Expand free school meals eligibility ‘to reduce stigma’, DfE urged

Widening eligibility for free school meals could not only reduce the number of children facing food insecurity but remove the stigma felt by those who do receive them, researchers have said. A study by York University and the Bradford Institute for Health Research finds that a “significant number” of children who do not meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals are going hungry. Some 20 per cent of children surveyed by researchers said that despite not meeting the criteria, they were often forced to skip meals due to food insecurity. Read more.