MP Briefing: Feed The Future - why the Government must extend Free School Meals to more children

Feed the Future is a campaign led by a coalition of organisations including The Food Foundation, Bite Back 2030, School Food Matters, CPAG, Impact on Urban Health, Chefs in Schools, Jamie Oliver Ltd and Sustain. 

We are calling on the Government to urgently extend the eligibility for Free School Meals.

• All children in state-funded schools in England from families in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefits should become eligible for a Free School Meal immediately.
• This extension to eligibility is an urgent first step towards a long-term goal for the Government to provide comprehensively funded, nutritious school food for all children. 

Free School Meals provide an essential nutritional safety net, protecting children from food insecurity and improving health and educational outcomes, especially amongst children from lower-income families. Expanding eligibility will help address pervasive inequalities, supporting government ambitions to grow the economy, level up society and improve educational standards.

This MP briefing lays out the evidence.