School children offered free lunch

Primary age children in schools across Brighton & Hove are being offered a complimentary school lunch over the next few days.

Brighton & Hove City Council is marking National School Meals Week, which starts today (Monday 4 November) with a programme of complimentary lunches spread over seven days.

This is to ensure that all pupils get the chance to sample a free meal while minimising disruption to school lunchtimes. The campaign is being run in partnership with the council’s school meals contractor, Eden Foodservices.

The chair of the council’s children and young people committee, Councillor Sue Shanks, said: “Some pupils may never have had a school lunch, so we’re excited about being able to offer them the chance to try one.

“We want as many people as possible to know about the quality of the food we offer. We use Red Tractor meats, MSC fish, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and local free range eggs.

“We hope that this mass sampling will mean more children may be tempted to have a school lunch in future.

“Not all children get a nutritious, healthy meal every day so increasing uptake of our school meals could have wider health benefits.”

Visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schoolmeals to find out more about school meals in Brighton & Hove.