Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
500. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale behind the new DEY guidelines, whereby uneaten food supplies under the hot lunch scheme will not be sent home with the children at the end of the day (details supplied). [68137/26]
View answerMy department provides the funding for the meals directly to the school and it is the responsibility of each school board to administer the programme in their school including handling the procurement process.
The Schools Procurement Unit under the Department of Education and Youth, provides guidance to schools for all procurements including the School Meals Programme. Under tender documentation the successful food business operator is responsible for the sustainable and safe removal of all food waste.
This measure ensures that meals provided by the Food Business Operators are consumed under appropriate conditions and prevents the risk of foodborne illness associated with leftover meals being stored or transported outside controlled temperature conditions.
Hot school meals are produced and validated to be safe for their intended use, namely storage under refrigerated conditions, reheating once, consumed immediately, and prior to the stated use-by-date date. Where meals are removed from this controlled process such as being carried home without appropriate temperature control and subsequently reheated again the risk of microbial growth increases significantly. Such practices may render the food unsafe and present a risk of foodborne illness.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
