School dinner prices frozen

Although the council is facing severe financial challenges, chiefs have decided the price of meals will be pegged at £2.10 per day.

This means that prices have increased in the last three-year period by only five per cent, despite a time of much higher food inflation.

But the council has decided to scrap the sibling discount arrangement however at the end of the month.

Permission for this discount was given for three years by the government, at a time of increased costs to the catering service.

This helped to alleviate the financial burden for families with more than one child when the price of meals had risen ahead of inflation to meet the rising costs of providing the service in 2008.

County Councillor Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s executive member for schools said: “We are only too aware of the financial pressures families are under at the present time and despite the county council’s economic challenges which require millions of pounds worth of savings to be found, members are determined that school meals should be affordable and offer good value for money, so that all children have the opportunity to have a nutritious meal in the middle of the day.

“Good nutrition is essential to children’s health and well being and their ability to make the most of their learning.

“We are proud of our drive to deliver high quality meals to North Yorkshire’s children, which is why, despite the freeze on the price of a meal, we continue to drive quality upwards and improve the standards of the produce used.”

The council says only fresh meat and poultry is used in school dinners, all of which is sourced in Yorkshire.

Half of all fruit and vegetables are also sourced from the north of England with plans to increase the percentage in coming years.