From the start of the 2026 school year, over half a million more children will benefit from a free nutritious meal every school day. To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the Government is also acting with experts across the sector to revise the School Food Standards.
Anna Taylor, executive director at The Food Foundation, said: “This is a landmark day for children. Free school meals bring multiple benefits - they relieve family finances, they protect children's health and they help children learn.
“Coupled with the announcement to improve school food standards, today the government shows it is serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child in Britain has the chance to grow up well nourished - a commitment which is at the heart of their forthcoming food strategy.
“The expansion of free school meals is supported by the overwhelming majority of people in the UK - regardless of how they vote. We all know that feeding our children well, whatever their background is not rocket science, it is about priorities and today the Government put children first.”
LACA, the school food people, welcomed the news but also stated that free school meals ‘must be properly funded’. This is one of the key themes at the LACA Main Event, which is taking place on 8-9th July at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole.
Judith Gregory, chair of LACA, commented: “This is a vital step toward ensuring the most vulnerable children have access to a hot, nutritious meal each day - which, for many, is their only one. While this policy has the potential to make a real difference, it must be properly funded.
“The current allowance of £2.61 per meal has not kept pace with inflation and falls significantly short of what is provided elsewhere in the UK - £3.30 in Scotland and £3.20 in Wales. Without adequate funding, caterers will struggle to deliver the quality of meals children need and deserve.
“We urge the Government to ensure this important policy is matched by the necessary investment, so it does not place further strain on already stretched school budgets.”
The Labour Government says this will put £500 back into parents’ pockets every year by expanding eligibility for free school meals. It also says the ‘unprecedented expansion’ will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty.
Soil Association's head of food policy Rob Percival, added: “This is good news for the hundreds of thousands of families across England who struggle every day to access and afford sufficient food. Free school meals provide a nutritional safety net and can help tackle inequalities, and this move will ensure more children receive them.
"We have campaigned for over twenty years to ensure that healthy school meals are given the priority they deserve, and our Food for Life Served Here programme, which certifies over a million healthy meals every day, supports schools and caterers to deliver high quality, nutritious meals.
"We would urge the Government to ensure that it is providing sufficient funding for caterers on the ground to deliver on this promise to deliver healthy and sustainable meals. The Government should also build on this announcement by introducing parallel measures that ensure school food is sustainably procured, channelling additional spend into the pockets of British and organic farmers."
After campaigning for this issue for over 18 years MP Sharon Hodgson, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food, has welcomed the news.
Hodgson explained: “There are few policies that are better for families who are living in poverty than free school meals. Providing more children than ever with a healthy, hot, nutritious meal will truly change lives, particularly in the most deprived areas such as the North East. I am so pleased that this Labour Government has commitment to such a transformative measure.
“As the founding and current chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food since 2010, this is something we know will take pressure off parents and support children to be fuelled for the rest of the school day. Alongside this Government’s unprecedented universal primary breakfast club programme, we are going further and faster to support families in poverty.”
Since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income is less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty have been unable to access free school meals.
Stephanie Slater, founder and chief executive at School Food Matters, said: “We know from all the evidence that expanding free school meals is one of the best investments a Government can make - not only for children’s long-term health and learning but for the economy too.
“When done right, school meals are the best option for children, especially as packed lunches often fall short in nutritional quality. That’s why we’re also pleased to see the Government is working to update the school food standards to prioritise quality alongside access.”
Kate Anstey, head of education policy at Child Poverty Action Group, stated: "This is fantastic news and a game-changer for children and families. At last more kids will get the food they need to learn and thrive and millions of parents struggling to make ends meet will get a bit of breathing space. We hope this is a sign of what’s to come in autumn’s child poverty strategy, with Government taking more action to meet its manifesto commitment to reduce child poverty in the UK."
Local Food Links strongly supports this decision and is delighted that more pupils will be able to benefit from a healthy and delicious meal during the school day. This will make a positive difference to their learning and wellbeing.
Caroline Morgan, chief executive at Local Links, commented: “This is a good decision for both pupils and parents. It will put extra money in the pocket of hard working families and the pupils can always be confident about receiving a good meal at school.