Education dept defends school meal options

Minister of Education says it will investigate concerns further

The education department has defended the school meal options for the Island's children, after an MHK raised concerns some were leaving hungry at the end of the day.

In the House of Keys on Tuesday, Julie Edge quizzed minister Graham Cregeen, whose responses led to outcry from parents on social media.

In a statement, the minister says "no child should be hungry at the end of the school day.

"I have asked Ms Edge MHK for further information in order to look into these concerns.

"There is a wide dietary choice provided through the School Meals Service, examples of menus are available online.

"Since May 2018, a 7% increase in the uptake of school meals has been recorded.

"We will work closely with Department of Health and Social Care experts to fully explore the application of the School Food Standards guidelines across our meals service, including the range of foods provided including snacks, portion sizes and nutritional values of our meals for each age range."