Hampshire school meals face price hike due to cost of living crisis as the council calls for government support

The county council school meal provider HC3S – which caters for more than 300 primary, secondary, and special schools across the country - is being forced to increase school meal prices by 20p per day from October 31.

The local authority is currently setting out a financial support package to help schools cover meal costs and contribute towards school uniform for vulnerable families this winter.

It comes as Hampshire County Council has written to the secretary of state for education to call for adequate funding to supply healthy school meals.

While schools are funded by the government to provide Universal Infant Free school meals for Key Stage 1 pupils, this funding is no longer fit to cover the full associated costs, according to a spokeswoman from the local authority. School meals cost £2.60 a day, and went up by 10p in April.

Councillor Roz Chadd, executive member for children’s service and deputy leader of the county council, said: ‘The decision to increase the price of a school meal is regrettable but unavoidable and reflects the continuing increase in food, energy and other costs nationally, with which Government funding has not kept pace.

‘Our focus now is on doing all that we can to bolster our support for vulnerable families over the challenging winter period and ensure that schools are adequately equipped to cover these additional costs.’

HC3S has been negotiating with supplies to keep food costs below inflation, but the current meal is ‘not sustainable, according to Councillor Steve Forster, executive member for commercial strategy, estates and property.

He said: ‘HC3S is not profit-making and seeks only to cover costs. However, in common with the majority of school caterers nationally, HC3S is experiencing significant increased costs including food and pay, with food prices expected to escalate further.’

The county council has launched a range of measures to support residents during the cost of living crisis, including community pantries, grants to support community projects helping vulnerable families, and holiday activities and food programmes to eligible children.