School meals costs up

12:30pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

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A GWENT council is set to increase the price of school meals for a second time since April because of rising food prices.

Caerphilly Council are proposing that from September, meals for primary schools rise to £1.75 and the set meal allowance for secondary school pupils hit the £2 mark.

The council says the rises will allow it to maintain nutritional standards.

The 10p rises are on top of 5p and 10p rises in April this year.

A council statement read: "Unfortunately, at the time of the April increases, the full impact of inflation was not apparent.

"At the end of the 2007-08 financial year the School Meals Service had a net operating deficit of of £128,836. Efforts are now in hand to address the deficit position during the 2008-09 financial year."

A report it compiled cited the Retail Price Index which is published by the National Statistics Office. This shows that in the 12 months to April 2008, food has increased by 6.9% per annum.

"Certain foods have increased at a faster rate than others. For example, bread has increased by 13%, fresh fruit by 9.4%, processed fish by 10.9%, cheese by 15.8% and eggs by 33.3%.

"Unhealthier products which are not served in school have not increased by such large amounts.

For example, soft drinks have increased by 2.5% and sugar by 4.7%," the report added.

It states that in 2007/08, each primary school meal cost the local authority £2.05 to produce with pupils charged £1.60.