"Extending free school meals is an investment in every child's potential"

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Tesco chairman John Allan has urged ministers to provide free school meals to all children in Universal Credit households to kick-start the economy economy and improve children's chances in life

Tesco chairman John Allan said making sure every youngster has a nutritious meal means we level the playing field (

Image: Getty Images)

Last November, as food prices soared and a cold winter loomed, businesses joined school leaders and NGOs in imploring the government to protect the health, welfare and the future of the country's children through a targeted investment with exponential returns: the extension of free school meals support for all children living in poverty.

Companies serving customers on the front lines of the cost of living crisis felt the need to take urgent action on behalf of the children and families we serve.

Extending support for free school meals is much more than an emergency measure in difficult times. It's an investment in every child's potential and future.

By ensuring that every young person has a nutritious meal, we are leveling the playing field, so that school becomes a place where all students have what they need to thrive and succeed.

Despite all the rhetoric in last week's budget statement about bolstering and leveling our workforce, the government has missed out on one of the most logical and cost-effective investments it can make in health and the well-being of our future workforce; extending free school meal support to all families on Universal Credit.

Tesco chairman John Allan said the expansion of free school meals was "a no-brainer" (

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Zuma Press/PA Pictures)

At £7,400 per household, the current free school meals threshold is shockingly low and has not adjusted as the cost of living has soared.

As a result, more than 800,000 young people living in households with incomes just above this threshold are unable to access a nutritious meal at school.

Improving the employability skills of young people and launching their careers is the cornerstone of a successful business.

It is staggering that before they even have the chance to start their careers with us, hundreds of thousands of young people living in poverty are held back by a political failure that deprives them of their most basic right. : access to nutritious and sustainable food. meals at school.

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