The government has announced a comprehensive review of the School Meals Programme which has an annual budget of over €65 million.
This supports over 1,500 schools and organisations nationwide and benefits over 230,000 children.
RSM Ireland has been appointed by the Department of Social Protection to conduct the review of the School Meals Programme with recommendations to be provided for the Minister and the Department of Social Protection in advance of the next budget.
The School Meals Programme comes in a number of different shapes and forms including breakfasts, lunches, dinners cold meals and hot meals.
The hot school meals element was introduced in 2019 and has grown significantly from a small pilot scheme of 30 schools to a programme involving 280 primary schools and benefiting 54,000 children.
The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
