P-06-1442 Extend Universal Free School Meals to secondary schools

This petition was submitted by Unite Community Cardiff and Area Branch, having collected a total of 254 signatures.

Text of Petition:

We call for:

Implementating Universal Free School Meals in secondary schools, for all pupils regardless of dietary requirements for allergic, religious, or personal reasons.

Ensuring as far as possible that these Free School Meals are ethically and sustainably sourced, including protecting workers’ rights in the supply chain.

Encouraging in all schools, high-quality in-house kitchens making fresh food whenever possible, and when not possible that providers use fresh and local produce.

Additional Information:

As part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru in 2021, Universal Free School Meals were rolled out in primary schools. This has fed tens of thousands of young children many of whom are in poverty, and massively reduced the stigma behind taking these meals. Feeding children must always be a political priority.

It's time for this to go ahead. According to Child Poverty Action Group, 19% of children in poverty still don't have access to Free School Meals due to the means testing in secondary schools, that's approximately 25,000. Not only are they at risk of going hungry, but the Trussell Trust estimate 20% of adults in Wales experience food insecurity.

Additionally we believe that Universal Free School Meals can and must be used to educate, including teaching home economics in Wales especially promoting value for money, healthy diets, with local, ethical, and sustainable sourcing as part of the Curriculum for Wales.

Senedd Constituency and Region

· Cardiff West

· South Wales Central