Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MEALY MOUTHED
PM acts on rations.. only after he’s shamed Boris brands food parcels ‘a disgrace’ Rashford calls for school meals review
BORIS Johnson has once again been shamed into action on hungry pupils after they were sent meagre food package.
The PM appeared angry when he branded the free school meals parcels sent out to struggling a “disgrace” and hauled the private providers that have been profiting from them over the coals.
But he reacted only after families shared images of packages with barely enough to feed their kids and footballer
Marcus Rashford again intervened. And while Mr
Johnson blamed private providers, such as Chartwells, for the scandal, their supplies match ed government guidelines for what packages should contain.
The firm’s owner Compass Group PLC has previously been criticised over school packages. A US subsidiary paid out £13million after allegedly overcharging more than 39 schools in New York for meals. Mr Johnson came under fire after appearing to be stunned private firms were taking taxpayers’ cash but delivering food worth as little as £3.
Labour MP Catherine Mckinnell asked the PM if he was “ashamed of being schooled on feeding hungry children by Marcus Rashford”. She added: “Why do children needing to eat keep taking this Government by surprise?” And Labour leader Keir Starmer challenged Mr Johnson over the similarities between the paltry parcels and official advice.
An example of what families should receive for five days in the guidance includes a loaf of bread, two baking potatoes, a cucumber, three large tomatoes, a tin of sweetcorn, a tin of beans, five portions of fresh fruit or three portions of fresh fruit and a tin of fruit.
One parent, called Roadside Mum on Twitter shared a picture of her parcel, which contained bread, a tin of beans, two smaller potatoes,
Why do children needing to eat keep taking this government by surprise CATHERINE MCKINNELL LABOUR MP TO JOHNSON YESTERDAY
I can’t believe a company is profiting from our vulnerable children... ZANE POWLES ASSISTANT HEAD TEACHER IN GRIMSBY
cheese, yoghurt, two portions of fruit and one tomato. It lacked cucumber, a tin of sweetcorn, meat, milk, and more tomatoes. But it did pasta, have Soreen and carrots which were not listed in the guidance.
Parents struggling to feed kids in the pandemic have been getting food parcels because the Government did not have enough time to set up a meal voucher system before the latest lockdown came in.
No 10 has been scrambling to get one going and from next week families will be able to claim £15 to buy a week’s worth of food for their child. MEAGRE One of the food packages
But the scheme, run by company Edenren, came under fire in the first lockdown as many schools reported struggles distributing the vouchers.
In the meantime, teachers and other staff have been going the extra mile up and down the land to distribute food and other supplies such as laptops so pupils do not go hungry during the lockdown or fall behind in their education.
Schools Officers from the Met Police yesterday delivered food bags to 370 students at Harris Boys’
Academy in East Dulwich, South London. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson met with private food providers and threatened to name them if their parcels were poor.
Mr Johnson yesterday met Rashford, whose campaign to keep free school meals during the holidays sparked another Tory U-turn.
The Manchester United star said: “It’s 2021. Our eyes are open. Now is the time for a full major review of the free school meal system.”
The PM added: “When you look at some of these images, they don’t reflect the guidance. But it is a scandal and a disgrace as I’ve said that some companies are trying to get away with the provision they are offering.”
Chartwell yesterday pledged to provide breakfasts free of charge on top of the lunch parcels it is already supplying to families.
THANKS Grateful Maria Tebbutt and kids