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The school meal is an infallible index of the values of a society. Originally designed by social reformers to counter the scourge of hunger, the school meal service is now perceived by many governments as a means to promote social justice, public health and educational attainment, as well as being climate friendly.

Perhaps this is the reason why the school meal service is finally being propelled from the margins to the mainstream of political debate in several countries. As I outline in my latest book, Serving the Public, the demand for universal free school meals is now gathering momentum.

Universal provision is the holy grail of school food reform as it would transform free school meals from a welfare measure for the poor to a fundamental right of all children. In 1879, Manchester became the first city to provide a free school meal to the neediest children in the UK.

The 1906 Education (Provision of Meals) Act empowered all local education authorities in England and Wales to provide meals to children either for free or at a reduced cost. But the Education Act 1944 was the real milestone in the history of the school meal because provision became enshrined in statutory law, as a significant feature of the welfare state. The act stated that the meals were to be free to those pupils whose parents were either unemployed or on low incomes.

In recent years, as a result of the neoliberal welfare policies of successive governments, free school meals provision in many parts of the UK has been confined to the poorest of the poor. According to the charity, Child Poverty Action Group, England has a higher proportion of children in poverty who are ineligible for free school meals compared to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This means that 900,000 English children don’t qualify for free school meals due to its restrictive eligibility criteria.

Wales is currently the only UK nation to have implemented universal free school meals for all state-funded primary schools. Scotland and the London boroughs have introduced partial schemes, but there is no plan for the rest of England to follow suit. Instead, the UK Labour government has proposed a free breakfast club programme, arguing it will improve attendance and ease financial pressure on families.

But cereal and toast is not a substitute for a hot, nutritious school meal at lunchtime. Framing them as interchangeable could create unnecessary divisions between breakfast providers and school meal caterers. In reality, both should work together to ensure children receive the nutrition they need.

More than just food

A universal school meal system has far-reaching benefits. First, in terms of social justice, it’s a system that ensures every child gets at least one healthy meal a day, removing the stigma of means-tested provision. Second, it may help to improve educational outcomes, since well-fed children are more focused, which improves learning and attainment. And third, sustainably sourced school meals can support local food production and reduce food waste.

But underfunding threatens the quality of school meals in England. Research commissioned by the charity School Food Matters last year found that the UK government’s funding rate of £2.53 per meal falls short by 63p, with the actual cost estimated at £3.16.

If this shortfall is allowed to persist, England will see more of its local authorities follow the examples of Hampshire County Council and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, which are terminating their in-house school catering service, placing the onus on schools and leading to further fragmentation of the English school meals system.

Political will

Wales’ universal free school meal programme emerged from a unique political agreement. In 2021, a cooperation deal between the Welsh Labour government and Plaid Cymru secured a working majority in the Senedd (Welsh parliament). The agreement covered a broad range of social and economic policies. But at the top of the list was a commitment to provide universal free school meals to all state-funded primary schools.

The policy was framed as a “transformational intervention” to combat child hunger and poverty, boost educational attainment and strengthen local food networks. It is too early to fully assess the effects of this initiative. But one thing is clear: it would not have been possible without cross-party collaboration. The challenge now is ensuring it remains a long-term political priority, regardless of future governments.

The demand for universal free school meals is also growing internationally. Globally, only 41% of children enrolled in primary school benefit from school meal programmes. The School Meals Coalition, launched at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021, now has more than 100 member countries working towards the goal of ensuring every child has access to a nutritious school meal by 2030.

One of the pioneers of universal free school meals in Europe is Sweden, where the city of Malmö is regarded as a beacon of good practice. Malmö set itself two goals when it designed its policy in 2010: all public food should be organic by 2020 and carbon emissions from food procurement should be reduced by 40% compared with 2002. Although it has not quite met these stretching targets, the city has gone a long way towards doing so.

The fragmented approach to this issue in the UK reflects the broader complexities of devolution. But some issues transcend political boundaries. A well-funded, universal school meal system is not just a welfare policy but an investment in future generations. A 2024 poll found the universal free school meals scheme is hugely popular with parents and carers in England, so politicians would not be taking an electoral risk by embracing it.

If the UK government is serious about its goal of creating “the healthiest generation ever,” expanding universal free school meals across England would be an excellent place to start.