

“Understandably, as the programme expanded at pace, some concerned parents and others raised questions regarding food quality and waste. On the other hand, previous surveys covering schools already in the programme indicated a high degree of satisfaction overall. While we should never let the perfect get in the way of the good, we should always strive to be the best we can. That is why I was keen to get to the bottom of these different perspectives and understand what we might do better. In particular, I wanted to get an independent assessment of food standards by a qualified dietician to supplement a survey of student, teacher, parent and supplier opinions.”

“I am pleased to see that the reports indicate a generally high standard of food provision and a high level of overall satisfaction. I am also pleased that they provide an independent and objective view of those areas where we can improve the programme. I will immediately begin to act on those recommendations for improvement.”

Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton said:

“The Hot School Meals Programme is one of the most important supports available to children and young people in our education system. Ensuring that pupils have access to a nutritious, balanced meal during the school day not only supports their health and wellbeing, but also enhances learning outcomes, attendance and participation in school life.

I fully support the continued expansion and delivery of the programme and welcome the valuable findings from both the nutritional review and the survey of children, parents and teachers. These insights will help to ensure that the programme continues to meet the needs of students and reflects best practice in nutrition and service delivery.”

Key findings from these studies include:

Nutrition Review Report

• There is a wide variety of meals offered under the scheme, with good availability of nutritious and well-balanced options.
• 82% of meals analysed did not contain foods considered high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).
• The analysis of data on meal options however shows that high, fat, salt, sugar foods are chosen over healthier options when available on the menu.
• Feedback provided by principals and teachers during school visits was largely positive. Principals rated meals particularly highly on choice, consideration of dietary requirements, quality, and nutritional value. 78% of teachers rated meals as acceptable, good or excellent for nutritional value, and 79% rated meals as acceptable, good, or excellent on quality.
• The average proportion of uneaten meals was 18.9% across all classes, with less waste seen in younger age groups. Absenteeism contributed significantly to total waste. When accounting for absences the proportion of uneaten meals fell to 11.1%.
• Meals would benefit from increased provision of vegetables, fruit, salad and wholegrain foods, improving menu consistency, providing age-appropriate portion sizes and strengthening compliance systems.
• The review recommended:
  • the development of a standardised 3 week menu cycle be prioritised to support school meals suppliers in providing meals and menus that are fully compliant with Nutrition Standards;
  • that menus be adapted for special schools and special classes, and for children with special dietary requirements to ensure the scheme remains inclusive;
  • clear instructions should be issued to suppliers to provide different size meals for different age groups, as soon as is practically possible;
  • flexibility should be allowed to order either a cold or hot lunch on any given day;
  • robust compliance audits of nutrition standards should be developed.

IPSOS Behaviour & Attitudes Survey

• The School Meals Programme is now deeply embedded in participating primary schools, with strong reach among children and broad recognition of its benefits.
• 81% of parents/guardians who responded reported that their child avails of the scheme with the majority viewing the menu options as healthy or very healthy.
• 85% of children who responded reported that they liked the meal or that it was satisfactory.
• 76% of children stated that they eat all, most or some of their meal.
• Only 13% of children said they did not like their lunch.
• Food waste was always a problem even before the introduction of school meals – 48% of parents said their children brought uneaten food home before school meals were introduced.
• A challenge identified by the survey was improving meal acceptance, rather than meal availability, among children who do not eat al or any of their meal.
• 28% of children and 84% of parents/guardians felt that children should have the option of a cold lunch.
• Among parents with concerns, the most cited issues related to perceptions of processed foods, children’s dislike of certain meals and concerns regarding fruit and vegetable content.
• The principal issues raised by schools and parents with suppliers were requirements for meals suitable for dietary requirements and menu choice.

The Nutrition Review report and National Survey results are available here: Report on Nutrition Review of the Hot School Meals Programme.

Note for Editors:

• The Hot School Meals Scheme, was introduced in 2019 as a pilot in 37 DEIS primary schools.
• It has since expanded to provide hot meals to approximately 550,000 primary school children in 3,200 schools across the State during the 2025/26 school year.
• The wider School Meals Programme supports approximately 682,000 children.
• Overall, the scheme now supports the largest catering operation in the country, with up to 3.4 million meals provided each week.
• The School Meals Programme is funded by the Department of Social Protection with a budget of €286 million in 2026.
• Food standards for the Hot School Meals programme were originally determined by a technical nutrition group consisting of experts from
  • The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland
  • The Health Service Executive
  • Safefood
  • The Food Safety Authority of Ireland
• Previous reviews of the Hot School Meals Programme in 2020 and March 2023 reported high levels of satisfaction with the progamme, including with respect to food standards and quality, and called for its extension to all primary schools.
• While the programme is generally well received, as it expanded some observers raised questions regarding food standards, portion sizes and food waste.
• In response to these questions:
  • The food content on the programme was changed in 2025 to exclude foods high in saturated fats and sugars, including the removal of the once a week ‘cheat meal’ option.
  • Given the expansion in the scheme since 2023 two new independent studies were commissioned to provide an up to date assessment of compliance with food standards and assess student, parent, teacher and supplier opinions.

The Nutrition Review

• The Nutrition Review was carried out by a CORU-registered dietitian appointed by the Department of Social Protection for the School Meals Programme through the Department of Health in September 2025.
• The Nutrition Review analysed 360 meals from 15 suppliers and included 54 school visits across Ireland.
• The analysis concentrated on five primary nutrition standards including the directive to remove foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar from school meal menus.
• The Ipsos Behaviour & Attitudes survey included responses from 747 schools, 6,884 children, 86,637 parents and guardians, 2,420 teachers and principals, and 47 suppliers.
• The Nutrition Review, found a wide variety of nutritious and balanced meals available across the scheme and confirmed that most meals reviewed did not contain foods high in fat, salt or sugar.
• It did indicate however that, in some cases, improvements are required in vegetable, fruit and wholegrain content. It also indicated that greater use should be made of age-appropriate portion sizes.
• The review makes 18 recommendations including:
  • the development of a standardised 3 week menu cycle be prioritised to support school meals suppliers in providing meals and menus that are fully compliant with Nutrition Standards;
  • that menus be adapted for special schools and special classes, and for children with special dietary requirements to ensure the scheme remains inclusive;
  • clear instructions should be issued to suppliers to provide different size meals for different age groups, as soon as is practically possible;
  • flexibility should be allowed to order either a cold or hot lunch on any given day reflecting feedback from principals and teachers during school visits that this would contribute to waste reduction;
  • robust compliance audits of nutrition standards should be developed.

The IPSOS Behaviours and Attitudes Survey.

• The survey shows that the Hot School Meals Scheme is now deeply embedded in participating primary schools, with strong reach among children and with broad recognition of its benefits, particularly for schools with DEIS status.
• Overall, the survey showed that parents rated the programme positively, the most cited reasons being the provision of regular meals, children’s enjoyment of meals and the inclusion of core food groups. Main concerns raised related to perceptions of processed foods, children’s dislike of certain meals and concerns regarding fruit and vegetable content. It also indicated a demand for greater flexibility, including the option of hot or cold meals.
• The survey also found that most school children ate some or all of their meal and of those who did satisfaction rates reached 85%, with 48% believing the amount of food provided was ‘just right’.
• In addition, 63% of teachers and principals believe the progamme has a generally positive impact.
• A challenge identified by the survey was improving meal acceptance among children who do not eat all or any of their meal, rather than meal availability.
• 28% of children and 84% of parents/guardians felt that children should have the option of a cold lunch.
• With respect to food waste the survey indicated that this is an issue that is linked to pupil absenteeism and also predates the introduction of school meals with many parents reporting that, prior to hot school meals, children frequently returned home with their home-packed lunches only partially eaten.