Henry Dimbleby: extension of free school meals 'has to happen soon'
Henry Dimbleby, author of the National Food Strategy for England, has told MPs that the extension of free school meals to children on Universal Credit "has to happen and has to happen soon".
Dimbleby, who is also co-founder of restaurant chain Leon, gave evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee today (18 October).
The National Food Strategy was commissioned by the government in 2019 and was the first major cross-departmental review of the UK food system for 75 years, covering topics ranging from obesity to tariffs.
The government has implemented four out of the seven recommendations outlined in part one of the strategy, which was published in July 2020, including the extension of Healthy Start vouchers for parents of young children claiming benefits to spend on vitamins, fruit, vegetables, and milk.
However, Dimbleby expressed his frustration that the government had not expanded the eligibility for the free school meal scheme.
He said: "The evidence is completely irrefutable, which is increasing free school meals and universal free school meals will pay for itself.
"[It] improves the culture of those schools, the performance in those schools, it improves the health of the children in those schools and it sets them up better to become productive adults. Absolutely in my mind no question: it's the right thing to do."
The topic has become more urgent due to the cost of living crisis, Dimbleby explained.
He gave an example of a school in Plymouth where around 20% of pupils were eligible for free school meals but said there were "an enormous number of people just above the threshold [who] are really going to struggle".
He recommended that the government "really look at that data on a local level and really understand how it can structure that support" because the extension "just has to happen and has to happen soon".
It comes after numerous voices in the food and hospitality industry, including Jamie Oliver, Tom Kerridge and the school caterer's trade body LACA urged the government to immediately extend the criteria of children eligible for free school meals.
Dimbleby added: "[We] need to change the way people think about public health and stop seeing it as nannying and interfering and start seeing it as the fundamental foundation of what a good society looks like."
Dimbleby also called for stricter rules around buy-one-get-one-free offers on junk food.
Further details of the National Food Strategy are available to view here.
