‘The cost has become astronomical’: UK schools struggle with rising food prices

theguardian.com:

At St Jude’s, a small Church of England primary school in south London, the morning breakfast club is exceptionally busy. Over the past six weeks the number of pupils coming in to have porridge, scrambled egg and fruit smoothies before the school day begins has climbed from eight to 22 – nearly a quarter of the Southwark school’s population.

Families hit by the cost of living crisis are increasingly desperate, says the acting deputy head, Matt Jones. They need help with their debts; they can’t pay their bills. Staff are making more and more referrals to StepChange, a debt charity, and the school has made discretionary payments to help families unable to afford gas, electricity or nappies.

Budgets are tight, says Jones, but the school is determined to protect quality school dinners for its children, come what may. “We are taking a stance,” he said. “For many of our children, the food they get at our school might be the one decent meal they get each day. So we’ve got to make sure it continues.”

As inflation sends the cost of ingredients spiralling, suppliers have told schools they are doing everything they can to absorb rising costs, but at some point the increases will have to be passed on. Without additional funding from the government, schools may have to opt for smaller portions or cheaper ingredients.

The rapid increase in costs is shocking. One school catering manager in Liverpool said 5kg of long grain rice rose from £6.49 in April to £8.30 in May, 5kg of fresh chicken fillet went up from £19.96 to £28.53, and 1.7kg of tinned tuna in brine rose from £6.99 to £8.07.

Some schools are considering putting up the price of school lunches next term for those who pay, but they are reluctant to increase the burden on families