Up to 350 primary schools will not receive promised hot school meals in September due to procurement rule changes, with the earliest possible start date now pushed to mid-to-late October. The schools, eligible to join the Hot School Meals scheme for the first time this academic year, have been caught in bureaucratic delays after the Department of Education changed procurement requirements.
Initially, schools were offered two options: wait for new procurement documents and face an 8-10 week processing delay, or accept cold lunches until January 2026. However, the Department of Social Protection has since clarified that schools choosing cold meals won’t have to wait until January for hot options, but can transition as soon as they complete the procurement process.
New procurement rules are expected next week, allowing schools to begin finding food suppliers, with hot meals potentially available from mid-October at the earliest. Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny criticized the delay as “bureaucratic red tape,” calling it “deeply unfair” to families who view these meals as necessities rather than just support. He accused the government of poor follow-through despite championing hot school meals as a key cost-of-living measure. The expansion makes all primary schools eligible for the scheme, up from 2,850 participating schools last year. Minister Dara Calleary has also ordered a nutritional review following quality concerns.