Ten more Donegal schools approved for hot meals programme

Ten schools across Donegal that have been approved for the hot school meals programme.

The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them.

The Department of Social Protection provides the funding to schools for the School Meals Programme, and it is the responsibility of schools to choose their supplier.

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The latest schools to be included in the programme are Scoil An Linbh Íosa, Donegal Town, SN An Br M O Cleirigh, Ballyshannon, SN Talamh Na Coille, Letterkenny, Glebe NS, Donegal Town, Scoil Naomh Peadar Mountcharles, Dooish NS, Ballybofey, Scoil Aodh Rua & Nuala, Donegal Town and Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, Letterkenny, Scoil Cholmcille, Greencastle, Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana, Gaelscoil Bhun Cranncha and Gaelscoil Cois Feabhail, Moville.

Welcoming the inclusion of more local schools in the national initiative, Minister of State Charlie McConalogue said hundreds more primary school children in Donegal are now eligible to receive hot school meals as of the start of this week, which is a “really positive development”.

“The hot school meals programme was introduced as a small pilot of 30 schools back in 2019. Today, around 475,000 school children at nearly 2,850 schools are eligible to receive hot school meals,” the Minister of State with Responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy said.

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“I’d like to thank the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, for his ongoing work on this initiative. Minister Calleary’s department will also be engaging with any primary schools in Donegal not currently signed up to the programme to encourage them to participate,” Minister McConalogue added.

“I also welcome Minister Calleary’s announcement of a review of the nutritional standards and the removal of the optional food that is high in saturated fat, sugar, and salt from the school meal menus,” the Donegal Minister of State said.