School meals industry ‘on its knees’ faced with shortages and rising costs

As reported by The Independent, some providers using more processed food and ditching British meat as prices soar, poll finds

Children are facing a deterioration in school meals due to shortages and soaring prices in the cost of living crisis, a survey suggests.

School meal providers have said they are being forced to cut back on the quality of meals and are using more processed food and poorer-quality meat for student lunches because of cost pressures.

The school food industry has now warned it is ‘on its knees’ because of a mismatch between funding and rising food costs – and said that the situation was only likely to get worse in the coming months.

One headteacher said that colleagues were even considering the idea of serving just cold food in order to cut down on costs.

In a new poll by Laca, the industry body representing school caterers, 91 per cent of 99 school meal providers surveyed across England and Wales said they are experiencing food shortages, with more than 60 per cent saying this has not improved since May.

The survey, the respondents of which provide food to nearly 10,000 schools, found that prices have risen by 30 per cent since May.

This is in addition to the 20 per cent price increases that Laca members reported in May, compared with April 2020.