The children’s commissioner is calling for a “fundamental rethink” after the price rise
The Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner is calling for a “fundamental rethink” of the recent rise in school meal prices.
The price hike came into force on January 1, 2026, with the Education Authority saying it is part of saving measures due to a funding shortfall of around £300million.
Pre-school meals are now priced at £3, primary school and special school meals are £3.10, while the price of a meal in post-primary schools has risen by 19.25%
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Speaking to Belfast Live, NI Children’s Commissioner, Chris Quinn, said the price increase is “challenging” for many families across Northern Ireland. He said many families were struggling before this, and believes it may result in more children missing out on a nutritious meal.
He said: “While this will mean tightening of belts for some, for those families living in poverty, it may mean not being able to afford to provide a nutritious meal for their children, which I find very concerning.
“Prior to this price hike, thousands of families, many with more than one child, were already struggling to pay for a hot meal or purchase items for a packed lunch. I have no doubt that this increase will result in children now missing out on a nutritious school meal.
“Every child has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including access to adequate, nutritious food. NICCY’s aim is to ensure that every child has access to meals during the school day, helping to alleviate educational inequality while reducing stigma associated with poverty.”
Mr Quinn is calling on the Education Authority and Department of Education to have a “fundamental rethink” of the change to ensure children do not go hungry.
He has backed a call for universal free school meals, to bring Northern Ireland to parity with schools in the Republic of Ireland and across the UK.
“Elsewhere across the UK and Ireland governments and local authorities are moving to roll out universal free school meals, starting with the youngest children, and then progressing to older children. Northern Ireland is the only jurisdiction where there is no universal provision. Given this, as a minimum we believe the increased costs of school meals should not be passed on to families,” Mr Quinn added.
“When the Education Minister consulted on this last year, there was widespread support for universal Free School Meals, given the extensive evidence of the positive impact on children’s health, education outcomes and wellbeing.
“A second step is to ensure that all children in poverty are eligible for Free School Meals. Research we published last year showed that 41% of children in poverty didn’t qualify. Eligibility must be extended to children in working families, who aren’t in receipt of benefits, taking account of family sizes when considering the income threshold.
“I strongly recommend that the Executive works together to find the resources needed to provide Free School Meals for all children on a universal basis. As we can see in every other jurisdiction across the British Isles, it is not an unreasonable aspiration that every child should get one nutritious meal a day at school.”
When the price rise was announced, an Education Authority spokesperson said: “The Education Authority (EA) recently set out a number of savings measures in response to a significant funding shortfall of around £300million.
“As part of these measures, school meal prices will increase in January for the first time since 2017. Pupils entitled to Free School Meals will not be affected by this rise, and in pre-school, primary and special school settings will continue to receive a meal as before.
“In post-primary, which operates on a cafeteria basis, the daily free school meal allowance will increase by 19.25% to £3.34 to mirror the price increase across all menu items.
“For pupils who are not entitled to free school meals, new prices will come into effect in January 2026 and are reflected in the figures to the right.”
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