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Families with children in Southampton primary schools are being given an extra incentive to sign them up for a healthy midday meal after the city council froze the price of its school dinners for the next year. City Catering - the council's in-house catering service - has set the price of primary meals at £1.70, which is a zero percent increase on last year. In secondary schools, pupils will pay an extra 10p from September, which still makes Southampton's school dinners among the best value for money in the region. It is hoped the move to keep prices affordable will encourage more parents and carers to allow their children to have a hot and healthy lunch, which will in turn bring about economies of scale for City Catering. Councillor Peter Baillie, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "With the cost of living on the increase, we know that many families are feeling the pinch and reassessing their budgets. What we don't want them to do is substitute their child's healthy school dinner with cheaper and less nutritious alternatives. "By keeping our prices affordable, we hope that even more parents will consider allowing their child to have a school dinner." Despite the hold on the price of primary school dinners, parents can expect the same high nutritional standards from every meal produced by City Catering. The council has decided that the cost of secondary school dinners should increase from £1.70 to £1.80 to allow for the larger portion sizes. For more information visit Southampton City Council |
