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“No child should ever go hungry. That is why every child should have access to a hot and healthy meal each day. Thank you to Marcus Rashford for speaking up for vulnerable children across the country.

Since the closure of schools in March, LACA has been deeply concerned on what the impact would be on the vulnerable children who rely on free school meals. This is why we have offered our assistance to the Department for Education to ensure that, where possible, children can continue to access a hot, healthy and nutritious free meal. Our members have always prioritised the need to feed children first and foremost and throughout this crisis our members have created community food hubs, distributing food to those who need it most. The school food voucher scheme is a useful stop-gap where our service cannot reach the most vulnerable.

This afternoon’s Opposition Day debate on extending the free school meal voucher scheme provides MPs with a significant opportunity to demonstrate the importance of free school meals. It is crucial that today’s debate reflects on the absolute necessity of the free school meal service as a whole, in addition to the voucher scheme. It remains vital that the school catering service – with its expertise and capacity to feed children nutritiously in large numbers – is first and foremost in the mind of government who must respond effectively to the issue of holiday hunger. We must also ensure there is a fully functioning school catering service in place for when schools do fully reopen in the autumn.”